Category: Writing Tips

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Writing Tips

How to Write a Short Story Using a Set Theme

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When I first began writing horror, I found it helpful to check lists of short story submission calls. The reason why this helped me when I was just starting out was because many of these requests provide you with a specific theme. Starting a story with a set direction can be extremely useful, but even with prompts I still found that I struggled to create a coherent narrative based around the given topic. Here’s my top tips to help you write a short story using a set theme:

A turning point for me was when I learned about a couple of helpful writing exercises. The most useful of these was the spider diagram technique, but you can modify the basic idea and create lists, bullet points, free-write pages, or any other method that you may find more useful.

The Basics

So, here’s how it works. Let’s say you want to write a horror and the theme is “summer”. You’d begin by writing “Summer” in the centre of the page, and start to build a diagram by taking the first few words that pop into your head related to the topic. You’d probably end up with a list of popular summertime terms, such as Beach, Holiday, Sunshine, Tan.

On your next round, you expand on the specific words you’ve initially picked. So, from the word “beach” you may have;

  • sand
  • sea
  • volleyball
  • sandcastles
  • crabs
  • shells
  • suntan lotion

Go around and around your main words, listing images, colours, sensations, tastes, textures – anything that links to those words.

Once you’ve built up a well-stocked word-bank you can refer to, go back to those original second layer words and begin to concentrate on the purpose of the story. The one in this example is a horror (shocker!) so what are some dark elements that we can introduce here? Already, there are a few ideas that spring to mind:

Scenarios

What if a kid kicks a sandcastle on a beach, but there is something sinister living inside it? Perhaps the suntan lotion you pick has a terrifying effect on your skin? Maybe an innocent game of volleyball turns into a fight to the death? These are just spit-ball ideas, but jot down whatever pops into your head. Don’t think of these ideas as the set storyline you have to follow as this can send you down the wrong path. Right now, we just need to explore our theme.

If you don’t write horror and are trying to think up a romance story, you might have very different choices in your word wheel: Sunsets, ice cream, walks on the beach, hearts in the sand… Of course, these too can be turned into a terrifying story if you want, but for the purpose of the exercise, I wanted to demonstrate that this works for all genres!

On With the Plot

When you’ve settled on a story direction that really excites you, use a highlighter or simply circle the words you like that link most closely to the themes you’ve chosen. Be sure to include each of the words as you craft your narrative. By having tastes, sensations, colours, smells, and objects that directly link to the setting you are hoping to evoke for your reader close at hand, it reminds you to paint a more detailed picture and keep the clear theme throughout your story.

You may be worried about doing this exercise if you’re pressed for precious writing time, but believe me when I say it’s a time saver in the long-run! Having your word-wheel at the ready is clear progress, and beats staring at a blank page waiting for inspiration to strike. It also prevents the dreaded sensation of starting a story off-the-cuff with a blistering paragraph, only to falter halfway down the page when you lose momentum.

I encourage you to give it a try! Grab a sheet of paper, some coloured pens, and your favourite highlighters, and experiment. Here are some centre words to give you some inspiration if you can’t find any themed submissions:

FrostSubmarineShooting Star
TreehouseCircusExam
Use random word generators to create prompt lists of your own

Here are some of my favourite resources to find themed story submission requests*:

Authors Publish

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

The Horror Tree

Publishing…and Other Forms of Insanity.

Good luck!

*Note that I’m not affiliated with any of these sites. I’ve just found them very useful in the past, and hope that you do, too.

Grab your copy of The Suffering today!

Writing Tips

Writing Convincing Characters

mjmarsauthor

I used to feel extremely daunted by the prospect of character creation. Making up a number of well-rounded individuals with realistic traits that can all be recognised for their differences as the story progresses is no mean feat!

One writing class I took a few years ago enlightened me to what I believe is the key to writing great characters: Conflict.

By conflict, I don’t mean that all your characters have to be rowing constantly, or that the only good books are set in the middle of a warzone. Conflict in a piece of writing can be far more subtle. To equate it to something more relatable, my tutor at the time liked to give examples of food analogies. So, consider the conflict of caramel and salt. They’re both great flavours in their own right, but put them together and it makes for an unexpectedly enhanced taste experience! That’s how you subtly but effectively build a believable bunch of conflicting (and often conflicted) characters.

To delve into this a little deeper, I’m going to discuss a few of the characters from my latest book, The Suffering, so I have to add in a spoiler alert! If you want to read The Suffering but haven’t yet got around to it, you may want to click out now! It’s available at Amazon US and UK in both Kindle Unlimited and standard Kindle format, as well as paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other international online retailers including Saxo and Takealot if you are interested in choosing The Suffering as your next read.

