Let Tom Swift Inform Your Writing - A Guest Article by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Let Tom Swift Inform Your Writing
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Ever heard of Tom Swifties?

Maybe you're too young to be familiar with the classic Tom Swift adventures for boys. Or maybe you're a girl who never read a Tom Swift book nor cares to.

Tom Swifties are one-line jokes lampooning the style of Victor Appleton, the author of the original Tom Swift books. People started making jokes about his overuse of adverbs and the unnecessary taglines he wrote into his dialogue. Like the Polish jokes, they were so much fun that that a whole series of them became available for the pun-loving. The author of these classics, of course, laughed all the way to the bank. But that's a lesson for one of my marketing seminars, not this article on writing.

Tom Swifties were then. This is now. I haven't dared to go to the new books in the series but I assume that this outdated writing has been eliminated from them.

You'll want to minimize tags and adverbs in your writing, too!

An example from one of the Swift books will suffice to let you know what to watch for.

(Thank you to Roy Peter Clark for the example.)

"'Look!'suddenly exclaimed Ned. 'There's the agent now!...I'm going to

speak to him!' impulsively declared Ned.'"

Even authors who swear that adverbs are always very, very good things to use and are reluctant to give up their clever taglines can see how, well . . . .awful this is. In fact, I have to reassure people the quotation is real! Some of the writing that comes to the desks of agents and editors looks almost as bad. Here's how you can make sure yours doesn't:

1. Use taglines only when one is necessary for the reader to know who is speaking.

2. Almost always choose "he said" or "she said" over anything too cute, exuberant or wordy like "declared" and "exclaimed."

3. Cut the "ly" words ruthlessly, not only in dialogue tags but everywhere. You will find specific techniques for strengthening your writing in the process of eliminating adverbs in The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. This book will also give you some computer tricks for making these edits easy.

The Frugal Editor was released October 1, 2007 and is available for sale on Amazon.com. Until you get the book, you don't have to know the reasons or the techniques for making the "ly" and tagline edits easy. As Nike is fond of saying, "Just do it!"
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. The former is the winner of USA Book News "Best Professional Book" award and the Book Publicists of Southern California's coveted Irwin Award. Learn more at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/.

Until next time,
Karen
http://dkvwriting4u.com/
 

Three Article and Blog Marketing Tips

I think many of us writers/authors are using article marketing to bring traffic back to our sites. I've been doing it for a while and as with many things in life, I am still learning.

For those of you who may not be aware of the benefits of article marketing, it is a useful tool to create and increase your visibility online. And, it's simple to do. Just write informational or entertaining articles and submit them to ezines such as Ezine Articles, Associated Content, Suite101, and Helium.

Within these articles (at the end) you are usually allowed to include a resource box which is information about you with a link back to your site. Check the ezine site's guidelines to ensure acceptance of your article.

Now, here are the three article and blog marketing tips:

1. When including your bio/promo/resourcebox at the end of your article for the ezine, be sure to link to a specific page on your website (one that relates to your article or the offer you are promoting). Do Not link to your home page.

Example: If your article is about the benefits of having your manuscript professionally edited, link back to a post on your site relating to editing, or if you have services for hire, link to your editing services page.

2. Within the content of your blog, link to one of your related articles or posts, or both.

Example: If your blog post is about writing for children, link to another of your posts about this topic or one of your ezine articles related to it.

3. Make sure your site is focused. 

Example: If you are promoting a writing services site, it's not the wisest marketing strategy to include How To Write, or Become a Better Writer offers on that site.

Okay, #3 is more of a website tip, but your blog posts and articles are tools to bring traffic back to your site so make it work for you.

Bottom line: BE FOCUSED and make each post or article work for you in more ways than one!

I realize there may be some of you who might have questions, just ask by commenting and I'll be happy to answer.


Until next time,

Karen
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Holiday Season Wishes

This post has a two-fold purpose:

First: Thank you to all our followers and subscribers - YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Second: Have a HAPPY, SAFE, HEALTHY, and WONDERFUL Holiday season.

And, we wish you a prosperous and healthy NEW YEAR!

Karen

One Lovely Blog Award and FIVE Useful Sites

I'd like to thank Carma Dutra of Carma's Window for bestowing on me this lovely award - I'm honored. Please be sure to stop by Carma's site and check out what she's up to.

