Category: Advice

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How to Use Your Manuscript to Guide the Book Formatter

It can’t be said enough times of how important it is as a writer and author, to be aware of how you are using your craft. Every space, placement, and the overall format you give your manuscript can impact how the editor, formatter, and reader interact and perceive the content on the page. As with anything else, consistency is key and being aware of what you can do to strengthen your formatting to carry through to the book formatter for optimal results in the overall print design. Here’s some great tips that can be huge game changers in your writing, editing, and publishing. Let’s take a look at what matters the most when formatting your manuscript to hand to editors and formatters alike.

Margins and Page Size

Stick with standard 8.5 x 11 or Letter sized pages. Don’t try to shrink the page size or mimic the print size of the book. Instead, focus on standardizing this so it’s easier to see any key changes in the overall content. On that same note, normal margins or 1 inch margins on all sides are just uniform for preparing a document. Leave book trim or size and the math for proper margins to the book formatter so that the print house has to correct parameters.

Line Spacing and Font Choices

Double spacing a manuscript is pretty well known whether it’s a class essay to a manuscript for a literary agent. The reason for this is that they can print and have space to leave marks and corrective notes. Same goes for most editors where this is also standard. As for the formatter, they will be basing line spacing on the font choice since these all have different natural spacing.

Fonts should be standard or common choices such as New Times Roman or Times, Arial, Garamond, Helvetica, and similar. Courier, Comic Sans, Papyrus, and other fonts should be avoided in case there are special letterings or accented characters that could be lost completely when importing into other programs for book formatting. These are also common fonts for eBook readers and are a great way to make sure the content you are writing is completely compatible for ebook devices and formats. 

Double Return versus Line Break

Be sure to either make a paragraph style that adds a space after or utilize a double return between flashbacks and similar slight content changes. As for a line break or scene change within a chapter, pick a means of communicating this by adding a line with asterisks (***) or hashtags (#). This should be consistent so that a simple find and replace can be done to identify where line break artwork or ornaments will go in the book design. 

Never hold SHIFT+ENTER since this creates a manual line break, not a hard return. These can cause weird spacing and awkward forced breaks in the middle of content, sentences, and more. Most designers may clean them out as they see them, while others simply assume they are intended to be there. 

Don’t force things to land on the next page unless it’s intended to do so like a new chapter start. You can even set the heading style or chapter header style to page break before or start on the next page. These make life easier as you start to write and prep your manuscript for editors and formatters. If you do need a manual page break, you can use the insert break options or use CTRL+NUMPAD ENTER to create one. Never use multiple hard returns to force content to the next page as it can cause confusion when the content is placed within the book trim and layout. 

Styles and Headers

Many word processors now have means of labeling paragraph styles, styles, or heading styles to content. Use them! These not only add vital programming, but makes it much easier for your formatter to understand the hierarchy of the content without guessing or making an attempt to read the content. Be mindful of how you are labeling chapters and subheads with these styles to make sure they will be designed with the same intent in the print version. 

You can also use styles or make custom styles to identify quotes, pull quotes, letters, references, and similar aspects. Be sure to make the formatter aware to expect these extra components. Using one or more character styles should help make these stand out via formatting choices such as italics, bold, or underline. Combine these with paragraph justification for further visual impact such as indent left, indent right, space before, space after, and center alignment.

Using style and heading systems can help you see your sections in navigation panes as you write and make it easier to jump to sections you want to work on or edit. It also utilizes and opens up doors for automation for ebook creation or even utilizing the Create a Table of Contents options so you can make sure you have assigned and layered your styles in the intended way. Most formatters will utilize TOC systems in their programs in the same manner, but with a wider range of styling and formatting options.

Tabs versus Indents

If you are utilizing styles for even the Normal or Body text, setting these paragraph styles to have a First Line Indent of 0.25 inches is pretty standard for a manuscript with no space after or before the paragraph. You can make a “no indent” variety which is often applied to the first paragraph of a chapter start, after a line break, after a subheading, or similar divided space designed to show a jump in content or major change.

Tabs can be a great way to make a chart in your content without having to insert a spreadsheet. Many folks have been taught to use the tab key to add their first line indent. It is highly recommended to utilize the paragraph style settings for this since this is becoming more of a tool for spreadsheet programming and can cause some weird results when multiple tabs have been used. If you need something aligned to the left, then use the paragraph alignment menu to do so. There should be a ruler and tab system to customize those settings for each tab dropped. Most of the new word processors, if fully updated, now convert a single tab to paragraph style. In short, it’s one less keystroke and thing to worry about as you work on your manuscript.

Track Changes and Comments

Track changes are a great tool for you and your editor, but if left in place when a manuscript is sent to a formatter it can cause weird import issues that include content going missing in places, words broken apart, and stopping the placement or import system short of completing its task. Even more so, it inserts hidden programming in the XML coding that can bug out ebooks unbeknownst to author and designer in most cases.