Cassie

When I’ve been reading the book’s reviews, I’m amused to hear how some people love Cassie…while others don’t like her at all. Instead of feeling an internal rage for my ‘book child’ and jumping to her defence, this is exactly what I hoped would happen. From one of the first introductory scenes for Cassie, it’s made clear that she is a ‘Marmite’ type of girl, and it’s explained that she finds it particularly difficult to gel with most other women. She’s strong-willed and a little self-absorbed, and is quick to think the worst of others (before they think the worst of her!).

Martin & Tad

I had fun with a brief scene where Cassie’s best friend, Martin, is chastised by Tad. Tad is a dark and brooding type, who is also extremely handsome. Cassie and the other housemates don’t even notice Tad’s looks anymore, but Martin is painfully intimidated by him. As an environmental engineer, Tad takes the plight of the planet seriously, and isn’t impressed that Martin has brought take-away coffee cups into the house. It’s a silly, inconsequential kind of conflict, but I had fun with the contrast between Cassie not giving a damn what Tad thinks and Martin literally withering under his stare!

Pete, Gaia, and Jonah

Pete and Gaia have been dating for years, but Pete has always been jealous of the friendship Gaia has with Jonah. Pete is quiet and contemplative by nature, while Jonah is brash and loud. Jonah’s ability to make Gaia laugh is one of the main problems Pete has with him. The complete juxtaposition of personality types between the two boys was fun to write. As the ghostly oppression in the house builds, the strain on Pete and Gaia’s relationship grows, sending Gaia inevitably into Jonah’s open arms.

An excerpt from The Suffering

I picked these 3 examples because they hit on the main types of conflict you can use in your stories to build tension and create more believable characters as you world build.

  1. The ‘difficult’ character. Although Cassie can be a handful, and will push people away before they get the chance to hurt her, she also has plenty of redeeming character traits that complement her personality type. She’s tough and headstrong, and the other characters know where they stand with her. Her background gives insight into the reasons why she may have had to build a tough exterior. It works well to drop little breadcrumbs throughout the story, letting the reader gradually get to know them as the story progresses, instead of explaining everything in the first few chapters.
  2. The comic relief. These types of brief interactions are pretty easy to work into the narrative, but they can be extremely effective in giving the reader more of a sense of each character and the role they play. Martin is vulnerable here, abashed as he is by Tad. Poor Martin is soon to meet a sticky end in the story, and this scene helps to build sympathy for him. It’s only a couple of lines about a coffee cup, but it helps to establish Tad’s moral standing, Martin’s inhibitions, and Cassie’s indifference.
  3. The romantic conflict. Be it an arguing couple, a love triangle, or an unrequited adoration, romantic conflict can always add a little flair to your character’s worlds. However the situation may end, the tension between the characters can be exciting to explore, and fun for the reader as the story unravels.

Of course, the main conflict in the book comes from the 5 monstrous ghosts attacking each of the students, but that’s not the type of conflict I want to discuss here. There are 2 main definitions of conflict in the dictionary:

1, Noun. A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.

2, Verb. To be incompatible or at a variance; clash.

Oxford Languages

When writing convincing characters in their domestic settings, focus on the second definition. What are some small clashes or conflicts that you can sprinkle into your chapters as you build your characters? And when I say ‘domestic setting’, this is just referring to your characters’ day-to-day lives. Whether that’s trudging to and from school or work, or navigating to a distant planet in a futuristic rocket ship, mundane conflicts can make all the difference.

Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvellous.

Bill Moyers

Writing Tips

Promoting Your Writing on TikTok

mjmarsauthor

I’ve known for a while now that there are hundreds of writers out there who swear by TikTok to promote their books and connect with the perfect audience of potential readers. The whole idea of filming myself and coming up with content that people might actually see filled me with abject horror, and I was dreading the moment the time came to actually get out there and start promoting.

Well, that time came last week. The Suffering had just been released and I decided there was no better time to bite the bullet, download the TikTok app, and post my first video.

You guys. I actually LOVE IT!

I never thought I’d ever say that in a million years, but it’s true.

As I say, I’ve only been on there for a week and haven’t yet built any kind of following so I’m hardly an expert. But I wanted to let other authors who are grappling with the idea of starting a TikTok know what my experience has been, and encourage you to give it a go. I’ll also give you a rundown of a few book-themed video ideas to get started.