According to the One Lovely Blog Award rules, I need to choose 5 other blogs to receive this wonderful award.

I wanted to make this post purposeful as well as pass this award on, so I am offering the award to sites I visit regularly and learn a great deal from.

Okay, here we go:

Pen Perfect Associates (Lea Schizas - writing)

Sharing with Writer (Carolyn Howard Johnson - writing)

Kid Lit  (writing)

Author Marketing Experts (Penny Sansevieri)

Book Marketing (John Kremer - he's offering FREE weekly marketing teleseminars through most of 2010)


These sites are really worth clicking on, they provide some of the best information on writing and marketing.

I'll notify these sites, but I'm not sure if they'll have the time to pass the award on...

Karen Cioffi

Article Directories and Ghostwriting - Strategies to Save You Time

With everyone so busy these days, we are all looking for strategies to help us get more done in less time. Well, there are a few ways to do this - we'll discuss two of them today.

Article Directories

This is a great way to add great content to your site. You can visit the vast number of directories out there in cyberspace and pick and choose for the articles that work best for your niche. I’ve found articles I’ve written for directories that have been picked up and posted on a number of sites, so I know it’s a good strategy to keep in mind. The author is happy to see writers utilizing their work, and the blogger has fresh content for his/her site. That's what you call a win-win situation.

There are hundreds if not more of article directories. A few of the popular ones are: EzineArticles.com; AssociatedContent.com; Suite101.com; Helium.com; Examiner.com; iSnare.com; and ArticleCity.com. They all have a search feature that will make it easy to find the type of articles you are looking for.

Please keep in mind though, you must keep the article intact – this means keeping any and all bylines and links. Otherwise folks, it’s called plagiarism.

Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting isn't about scary stories and ghosts, it's about providing you with great content, articles and more... with you getting all the credit! This is the perfect strategy when you want that personal touch and when you want an article or story to reflect you. It is collaboration between the ghostwriter and the author. Providing the ghostwriter with facts, impressions, or ideas will help him/her create an article that will seem as if it's coming from you.

While it's fine to add articles from article directories, it's important to create your own platform also. The only way to become known as an expert in your niche is to let others know that you know what you're talking about. This means providing information with your own personal style.

You can also work with a ghostwriter to create e-books to sell, or offer as freebies on your site. This is a great way to entice readers to subscribe to your site and increase your mailing list.

And, don't forget about your email campaigns and newsletter; ghostwriters can help you keep your mailings updated with fresh and informative information.

If you're finding it hard to keep up and/or need help with your writing stop by DKV Writing 4 U. We're having an amazing New Year's Special from January 1 through the 15th. Can't be beat prices and even FREEBIES!

Until next time,
Karen 

Being a Gracious Virtual Guest

Last post I discussed being a gracious virtual host. Well, just as important is being a gracious virtual guest. Now, some of you writers may be wondering why learning about all this is necessary. Simple, an important aspect of writing is promotion - creating a platform and visibility. If no one knows you’re out there, how will you become rich and famous, right? Okay, we all know that probably at least 95% of writers don’t become rich and famous, but you still need to become known in your own space. This is accomplished through promotion. One promotional strategy is virtual tours.

Virtual tours provide an avenue to showcase you and your work. Writers with blogs feature a guest. Maybe the guest wants to promote his freelance capabilities, his expertness in a particular area, or his books, whatever the case, virtual tours is a great means to do this. Since the host is going out of his way to feature you, what should you do to show your appreciation and make the event a success?

Steps to Take to be a Gracious Guest

1. This is an important step: Make sure your content, the information you provide to your host, is fresh, up to date, and interesting. What does this mean? If you were hosted a week ago by another writer, try not to use the same exact information. If you do, it’s not the end of the world because each blogger has his own readers, groups, and promotional strategies, so it’s likely the same readers won’t see it twice in such close succession, but it’s highly advisable to try and avoid it.

To sidetrack a bit here, as the manager of a group of authors who use cross-promotion to increase visibility and readership, I pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. Having something entertaining, interesting or informative is key to attracting readers/visitors to your tour or your site. But, I’ll go into more detail about this in another article. Back to being a gracious guest.

2. Communicate with your host. Make sure you understand what your host expects and needs. Not all bloggers host in the same way. One host may want to do an interview, one may want an in depth bio, one may want an article, one may expect pure promo content…

3. Make sure you send your content within the timeframe your host states. It’s kind of like being invited for dinner and showing up late…don’t do it. And, be sure you send everything your host will need. Sending it in drips and drabs is another no-no.

