Telling Detail

Read 2 Corinthians 1-3

2 Corinthians 3:13 "And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:"

We can get carried away trying to describe what we see in our imaginations for our readers. We want them to be able to picture our scene in their minds, whether we’re writing fiction or nonfiction.

But if we overload with too much detail, our readers will likely skip over all our hard work in order to get to the action. So we want to give our readers the telling detail.

The telling detail is what creates character in our settings. It’s the thing that makes this one different from what the reader is already familiar with—for instance a canopy bed vs. a twig bed.

Target Market

Read 1 Corinthians 7-9

1 Corinthians 9:20 "And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;"

The target market is the readership we are writing for. We can take an idea and slant it for several audiences as different as children and winery growers and expand our potential for selling a manuscript.

Guidelines help us slant an idea for the editor’s readers. Studying the publication is another step—we can get a feel for what kinds of articles and what kind of tone the target market is looking for.

It’s even necessary to research the target markets for book projects. Different publishers appeal to different sections of readers and those will be the kinds of projects they will say yes to.

Relationships

Read 1 Corinthians 4-6

1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

Stories are about relationships. Nonfiction articles and essays are about the readers’ relationship to the subject—why they should bother to read our piece and what’s in it for them.

Fiction is defined by relationships. Romances are stories about a man and a woman falling in love, science fiction is about humans and their relationships to science and machines.

Even the starkest adventure story about one person surviving against nature is about the relationship of the main character with herself and her enemy, whatever she is up against and must survive. Relationships must exist to move a story forward as protagonist, allies, mentors, and love interest confront the antagonist and the danger represented.

Sitcoms

Read 1 Corinthians 1-3

1 Corinthians 3:6 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."

Television’s situation comedies are a staple of stations. It may not be an easy market to break into, but it is not impossible.

A show may begin with a very short scene that introduces the show, but does not introduce the story problem. Other times the first scene is the one that introduces the story problem.

The rest of the show involves the characters failing to meet the story problem, but the results are humorous and eventually the issue is resolved. Be sure to study the show as different shows use different means for story resolution.

Letters

Read Romans 13-16

Romans 16:15 "Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them."

With the ease of emails, phone calls, and text messages, letters seem like a clumsy way of communicating. But those who receive a hand written letter of substance may cherish it for years.

The trick is to have something noteworthy to say. We might thank someone for the things they have done for us and for what they have meant to us—a parent, a teacher, a mentor.

Businesses also use letters to communicate with their customers and clients and may be looking for writers who can effectively reach them with the company’s message. Businesses may also be looking for newsletter and sales letter writers.

Genres

Read Romans 10-12

Romans 12:4 "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:"

Genres are the parameters of stories marketed to appeal to a specific group of readers. Any story we might want to tell will appeal to certain readers and not interest others.

From romance to mystery, science fiction to westerns, genres have defined what their readers’ expectations of a story will be. Writers will want to get the guidelines for the market we are targeting.

There are differences within the genres themselves. For instance, one romance market may look for a steamy story and another look for relationships rather than sex scenes.

Computers

Read Romans 7-9

Romans 9:20 "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

Computers have made writing so much easier. When we make a mistake, we don’t have to start the page over, we can just make the correction.

If we want to add something in, we can just insert the new information and let the computer adjust the rest of the manuscript accordingly. Fiction writers can write our story in any order it comes to us, knowing we can make any switches we need to at any time, without having to retype the whole story all over again.

Computers also frustrate us. If we are not vigilant about backing up our work regularly, we can lose hours, days, even weeks of work in one moment of computer failure.

Scenes

Read Romans 4-6

Romans 4:17 "(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

Writers have several ways to tell a story, but one of the most effective is through the use of scenes. Scenes are written as if the events are taking place right in front of the reader.

We need enough description for the reader to be able to picture where she is and when the scene is taking place. We need some movement on the part of our characters so they don’t seem like they are inanimate objects.

We need dialogue that moves the plot ahead and hopefully causes some conflict to keep the story tension going. And we need some insight into what the characters are thinking, how they are feeling, and what they might come up with as their next move to resolve the story problem.

Fiction

Read Romans 1-3

Romans 1:29 "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"

We can make up characters and make up situations. We can write books or short stories that follow the plot we have set up.

One of the biggest ingredients of fiction is motivation. We need to have a reason why people should bother reading our fiction.

Our characters need a reason why our story started when it did. Our villains need a reason why they are coming against our characters.

Christian

Read Acts 25-28

Acts 26:28 "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."

Writers who want to publish in Christian markets have a whole world of possibilities. Whether we write articles or books, we can find a home for our manuscripts.

There are plenty of magazines, for men, for women, for children, for teens, and even general interest. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.