The Best Things about Promoting on TikTok

  1. It’s free! All you need is your phone. The app has a built-in editing suite that’s extremely easy to work your way around. If you make a mistake you can hit the ‘undo’ key so there’s never any risk when you’re playing around with your first few videos.
  2. You can post about your book all day long if you like. Unlike Twitter and Instagram, the BookTok community is extremely receptive to self-promotion. The great thing about it is you can slant almost all trending videos and sounds to fit your books. So even though you’re regularly discussing your releases, all of your videos can be a little different, keeping your followers interested.
  3. The algorithm automatically targets your ideal readership. TikTok’s algorithm is scarily accurate. When you first start to use it, you’ll be shown generic or popular videos that have been decided based on your initial data. But within a couple of days you should find that most of the videos you see are targeted to match the content you are watching and producing. This means that the same can be said of the people who are shown your video. Your content will be made visible to people who want to see it, and that makes a huge difference in terms of sales.
  4. You can imitate other people’s videos, and it isn’t stealing! In fact, copying trends is encouraged. My friend watches mostly dog content and introduced me to the ‘cheese tax’ song and videos that are doing the rounds at the moment. She made a fantastic version with her own dog (check out Kirsty B’s account @kirsty709 to see it!). You can scroll through the BookTok trend videos, make notes of the ones you like, and come up with your own. This can be as simple as using a funny filter with a reading or writing twist.

That’s all very well and good, but what in the heck are you going to post? Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Bookish TikTok ideas

  1. Introduce yourself and your book. For your first post, it’s that simple. Tell people who you are, what you write, and what they can expect from your books. Use hashtags such as #booktok, #myfirsttiktok, and multiple tags related to the genre you write so that it finds its way to your reading community.
  2. Flip reveals and page flicks. As you spend time getting to know BookTok, you’ll probably see a lot of these. Simply hold your phone and film either your book’s spine for a few moments, or film yourself slowly flicking through the pages. At the last minute, reveal the cover and record for a few seconds. Then, edit the video and add text that describes your book, characters, or plot. Play around with filters and effects and be sure to add music that is popular in your chosen genre.
  3. Filter fun. There are so many filters readily available on TikTok, you can make hours of content. Consider what may be relatable to a writer or a reader and try and add a bookish slant to the filter you use.
  4. What are you reading? As well as learning about what you’ve written, the BookTok community is also keen to fill their TBR pile with recommendations. There are multiple ways you can present these videos. Pulling a new book from a shopping bag or unpacking a delivered box of shiny new books is always attractive to fellow book hawks! But it can be as simple as putting books in a pile and slowly lifting each one up to reveal the next. Be sure to give a little bit of information about each title, or, if you’ve already read it, an honest review.
  5. Lip Syncs. Okay, I feel your panic. This is a trend that only the bravest attempt, but they can be extremely effective. Search for soundbites that relate to a topic. They might be snippets from a movie, or even lyrics to songs. Practice until you know the words and the timing, then simply record yourself mouthing along. If the thought of introducing yourself is terrifying at the moment, I’m sure this is the last thing on your mind. But you never know, you might find yourself so comfortable with TikTok you’re giving it a whirl in no time!

You don’t have anything to lose (unless you work for an establishment that doesn’t allow TikTok. Seriously guys, check with your workplace before downloading the app if you are in a data-sensitive environment!). Why not give it a try? You can always delete it if you hate it.

I’m brand new to TikTok, so come and follow me as soon as you get set up and I’ll follow you back! You’ll find me @mjmarsauthor.

One last thing, if you’re a writer you may have heard the rumours this week about a literary agent stating that you need “40k followers on Instagram and 100k on TikTok” to even be considered by a publisher. This may be true for some (if it is, it’s a sad state of affairs, and rules out a humongous portion of excellent talent out there). But I am proof that this isn’t true for all. I have about 2k followers on Insta, and I had 0 followers on TikTok a few days ago, since I didn’t even have an account! Don’t be disheartened by statements like this. Keep on submitting. And, if you’re worried and feel pressured into starting TikTok because of this agent’s comment, don’t let it stress you out. Like me, you might find it is surprisingly fun. And, if it really isn’t for you, don’t give up on your publishing dream. The right publisher is out there waiting, and doesn’t give a damn about your social media status. All they care about is your talent. As it should be.

Writing Tips

Are Writing No-Nos Really as Bad as They Say?

mjmarsauthor

Recently, I was scrolling through an interesting thread on a bookish Facebook page. The OP had asked what tropes or events in a book would cause you to stop reading in frustration. The answers were pretty surprising.

It wasn’t necessarily the answers themselves that interested me, but the response to the answers. For every person naming a certain pet-peeve as a reader, there were multiple responses stating “Oh, I don’t mind that at all, but I really hate it when…”.