4. Promote, Promote, Promote the tour. This is another very important aspect of touring. While your host should also be promoting the tour, it is your guest spot. The whole idea behind doing tours is to increase your visibility. You can’t do this without promotion.

One basic strategy is to announce the tour to your social networks and writing groups – get the word out.

5. During the tour stop by your host’s site at least a couple of times throughout the day. And, if you have the time, it would be nice to stop by once the next day to answer any questions from commenters who may have visited late. You should also thank the commenters for taking the time to leave a comment.

6. Thank your host.

That’s about it. A finale note though: remember to pay it forward. When a writer is looking for someone to host him, step forward!

Karen Cioffi

DKV Writing 4 U

Being a Gracious Virtual Host

With the new year upon us, it might be a good idea to go over some of the basics of being a gracious and proficient virtual host. For those who may be unsure as to what a virtual host is, I’m talking specifically about hosts of virtual author/book tours.

Here’s a brief description of a virtual book tour (vbt): A vbt is a promotional strategy to create visibility for the author and his book. Writers, and others, with blogs promote the author by featuring him and his work on their blogs.

I manage a group of authors in a cross-promotional group and as part of our marketing strategy we have monthly virtual tours. While each guest does not always focus entirely on his/her book (which I call “pure promo”), no matter what the guest decides to offer it is up to the host to present it in a ‘special feature kind of light,’ especially when utilizing cross-promotion.

You might be asking, why is it so important when in a cross-promotion venture. Well, because you are also the recipient of being featured. Another host is going out of his way to present you and your work in a manner that will:

1. Attract readers

2. Make your content appear fresh and interesting

3. Include images (author and book cover)

4. Lead visitors to click on the Learn More About link

5. If a book is being featured, make it appear inviting enough to hopefully warrant the reader to click on the Buy link

So, as the Good book teaches: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

Now on to what makes a gracious host:

1. Communicate with your guest. Ask what he would like to feature

2. Include Steps 1-5 above

3. PROMOTE your post. This means posting messages in your groups/forums, on Twitter, and other social networks

4. Make sure visitors will find it easy to leave a comment

5. Stop by during the day of the post to respond to commenters

6. Thank your guest for being there

7. This is super duper important: do not publish another post on the day you are featuring a guest, it would be inconsiderate. Please note this pertains to hosts' who promote and link back to their blog page rather than a direct link to their guest's featured post.

So, that pretty much sums up what is needed to be a gracious host. If you can think of other ways, I’d love hear about them.

Oh, and don't forget DKV Writing 4 U is having a SUPER DUPER New Year's Special Event - great savings and FREEBIES!!!! Check it out!

Stop by for a FREE GIFT: Classic Christmas Tales (over 200 pages with 18 wonderful holiday stories). No need to subscribe for it...it's yours just for visiting!

Until next time,
Karen
http://dkvwriting4u.com/

Holiday Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.


2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.


4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.


5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of goin g to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?


6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.


7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?


9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.


10. One final tip: January dieting is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:


"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO what a ride!"


Have a save and happy holiday season!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was posted by a member at one of my groups - she did not mention who the author is, but did say it is fine to pass along!Karen

Guest Post - Revel in Your Uniqueness

Every now and then I find an article that I think others will benefit from and with the author's permission, I post them here. This one is one of those articles.

Revel in Your Uniqueness

By Beth Ann Erickson

I'm sure you're acutely aware that competition amongst writers can be fierce. As literacy rates fall, as more people enter the field, as publishers slash budgets, as magazines fold, as copywriting courses churn out more copywriters than ever before... it's easy to become discouraged over the state of this business.

That's the bad news.

But there's a huge silver lining to this cloud that most people rarely focus on.

With nearly 200 (literally) books published daily, with more writers entering the field, with more writers vying for a more limited number of assignments you must realize that you have one thing under your control. And that would be yourself.

You do not sell your writing. You don't sell your book either. Nobody wakes up in the morning wishing they could buy a book. They don't yearn to hire a writer either.

They're looking for an expert, someone who knows how to entertain, how to inform, how to sell.
They're looking for you.

Other authors can replicate your books. They can swipe ideas. Everything's up for grabs except for one thing.