The most important ingredient is that these markets are Christ-centered. We’ll want to be familiar with the specifics according to the writers guidelines, but they are looking for wholesome information and stories, and ones that show how living for the Lord translates into daily life.

Thriller

Read Acts 22-24

Acts 23:12 "And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul."

A thriller is packed with danger and action. The protagonist or her family or the country or the earth might be wiped out at any moment.

The thriller is usually a globally focused story. The dangers that the protagonist is fighting are threatening a large area and a lot of people, not usually just the protagonist and his immediate family and friends.

Failure will mean the end of life as we know it, so the protagonist can’t afford to fail. However, the antagonist must be a powerful enemy so the reader is kept on the edge of his seat wondering who is going to be victorious in the end.

Chase

Read Acts 19-21

Acts 19:29 "And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre."

The chase is a popular plot. It might be the bad guys chasing the good guys or it might be the good guys chasing the bad guys to bring them to justice.

It could be a chase for information or a solution to stop disaster from affecting the world. It could be a chase to rescue someone who has been kidnapped before anything permanent happens to them.

Chases have built in suspense because we watch the threats and can see the danger about to fall on our characters. It is also a thriller-heavy plot  because there is usually a ticking clock and time is running out as the story unfolds.

Sidekick

Read Acts 16-18

Acts 16:25 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

We usually write about one protagonist, but a story often benefits from a sidekick for that protagonist. A sidekick is someone who goes through the story issues with the protagonist, lending support and help when needed.

The sidekick might be a best friend or a sibling and might also offer advice or caution like a mentor would. He might even be a source of conflict if he and the protagonist disagree about the next step to resolving a plot problem.

Rarely is the sidekick secretly an enemy, but he could be acting like a friend just to make the protagonist’s life difficult. Or he might be an unwitting pawn used by the antagonist to bring the hero down.

Mentor

Read Acts 13-15

Acts 15:37 "And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark."

The mentor character is one that gives the protagonist advice and information. Usually the mentor is older than the protagonist and has acquired wisdom.

The mentor does not necessarily have to be older. If the protagonist is newly arrived in town, a peer who has lived there her whole life may be able to fill the mentor’s role in the story.

Rarely is the mentor younger than the protagonist. In science fiction and fantasy, it is possible to have a wise child character fill the mentor’s role, or perhaps a savant character in a modern story.

Turning Point

Read Acts 10-12

Acts 11:18 "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

Plots are moved forward by turning points. Whether we are writing a short story, a novel, a movie, a play, or a television script, the turning points we come up with must be important to our characters.

It might be new information that has come to light or it might be a big failure of a solution our characters tried. Turning points make our characters act.

They need to look at things differently or take yet another piece of the puzzle into account when planning what to do next. Turning points mean our characters cannot go backwards, no matter how good things were before or how much they long for the past.

Careers for Characters

Read Acts 7-9

Acts 9:43 "And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner."

While we are plotting, it’s not always easy to remember our characters need jobs. Most of the action might take place at or around our characters’ homes.

Most readers enjoy a look into our character’s job and work environment. It gives them a chance to taste what it might be like to work at that job.

The careers we choose for our characters are important glimpses into what makes them tick. We can choose a career we are familiar with, one we are curious about and want to research, or one that best fits into our plot and what kinds of characters we need to accomplish the story goal.

Retribution

Read Acts 4-6

Acts 5:5 "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things."

The right kind of retribution can be very cathartic for a reader. If the antagonist is very violent throughout the story, an arrest might seem a let down to the reader, if that’s where the story ends.

A hint of the kind of punishment the villain faces after being convicted at trial may help soothe the reader’s outrage. Tying up enough loose ends so the reader will know there will be no escape from the antagonist’s fate will also help.

Sometimes a writer might imagine a different way to dole out retribution. An arsonist trapped in his own fire could be one way.

Speeches

Read Acts 1-3

Acts 2:14 "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:"

Speech writing is another tool to have ready in our freelance belt. When we’re writing speeches for others, we will need to know what our client wants the speech to be about.

We’ll need to know the purpose of the speech as well—to inform, to inspire, maybe to entertain? We’ll need to know who is expected to be listening to the speech in order to make appropriate word choices and to know what kinds of examples would be best received.

We’ll also need to know how our client talks and what word choices she normally uses, maybe get those examples we were going to use from her. Once we have these ingredients, we can write the speech our client would feel she couldn’t have done better if she had written it herself.

False Accusation

Read John 19-21

John 19:12 "And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar."

When we write about a character who has been falsely accused, we will be spending time on the accuser’s motivation. Is the accuser trying to get the protagonist out of the way?

Maybe the accuser really believes our hero is guilty. Maybe others are manipulating the accuser.