Avoid this by clearing all comments out and accepting all track changes. There should be none left open or active, and all deleted before sending the file to the formatter or designer. If you wish to provide a copy with comments that identify formatting remarks, it should be sent as a guide copy or remind the formatter they were left as indication for them (and they should be able to delete them out). Granted, these apply mainly to Word and Google documents in particular.

On occasion with Word documents, “Content Panel” of altered content shows up. Whether this is caused by opening the document in third party applications or converting from one program to another, I can’t say, but these can bug out importing the content for a formatter. In Word, identify one such section, select all (so it highlights the whole document for other instances), and use the left click to open the Content Panel options and Delete!

Check Your Hidden Characters

Not sure about the returns, the tabs, or the accidental line breaks? No problem. Most programs have a Paragraph Icon that toggles between show or hide “Hidden Characters” that looks like a backwards P. Sometimes these are also labeled non-printing characters and these options are commonly found in the view section of programs. If you have tabs or manual line breaks, they are often shown as arrow type symbols unlike the common dot for a space or backwards P for a hard return. 

File Formats to Use

Lastly, most design programs utilize Word Documents (DOC, DOCX) for the sheer reason that much like eBooks, these files are written in XML and are easily convertible. Most programs, including Google Docs and Apple Pages have the option to EXPORT or SAVE AS – Filetype dropdown, to select this option. If you are unsure of the default save format front eh program you are writing in or don’t have this option, there is a solution! SAVE AS RTF RICH TEXT FORMAT. This is an older text file that is tried-and-true to what it does. The underbelly programming stripes XML coding to the basics and should maintain your character and paragraph styles just fine. In fact, it’s not uncommon for designers who have import failures on submitted files to convert them to RTF and import them with no issue afterwards.

Discover More

If you haven’t discovered Writer’s Bane: Formatting 101, you’ve been missing out on a lot of answers to questions and even a stronger understanding of how impactful formatting is on a book. This includes what goes inside your book, how to prepare a manuscript for a typeset, and how to design the interior of your book. 

Like the advice and information you see here? 
Check out the Formatting 101 textbook here at: https://4horsemenpublications.com/product/writers-bane-formatting-101/ . This book holds a variety of answers for those seeking to become typesetters, looking to self-publish their book, or simply want to learn how to communicate and prepare their manuscripts to get the most out of their designers. The Writer’s Bane is a curse and passion, both a want and need to tell a story. In this volume, you will learn the importance of preparing a book for layout as well as laying it out in a way that appeals to your readers of any genre including picture books, chapter books, fiction, memoirs, textbooks, workbooks, and everything in-between.

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5 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to Book Formatting

It’s strange to think about the fact that book formatting and layout still shows signs of those early printing press books in the 1400-1500s. Over the centuries, academia has evolved that format to create standards that began to take hold as public consumption increased in the 1800s. Regardless, your book’s format has to fall in line in a lot of ways for several reasons which include guiding and navigation of content, pacing of a story, placement on bookshelves, limit print issues, and reader immersion. If you haven’t discovered Writer’s Bane: Formatting 101, you’ve been missing out on a lot of answers to questions and even a stronger understanding of how impactful formatting is on a book. This includes what goes inside your book, how to prepare a manuscript for a typeset, and how to design the interior of your book. 

Guiding and Navigation of Content

Imagine a world where books didn’t have an expected chronological order to the content presented. I mean, no chapter numbers, no headers, and no page numbers. PURE CHAOS! A book’s format has an expected order and rhyme and reason. If they didn’t, it would be impossible to grasp where the information can be found. Even in “Choose Your Own Path” novels they have clearly written instructions and rely on guiding a reader via the page numbers. Let’s also be mindful that, for example, page numbers should land in the same spot throughout a book, but if this was inconsistent, you would be lost especially in a textbook. 

Keeping these navigational devices in your book in place and consistent means a lot. There have been a few books where page numbers were non-existent, and with so much automation in even word processors, WHY? How am I supposed to know where I am and what page my bookmark fell out? CHAOS. And worse, this example had a Table of Contents with numbers. PURE CHAOS. Be mindful of using all the navigational tools not for you, but your readers.

Pacing of a Story

This starts at the manuscript level and can skew how a typesetter or book designer “translates” the final book format, but be sure to use double returns and marking line breaks (***, #, or some other consistent searchable indication) in the right way. 

For example, double returns often come into play when a flashback starts or ends, a change in point of view or head hop happens in the moment or scene with no jump in time, or in non-fiction change in thought or moving on to the next thought within the same subject matter for that section/chapter. 