You cannot be replicated.

So you must step out from behind the curtain and establish yourself as an expert.

“USP” stands for “Unique Selling Proposition.” It represents the one aspect of your writing career that's utterly unique. It's the one thing that can't be replicated.

Nail your USP and you've got half marketing challenges conquered.

No matter what you write, always keep your USP in the back of your mind whenever you have to pop on your marketing hat and promote yourself.

When you're considering your USP keep this in mind:

1.    What do you do better than your primary competition?
2.    What are your strengths?
3.    What are your competition's strengths?
4.    What are your weaknesses?
5.    What are your competition's weaknesses?
6.    How can you capitalize on your competition's weaknesses?
7.    How can you shift your competition's strengths to benefit you?
8.    What's unique about you?
9.    What part of your writing cannot be replicated by anyone else?
10.    How can you clearly state your uniqueness so your intended audience can comprehend it in a moment?

Ponder these points and formulate your USP. Once that's done, be sure to incorporate it into every promotion you craft.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of numerous titles as well as the Creative Mindset Newsletter. Pick up the first seven copies here. She’s also a busy copywriter, speaker, and publisher of Writing Etc., the free e-mag for writers.
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Blogger Tip

For the past couple of months I've been having some problems with my blog. For one thing my prescheduled posts didn't post. And, my content didn't appear as I prepared it.

I have to say I was getting an error message every time I posted, telling me the html couldn't be accepted. Now, I don't add any html of my own, so I figured it was just a glitch and I clicked on ignore warning.

But, just for the heck of it I went over to blogger help and posted my problem. One of the pros there asked if I was pasting from Word. YES, I always did right from when I first created this blog - never had a problem until a couple of months ago.

So, I now paste my Word content onto a Notepad doc and then paste it from there to here. It's not really any extra work.

I'm hoping that's it. I haven't actually prescheduled a post yet, but I'll try this week.

LESSON: Don't paste from a Word doc to your blogger post.


Tip: The same thing holds true for Wordpress also.

Till next time,
Karen

P.S. Don't forget to check out the special New Year's savings at:
http://DKVWriting4U.com/blog/ - just scroll down until you find the New Year Post

DKV Writing 4 U January 2010 New Year's Special Offer

DKV wants to help you get off to a GREAT start in 2010. To do this, we’re offering you our annual New Year’s Editing and Writing Services Special. With these affordable — yet limited time so act now — prices, you can’t afford to pass up this amazing opportunity. 

Offer is valid from January 1st through the 15th.


Check out the offers and guidelines for yourself:


http://www.dkvwriting4u.com/2009/12/dkv-2010-new-years-special-event/

It covers editing of children's books right through to adult suspense, romance, and more.

But that's not all! There are FREE offers also: reviews, an ad copy or press release, and a free blogger site creation.

Run, jump, hop, skip...just head on over because we're accepting queries/requests right NOW! You will be put in the queue. 

The team at DKV (Karen Cioffi, Lea Schizas, and Robyn Feltman) will be looking forward to seeing you over there!

Tools for Finding Age Approriate Words for Children's Writers

I mentioned in the prior post that I'd be back with tools for finding grade level words for you children's writers, well here's an article that includes them:

Writing in general can be a tough business; writing for children is even tougher. Writing for children has its own unique tricks, processes, and rules; one of those rules is using words that are age appropriate.

How this differs from writing in general is that the children’s writing arena is divided into specific age groups. There are picture books and rebus stories for the very young child. The story line and text are simple; they need to tell a story including basic conflict and action, but they are geared toward the comprehension of young children. 

Next comes early readers. Again, the words used and plot are relatively simple to help the child learn to read. The next genre is chapter books. Here the plot and words grow just like the child has. The story can be more involved and geared to hold the child’s attention with mild mystery, suspense, and fantasy.

Then it’s on to middle grade. At this point, the child has grown and has greater comprehension and vocabulary, so should the stories for them. The plot and conflict can be more complex than the earlier chapter books. 

Finally, it’s on to young adult. This genre’s stories can be sophisticated and involved enough to attract adult readership. But, it obviously should still be written avoiding hard core subject matter. While it can deal with just about all topics, it should be void explicit adult context. 

The question is: How does a writer know which words are specific to a particular age group? Unless you are an experienced writer and have become very familiar with the different age group vocabularies, you will need help in this area.