As a fairly neurotic writer, I opened the post comments wondering if I should read it at all. I was afraid that the first 5 responses would list 5 of the things that I most definitely used in my upcoming book, The Suffering, and that I would cringe and sweat and quiver inside a little, wondering whether everyone would instantly see me for the big fat writing fraud that my brain insists that I am. But the responses were immediately comforting.

It was great to see the sheer spectrum of loves in comparison to the personal grievances of the reading community, and for just as many readers to reply and state that a particular trope or writing “faux-pas” is something they actively seek in a book, and get pleasure from when they see it.

Because it’s impossible to please everyone. There is not a chance in hell that you can write a book or create a piece of art that everyone will enjoy. Pleasure is unequivocally, beautifully subjective.

Just for fun, here are some of the ‘hated’ tropes or writing mishaps that were listed, followed by some of the rebuttals (although they are in speech marks, they are summarized from the answers given and are not direct quotes):

  • Spelling mistakes or grammatical errors (naturally – we need to make sure there are as few as possible!). But here’s what a few of the readers said: “I find it kind of comforting when there’s a mistake in a book. It shows that the writer is human, too.”
  • Writing a character’s accent within the speech patterns. (And if you’re looking for an example of this, think about all the recent Benoit Blanc memes for reference!) For all those who listed this as a gripe, others said: “I love it when a character has an obvious accent, especially when it’s familiar to the area I’m from. If it’s done well, I can hear it in my head, and I instantly warm to the character.”
  • A main character who vehemently dislikes someone, only for them to end up falling in love a few chapters later. While a lot of readers agreed that this was annoying and unrealistic, there were plenty who disagreed. “This is my favourite kind of tension in a book! The ‘will they/won’t they’ keeps me turning the pages until I get a definitive answer, and I love it when they finally get together. I don’t care how many times I read it, the characters are always different, so it doesn’t matter to me.” While another said, “This is how I met my partner – I hated their guts. It always feels realistic to me. We’re married now!”
  • The baddy becomes the goody or the goody becomes the baddy. While some readers find the switch utterly frustrating, others couldn’t disagree more. “Character development is the best part of reading for me. I put this in the same category. If the character changes dramatically, I can only see it as a good thing.” Another mentioned that they had been a bit of a bully in school and managed to turn it around. Reading a bad character turn good always felt familiar to them, affirming their choice to make the switch all those years ago.
  • Writers going into detail about the food the character is eating. This one surprised me, as I’ve always enjoyed a good food description in a book, and find it really puts me in the scene (Richard Laymon’s hotdog descriptions in Funland and The Midnight Tour, anyone?!). And let’s not forget about Hemingway. This was one of the most divisive topics. You either love it or hate it. But, like all good foods, perhaps moderation is key to this bug-bear. As one reader stated, “If it went on for pages and pages of description then, absolutely. But I like to experience the food along with the character if it’s within reason.”
  • Characters referencing pop-culture such as real-life movies, or using social media apps like TikTok or Instagram. This one intrigued me as some of my characters (students in 2016) actively use social media apps in the story. I felt the same way as many of the people responding to the contrary – “We aren’t living in the 1950s. If it’s a contemporary book about young characters, chances are they spend a lot of time on their phones, so it adds to realistic world-building.”
  • Finally, one of the readers (who was also a writer, I’m assuming!) hated the question itself. Why? Because there is no one-size-fits-all way of writing, and so she found the question frustratingly irrelevant.

I guess my summary here is drawing the same conclusion, but unlike the final reader’s response, I’m glad the question was asked. It reminded me that even if you accidentally (or intentionally) include a reader’s most hated trope or writer mistake in your work, there WILL be another reader who appreciates it.

So the old adage that you should write the book that you always wanted to read really is true. If you like it, chances are there will be many more who feel the same way. And don’t be disheartened if you get bad feedback. Sometimes, the ones who don’t like what you do are the ones who shout loudest, or take the time to voice their opinions. In the background, there may be 10 more people for every 1 of the ones who don’t like it just quietly thinking how much they love what you do. Don’t fixate on that negative opinion because it looms largest.

As with all things, you just have to find your audience.

Writing Tips

Resolutions for Writers (And How to Stick to Them!)

mjmarsauthor

Happy New Year my fellow geeks and ghouls.

This is a strange and exciting start to the new year for me as I’m currently preparing for the launch of The Suffering in February, so my goals and strategies for this year have shifted considerably compared to previous years. To kick off 2023, I wanted to share some of the things that worked for me and helped me to get to this crazy stage.