The protagonist must fight these false accusations, clear her name, and maybe find out who is guilty, if some crime has been committed. We will also want to show how the false accusation affects the family and friends of our protagonist.

Denial

Read John 16-18

John 18:17 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not."

There are many different types of denial to write about. For nonfiction, we might write about a person who is denying things he is being accused of.

In fiction we might write about a character who is denying some of the bad things that have happened to her. She might not be able to face a trauma so her mind refuses to acknowledge anything has happened.

Another type of fictional denial is when a character has an elaborate alternative reality he lives in. His motivations for action have no basis in the world others see, but only in the world he has created for himself, like in Don Quixote.

Betrayal

Read John 13-15

John 13:21 "When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."

One of the most dramatic plot twists is the betrayal. A trusted person close to the protagonist betrays her to her enemies. Or maybe she is the one who does the betraying.

It can bring lots of suspense as the readers watch the steps the betrayer is taking and can’t do anything to warn the hero. Or the reader watches the hero sinking into the role of betrayer and can’t do anything to stop him and keep him from making this terrible mistake.

Another way to go is when the betrayal is an accident. The betrayer didn’t mean to betray his friend and spends the majority of the story trying to undo the damage, right the wrong, or turn the tables on the enemy and be the rescuer.

Private Detectives

Read John 10-12

John 11:16 "Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him."

A private detective story, television show, or movie stars a professional investigator. Sometimes the detective has been hired to solve a crime.

Sometimes the detective is hired to investigate one thing and stumbles onto another crime. Often the story involves the private detective using her skills to solve a crime she will not be paid for, whether she is doing it for an old friend, someone she owes a favor to, or a child or another person who can’t afford her.

The private investigator’s background often comes up in the course of the story. Perhaps he was once on the police force, or he might run into enemies he has made throughout his life.

Legal Thrillers

Read John 7-9

John 7:51 "Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?"

The Perry Mason books, television show, and movies set the standard for legal thrillers. The lawyer is defending his client and his client is innocent.

So the lawyer sets out to uncover the truth about who committed the crime. All evidence points to his client because the criminal doesn’t want to be caught and punished for his crime.

The criminal further threatens the lawyer, his family, his staff, the client and the client’s family to bully everyone into dropping the investigation. But in most legal thrillers, the client is cleared and the criminal brought to justice.

Mystery

Read John 4-6

John 4:33 "Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?"

Mystery stories seek to uncover the truth. Usually, the story involves the committing of a crime and the steps the characters take to reveal who the criminal is.

Often it involves murder, at least in adult stories. Children’s mysteries involve less violence, depending on the age of the target market.

If the protagonist who solves the crime is not a professional—police, private detective, FBI, etc.—the story is categorized as a cozy. Other mysteries are categorized by the professional who solves the crime, for instance police procedurals.

Beginnings

Read John 1-3

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

The beginning of any piece of writing has a lot of responsibility. It has to interest the reader and let him know what kind of writing follows.

For nonfiction, the beginning has to hook the reader so she wants to finish the whole article or book. It has to tantalize her with what she is going to learn or experience throughout the following words.

For fiction, the beginning has to not only hook the reader, it has to let him know when and where he is and who he is going to be reading about. The sooner he begins to care about the characters, the more likely he is to keep reading or watching through to the end.

Dark Moment

Read Luke 22-24

Luke 23:46 "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."

The dark moment, also known as the black moment, takes place just before the third act of our fiction piece. It’s when all is lost, the characters have tried everything and failed, and they are facing certain defeat.

The protagonist may be alone—all her allies may have deserted her or been killed. She may be ready to give up at this low point.

The reader or viewer should also be worried at this point that the story is going to end badly. If the reader gauges how many more pages the story still has to go, or the viewer can see there is still some time before the show is over, they should not get too depressed to continue to the end.

Taxes

Read Luke 19-21

Luke 20:22 "Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?"

Successfully selling our writing is wonderful. Seeing our name in print and our words out there for others to read is one of the greatest feelings there is.

Getting paid for our hard work is gratifying. But we need to remember that with payment comes the responsibility to pay taxes on our earnings.

When we claim our writing as a business, we can deduct certain expenses and lower the amount of taxes we owe. But even if we claim our writing as a hobby and forget about claiming expenses, we will want to make sure we pay our taxes on time—April 15^th, June 15^th, September 15^th, and January 15^th—to avoid interest, penalties and angry IRS officials.

Children

Read Luke 16-18

Luke 18:16 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."

Writing for children is a world of its own. Each stage of childhood has specific needs.

Different ages are learning certain things and developing certain skills. As we write, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, our work will need to be targeted to the ages we are writing for.

Whether it word choices or themes, it’s not one size fits all. The publishers and editors put out very specific guidelines so we can know we are writing what the children will need.