Three Sources/Tools for Finding Age Appropriate Words

1. A source that I’ve found very useful is Children’s Writers Word Book, 2^nd Edition, by Alijandra Mogilner and Tayopa Mogilner. It lists specific words that are introduced at seven key reading levels (kindergarten through sixth grade). It provides a thesaurus of those words with synonyms, annotated with reading levels. In addition, it offers detailed guidelines for sentence length, word usage, and themes at each reading level. I find it a valuable tool in my writing toolbelt.

2. Another great source is Intervention Central (http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/tools/okapi/okapi.php) which utilizes Spache and Dale formulas. This is an amazing site that allows you to input up to 200 words, choose a readability formula (what grade level you are writing for), and click for the results. The program, OKAPI (an internet application for creating curriculum-based assessment reading probes) will return a readability analysis of your text, indicating what grade level the particular content is appropriate for. 

3. Next is Englishraven.com (http://www.englishraven.com/ttools_dolch.html). This site provides Dolch (sight word listed for frequency and importance) wordlists for each grade level. The lists are limited, but it does give a good indication of appropriate words for the particular age group you are writing for.

All three of these resources are useful in finding just the right words for the children’s writer. There are also other books and sites available that will help you in your search for those age appropriate words for your children’s book, just do a search.

If you need hands-on help, DKV Writing 4 U (http://dkvwriting4u.com) is a writing service that is professional and affordable. It offers guidance, proofreading, basic editing, and critiquing of your children’s manuscript. There's also professional editing of genres from Middle Grade through Romance and more. 

And, it also provides two FREE e-books, Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It! and Power of Article Marketing, just for subscribing. 

But, that's not all, there’s also a gift just for visiting: Classic Christmas Tales (235 page e-book with 18 classics)! 

Till next time,

Karen 

 

Changing Your Story's Genre - Something to Look Out For

I recently finished a fantasy story originally geared toward middle grade. Realizing it wasn't long enough (not enough words) for a middle grade story, I changed it to a chapter book.  Good idea, right?

Yes it is, but if you do something like this, you need to remember to check the age appropriateness of the words you originally used. You might ask why this necessary...well, it's the difference between an editor giving your story a second glance, or not.

It's so important that some publishers ask what grade level your book is geared toward. You had better make sure the vocabulary of your story and the intended audience are a match.

What exactly do I mean? Let's use an example:

The boy performed amazing magic. Was it an illusion or real magic?

If you were writing this for a 6th grader, the word illusion would be fine, but say you are writing for a 3rd or 4th grader...then you'll need to change that word.

According to a book that provides words for children's writers, illusion is in the 6th grader's vocabulary. You would need to change it to a word such as trick or fake to make it age appropriate for a 3rd grader.

The use of words goes far beyond that of choosing age correct words, they can be used to say the same thing using different words. As I'm writing this, I have to keep in mind that I submitted an article to an ezine somewhat similar to this topic. I must change words so the SEO does not pick up this post and link it to the article submitted. Words are so amazing!

Next post will be about three great resources, including the name of the book I mention above, for finding words suitable for particular ages.


Karen
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Stop by DKV Writing 4 U and pick up a GIFT just for visiting:
Classic Christmas Tales (a 235 page e-book with 18 classic stories)
It's on the left top sidebar!



Check out the blog for additional writing information.

The Deal with Showing Rather than Telling

Yes, I know, everyone's heard this a hundred times at least: you must show, not tell. Well, for those who are new to the writing world, what exactly does telling and showing mean?

Okay, let's take an example of telling:

April walked around in a daze. She felt awful. Her husband left her with two little ones. She cried and cried. She felt overwhelmed, but kept doing the things she had to do. It seemed as if her soul ached. She begged for God's help. She felt like screaming.

Example of showing:

He wasn't supposed to leave; we promised to stay married forever. April pulled the sheets from her bed and threw them to the floor. Doing the chores and taking care of the kids helped her hold on. She felt as if she was outside of herself...she had to hold on. How could he leave? Tears trickled down her cheeks. She bent forward with her head in her hands. Please, God, bring him home...please...please help me. Sobbing softly in her hands her body began to tremble; then the tears gushed forth. An indescribable ache took hold - in the very depths of her soul - an ache in a place never felt before. A tortured scream crept up into her throat, ready to burst out. She fell to her knees and buried her face in the mattress. Grabbing a pillow, she pulled it over her head. A blood-curdling scream issued forth.