Plan Your Time

Use an online calendar tool or a good old-fashioned pen-and-paper chart to visibly block in your time and work out how you can squeeze your writing needs into your week. When you’re working a demanding job and have family commitments, this can be pretty daunting at first. But being able to see those small snippets of spare time can really help you to focus on making writing fit into your schedule each week.

  • Start with a list of categories depending on what stage you’re at in your writing process, and what you need to focus on above all else.
  • Break each category down into smaller sections and be realistic about timescales. Do you really need to start worrying about getting beta readers or an editor when you’ve still got half the book to write? Move tasks that can wait until a few months down the line into a separate list that you can revisit later in the year.
  • Make the timetable less daunting and easier to reference at-a-glance by using colours, stickers, or specific fonts to break up each task.

Explore What Works for You

Your writing process is completely unique to you, so the best tips even a bestselling writer could give you may not resonate at all with your style or personality. Don’t try to follow a list of things that work for someone else if they just don’t fit your needs. The best way to understand your own process is to reflect on the times you were most productive. If you’ve just started out, or can’t think of a time when you felt as though you had a good ‘flow’, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I work better when I have a variety of things to do, or do I work best when I focus on one task at a time?
  • Do I work better in a group so that I can bounce ideas off my peers, or am I better working alone until the writing is over?
  • Do I start writing and see where the characters take me, or do I like to plot the entire book before I start?
  • What is more engaging for me: the characters or the plot?

Questions like this can really help you to understand how your brain works, and what makes your writing tick. You may even be surprised by your answers, especially if you’ve been told there is only one way to write in the past.

Work through each question (and add a few more of your own!) and consider how to plan your writing time around your answers. For question one, my answer is changeable depending on what part of the process I’m at. Usually, I love having a number of things on the go in order to keep my excitement levels high and avoid getting stagnant. I check lists of short story sub calls (Authors Publish is a great one!), or pick a random writing exercise to keep up my inspiration levels. But, when I’m nearing the end of a project, or I’m in final edits, there’s no way I can work on anything else but the biggest task at hand. Your answers may be just as changeable, and that’s perfectly fine! Do what works for you at any given time.

For the question about character or plot, you may think, “That’s stupid. They’re both just as important.” And you’re absolutely right. But usually when you begin to write, it’s because you’ve been inspired by one or the other. Perhaps a brilliant character has popped into your mind and you can’t wait to write them down. In doing so, you unlock members of their family and friendship group, followed by their antagonist/s. That might lead you down the path of who the villains were in the past, and why they are the way they are. When you’re on a roll of discovering characters, you might not want to pull away from worldbuilding to plan out a specific plot for them. If you stop and think, “Wait, I need to actually work out what happens in the book, otherwise I’m going nowhere with this,” you may find your inspiration dries up completely. Finish getting out all you need to know about the characters, and then work on the plot. You don’t need to do it all at once. The most important thing is finding a way to work that keeps you interested and inspired to keep going each week.

Be Firm But Fair

This goes for the people around you, but also yourself.

  • If you live in a busy household and there’s no way of getting out to write, try to set a firm boundary around the hours or minutes that you schedule in to work on your writing. If you have young children or carer’s demands, etc, you might need to consider adjusting the time you get up in the morning, or trying to work later into the evening. This isn’t always healthy, so be sure you’re setting acceptable goals that won’t impact your health and wellbeing.
  • Acknowledge that some weeks just don’t work out. Life gets in the way of writing and that’s okay. Instead of beating yourself up and frantically scrabbling to get the time back the next week, simply re-set and start again, sticking to the scheduled plan. This will help you avoid burn-out and keep you motivated throughout the year.
  • Even ten minutes is better than nothing. Don’t obsessively count the minutes at your computer or your wordcount, just show up each week and the rest will follow.
  • An “unproductive” week might be anything but. By this, I mean that the time spent twiddling your thumbs and staring at a blank screen aren’t wasted moments. The ideas will come eventually, and by intentionally making the choice to work on your book, you’re setting the ball in motion for those eureka moments that will strike you when you least expect it.
  • Be extra kind during your writing time. Do you have a favourite coffee or tea? A type of sweet or another snack that you just can’t resist? Make it a part of your writing session. This works especially well if you have to fight to make the time to sit and write when you’re already pulled in a million directions and feeling exhausted from a day working hard at everything else life throws at us. Give yourself something to look forward to, and make it synonymous with your writing time.

In a nutshell, it pays to:

Be organised, be flexible, and be realistic.

Those are the main ways to see results as you start your new year of writing. But, above all, be kind to yourself.