So, that's the difference. I made the telling example very basic so you could easily see how they differ. Showing lets the reader feel the protagonist's pain, or joy, or excitement. It creates a connection and prompts the reader to continue reading. Sometimes it helps to draw from experiences to get the feeling and words you're going for. You can also use tv or movies; watch and study scenes that depict the experience you need to convey. Then, write what you've seen.  

If you need help with your writing or are in the final stages and need to have it edited, stop by DKV Writing 4 U.

Until next time,
Karen

Fiction Stories - What Makes a Good One?

Stories can be plot driven or character driven, so which is the best formula to use when writing a story? Knowing a little about both methods should help in making a decision.

Plot Driven Story

A story’s plot moves the story forward, from point A to point B. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in a straight line; in fact a course that twists and turns is much better. This type of plot creates movement and interest. It’s the twists and turns that will keep the forward momentum fresh, as well as creates anticipation. Anticipation will hold a reader’s attention.

The plot also provides reasons and explanations for the occurrences in the story, as well as offers conflict and obstacles that the protagonist must overcome to hopefully create growth. These elements create a connection with the reader. It entices the reader to keep turning the pages. Without a plot it is difficult to create growth and movement for the protagonist. It might be comparable to looking at a still photo. It might be a beautiful photo and may even conjure up emotions in the viewer, but how long do you think it would hold a reader’s attention?

Along with this, the plot molds the protagonist. It causes growth and movement in the character. Assume you have a timid woman who through circumstances, the plot, transforms into a brave, strong, forceful hero. Where would the story be without the events that lead this timid woman to move past herself and into a new existence?

Character Driven Story

On the other hand, a character driven story creates a bond between the protagonist and reader. It is the development and growth of the character, the character’s personal journey, which motivates the reader to connect. There doesn’t need to be twists and turns, or fire works. The reader becomes involved with the character and this is all the enticement the reader needs to keep reading.

In addition to this, the character works hand in hand with the plot to move the story forward. As the character begins her transformation the plot moves in the same direction.

In some instances, such as short stories, a character driven story can work amazingly well, such as in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. In cases such as this, the connection developed between the character and the reader can be more than enough to satisfy the reader. But, all in all, it seems to be the combined efforts of a well plotted and character driven story that works the best.

The Best of Both Worlds

According to science fiction and fantasy writer, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., “The best fiction should be an intertwined blend of character, plot, setting, and style.” I agree; all elements of a story working together create stories that will be remembered.

All the aspects of a story should complement each other, should move each other forward to a satisfying conclusion, and should draw the reader in. If you have an action packed plot driven story, but it lacks believable and sympathetic characters, you’re story will be lacking. The same holds true if you have a believable and sympathetic character, but the story lacks movement, it will usually also fall short. As with all things in life balance is necessary, the same holds true when writing a story.

For more writing tips and ideas go to DKV Writing 4 U and Pen Perfect Associates.

Karen

Heidi Thomas, Author and Editor

It's always so interesting to learn about writers, 

such as where they come from, how they 

became involved with  writing,  and what

 motivates them. Well, we'll learn about author 

and editor, Heidi Thomas,  and her young 

adult novel, Cowgirl Dreams.

Heidi is a longtime writer, a journalist and a 

pre-published novelist. In addition to writing 

for herself, she edits manuscripts for others and 

teaches classes in Memoir and Beginning Fiction 

Writing. 

Raised on a ranch in isolated eastern Montana, Heidi Thomas has had 

a penchant for reading and writing since she was a child. Armed with a 

degree in journalism from the University of Montana, she worked for 

the Daily Missoulian newspaper, and has had numerous magazine articles

 published.

A tidbit of family history, that her grandmother rode steers in rodeos 

during the 1920s, spurred Heidi to write  a novel based on that 

grandmother’s life.

Cowgirl Dreams is the first in a series about strong, independent 

Montana Women. 

Heidi is a member of Women Writing the West, Skagit Valley Writers 

League, Skagit Women in Business, and the Northwest Independent 

Editors Guild. She is an avid reader of all kinds of books, enjoys hiking

 the Pacific Northwest, where she writes, edits, and teaches memoir

 and fiction writing classes.

Married to Dave Thomas (not of Wendy’s fame), Heidi has no children, 

but as the “human” for two finicky felines, describes herself primarily as a

“cat herder.” Now, let's find out all about Heidi's book. In a sentence,  

Cowgirls Dreams is about a young woman following  her dreams.  

But, the synopsis can tell us more.

Synopsis of Cowgirl Dreams 

Defying family and social pressure, Nettie 

Brady  bucks 1920s convention with her 

dream of becoming a rodeo star. That 

means competing with  men, and cowgirls 

who ride the rodeo circuit are considered 

“loose women.” Addicted to the thrill of 

pitting her strength and wits against a half-ton 

steer in a rodeo, Nettie exchanges skirts for 

pants, rides with her brothers on their Montana 

ranch, and competes in neighborhood rodeos. 

Broken bones, killer influenza, flash floods, and family 

hardship team up to keep Nettie from her dreams. 

Then she meets a young neighbor cowboy who rides broncs and 

raises rodeo stock. Will this be Nettie’s ticket to freedom and 

happiness? Will her rodeo dreams come true?

Based on the life of the author’s grandmother, a real Montana 

cowgirl, Cowgirl Dreams is available from the publisher, 

Treble Heart Books, Amazon.com, or the author website. 

It is suitable for both adult and young adult readers.

Wow, this book sounds great! I love 

books about strong, independent woman. 

Hold on, there's more. Just read these two raving reviews of  

Cowgirl Dreams:

It is a wonderful YA (Young Adult) book! For the duration of 

the story you are completely immersed into the world of 

growing up in Montana in 1920s. Hard work on a family ranch, 

dreams that defy conventional wisdom, hard choices and, finally, 

success. Try becoming a rodeo star, when rodeo 

circuit is a man’s world and you are a teenage girl!

I appreciated author’s meticulous research. All the details of 

everyday life on a ranch, food, clothes, and people’s mindsets 

were so interesting…more 

It is a wonderful YA (Young Adult) book! For the duration 

of the story you are completely immersed into the world of 

growing up in Montana in 1920s. Hard work on a family 

ranch, dreams that defy conventional wisdom, hard choices

 and, finally, success. Try becoming  a rodeo star, when rodeo 

circuit is a man’s world and you are a teenage girl!

I appreciated author’s meticulous research. All the details of 

everyday life on a ranch, food, clothes, and people’s mindsets 

were so interesting, true and well placed throughout the story; 

I could not help but admire it! If you  are a fan of “Little Women”,

 “Secret Garden”, “Little House on the Prairie” and “Ann of 

Green Gables,” take a note of this author, she is the one for you.

I would say the book is a great coming of age story with a lesson in history, 

lots of adventures, a touch of romance and a great lesson in perseverance. 

I am buying this one for my daughter.

Svetlana Kovalkova-McKenna rated it: 5 of 5 stars

*******************

Some girls claim they were born as horses and only later grew up to be western 

women. Heidi Thomas  gives us one of those passionate, persistent young 

women in Nettie Brady, and she's  based this sparkling and enduring character 

on her own grandmother s story. Cowgirl Dreams is a heart-warming read for 

all ages and lets us all know why Ms. Thomas is not only a fine editor of other

 authors’ books but shines as a skilled and compassionate writer herself. 

Jane Kirkpatrick, Award Winning author of A Sweetness to the Soul 

(Wrangler Award, 1995) and A Tendering in the Storm, winner of a 

WILLA Literary Award, 2008.

Cowgirl Dreams will make a perfect gift for that young lady in 

your life; why not pick up a copy today.  

You can learn more about Heidi Thomas and 

her book at:

Website: http://www.heidimthomas.com

Blog: http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com

Here are the links you can use to purchase  

Cowgirl Dreams:

http://www.heidimthomas.com

http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/SDHeidiThomas.html

http://www.amazon.com/Cowgirl-Dreams-Heidi-M-Thomas/dp/

1932695834/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=

1255556872&sr=1-3

Heidi, it's been great having you as a guest and getting to 

know you a little better. I wish you much success with your 

book and look forward to learning even more about you and 

your work through tours such as this.

Well, that's it folks! This month we are touring only one day. 

Next month, for the new year, VBT Writers on the Move will 

have a couple of changes to our schedule and strategies. 

We look forward to touring with you all in the coming 

year. 

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Talk to you soon,

Karen