As for the line break, this is often where an ornamental icon will be added into a book. These often signal a change or passing of time in fiction work, change in location or jumping to a character not in the current scene, or the start of a new subject matter in a more significant manner in non-fiction. 

Placing these consistently and using them for the age-old expected reasons can help how a reader and story paces visually and limit any confusion. Imagine if neither of these existed in the novel you’ve been reading? MAYHEM!

Placement on Bookshelves

If you fail to fall in line with CMS or similar styling (Chicago Manual Style, APA, MLA, ect.), there’s a good chance that your book will not be chosen for bookshelves in commercial stores, libraries, and schools. It’s not uncommon for schools to require books to be in APA for medical books and degrees while other textbooks on certain matters for researched content may want MLA. Overall, commercial or public consumption often falls under the CMS standards though they aren’t as strict as academic and textbooks can be. These tend to be far more artful and allow more creative means. That doesn’t mean go hog wild and go above-and-beyond to break the formatting until it’s no longer recognizable. We’ve spent centuries to develop these styles and for good reason. 

Limit Print Issues

Margins and layout are also defined under these styles. Not only does it help identify the anatomy of what’s on the page, but these often aid in keeping the content from printing off the page or deeping into the spine of the book. Headers and footers play dangerously close to the edge, but the core content never should come close to this. The information is far more vital if the page prints crooked, right? Often book designers will have to adjust the margins dependent on the printer and press they are sending the file too. For example, for a perfect binding or glue binding Print-on-Demand book we typically set the inner margin with no bleed. Meanwhile, for Smythe Sewn or sew-bound hardcovers we would have to add bleed/trim/margin for stitching and binding to take place. A lot of math gets involved in those final moments of a book’s design that can impact the final look, so be mindful that anything that is pushed to the edge or super close has a high potential of “being lost” or cut off completely. 

Reader Immersion

Lastly, the biggest factor in all of this is the impact your consistency in formatting has on the reader. If the styling and broken style rules are too many, the reader will be confused and most likely will stop reading or even abandon the book. Again, for CENTURIES, books have an order and cadence that readers for GENERATIONS have been taught to read. Breaking the normal expectation in certain umbrellas can have detrimental effects to how readers feel and perceive your book and its content. Bad reviews, low sales, and social media thrashing will be just a few of the impacts here. The way a book is formatted is designed to optimize COMMUNICATION and to alter that has dire consequences and breaks the connection with the readers. Immersion can be granted, but the moment the font changes without warning, or the content isn’t labeled as expected, the reader gets distracted or frustrated. Remember, you’re not formatting for you, but for the audience. Don’t cause chaos!

Discover More

Like the advice and information you see here? Check out the Formatting 101 textbook here at: https://4horsemenpublications.com/product/writers-bane-formatting-101/ . This book holds a variety of answers for those seeking to become typesetters, looking to self-publish their book, or simply want to learn how to communicate and prepare their manuscripts to get the most out of their designers. The Writer’s Bane is a curse and passion, both a want and need to tell a story. In this volume, you will learn the importance of preparing a book for layout as well as laying it out in a way that appeals to your readers of any genre including picture books, chapter books, fiction, memoirs, textbooks, workbooks, and everything in-between.

Writer’s Bane: Formatting 101
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From the Author’s Desk: Calling all English Teachers!

Looking for a new composition book for your class? The faculty at Hillsborough Community College decided that none of the publishers had what our students needed, so we wrote our own book that meets the needs of today’s students. 

Composition & Grammar is an easy to use, ADA-compliant textbook that includes useful overviews, practice exercises, and student samples. 

Take a look at the Table of Contents to see what is included in the textbook:

  • Part 1: Reading
    • Ch 1 Active Reading Techniques 
    • Ch 2 Reading Comprehension Strategies
  • Part 2: Writing Process
    • Ch 3 Writing Situation 
    • Ch 4 Writing as Exploration 
    • Ch 5 Planning/ Prewriting
    • Ch 6 Outlines 
    • Ch 7 Thesis Statements 
    • Ch 8 Introductions 
    • Ch 9 Conclusions 
    • Ch 10 Organization
    • Ch 11 Drafting, Revising, & Editing 
  • Part 3: Modes and Types of Writing
    • Ch 12 Writing Modes
    • Ch 12.1 Narration 
    • Ch 12.2 Description 
    • Ch 12.3 Exemplification
    • Ch 12.4 Definition 
    • Ch 12.5 Classification/Division 
    • Ch 12.6 Process 
    • Ch 12.8 Cause & Effect 
    • Ch 12.9 Argumentation 
    • Ch 13 Types of Writing 
  • Part 4: Grammar
    • Ch 14 Parts of Speech 
    • Ch 14.1 Nouns
    • Ch 14.2 Verbs
    • Ch 14.3 Adjectives 
    • Ch 14.4 Adverbs
    • Ch 14.5 Prepositions 
    • Ch 14.6 Pronouns 
    • Ch 14.7 Conjunctions 
    • Ch 14.8 Interjections 
    • Ch 15 Sentence Structure
    • Ch 15.1 Parts of a Sentence
    • Ch 15.2 Types, Patterns, & Structure 
    • Ch 15.3 Coordination & Subordination 
    • Ch 15.4 Modifiers 
    • Ch 15.5 Parallelism 
    • Ch 16 Punctuation 
    • Ch 16.1 End Punctuation 
    • Ch 16.2 Commas 
    • Ch 16.3 Semicolons 
    • Ch 16.4 Colons 
    • Ch 16.5 Apostrophes 
    • Ch 16.6 Hyphens 
    • Ch 16.7 Dashes & Parentheses 
    • Ch 16.8 Ellipses & Brackets 
    • Ch 16.9 Quotation Marks & Italics 
    • Ch 17 Common Errors
    • Ch 17.1 Verb Errors 
    • Ch 17.2 Pronoun Problems 
    • Ch 17.3 Run-on/Fused Sentences
    • Ch 17.4 Comma Splices 
    • Ch 17.5 Sentence Fragments s
    • Ch 17.6 Mixed Sentences 
    • Ch 17.7 Commonly Confused Words 
    • Ch 18 Style 
    • Ch 18.1 Person
    • Ch 18.2 Voice
    • Ch 18.3 Diction 
    • Ch 18.4 Clarity & Conciseness 
    • Ch 18.5 Tone 
    • Ch 19 Reference Overview
    • Ch 19.1 Numbers 
    • Ch 19.2 Abbreviations 
    • Ch 19.3 Capitalization 
  • Part 5: Research
    • Ch 20 Plagiarism 
    • Ch 21 The Research Process 
    • Ch 22 Finding Sources 
    • Ch 23 Integrating Sources 
    • Ch 24 MLA Format 
    • Ch 25 APA Format 

We live in a world of words.

The way we interact with our fellow humans is very often based on the language that always surrounds us, whether it be the messages we send, the news we read, or the assignments we complete in classes that give us the education intended to lead us to success.

What might be the best way to navigate the complexity of language, especially in a first-year composition course? This book addresses these issues by presenting lessons, examples, and student samples through an approach that is friendly, conversational, and realistic.

Created by actual instructors of composition at HCC, this book includes many resources to guide composition students of different skill levels:

  • In-depth overviews of reading, writing, and revising
  • Engaging exercises that anticipate and address the most common errors of writers
  • Actual student samples that provide the basis of class discussions and analysis

With guidance that includes both theory and practice, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC provides students with the skills they need for their educational goals, their careers, and their lives.

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From the Author’s Desk: Worldbuilding 101: Diversity in Relationships

An important aspect to consider any time you are creating your world is how the inhabitants there interact with one another. You don’t need to be writing a romance to have relationships between characters, and those parameters should be clear to your readers. 

Here are some questions to consider when building the relationships in your world:

  1. What does the average relationship look like in your world? Describe the typical romantic relationship.
  2. What does an atypical romantic relationship in your world look like? Describe a relationship that exists but would surprise others.
  3. Is gender the deciding factor for one’s role in the relationship? How does gender present in your world? How are genders defined in your world (if gender is the social expectations associated with one’s assumed sex while sex is the biological determination using physical attributes)?
  4. How many sexes exist in your world? Are there same-sex relationships? How does society view same-sex couples? In Prince’s Priest by VC Willis, the scandal is that the relationship is between a vampire prince and a human priest. The fact that they are both men is an expected option in that world.
  5. How do people feel about relationships between classes? What about relationships between races? How does the average person feel about people from different places being in a relationship?
  6. How does a typical relationship progress? Describe the usual steps of a courtship (meeting, wooing, dating, flowers, sex, meeting families, moving in together, proposal, marriage, family, children, etc.).
  7. Do people choose their partners, or are relationships arranged by family members? Are arranged marriages the norm? Are they outdated or outlawed? If they are a thing, how do families determine a fitting suitor?
  8. How do couples introduce prospective partners to their families? Is this an important step in the courtship process or just a casual affair?
  9. Do couples live together (before/after marriage)? How does society feel about those who break this expectation one way or another?
  10. Do couples get married, or does cohabitation mean they are an official relationship? Which relationships are recognized as official by the government? Does marriage matter, or is it just a minor bit of paperwork?
  11. What does a typical wedding ceremony look like? Who attends? Who speaks and what do they say? Does someone need to vouch for the couple or forever hold their peace?
  12. Do couples need permission to marry? From whom? Is there a waiting period, or can people get married right away?
  13. Do people elope to Vegas or run away to be together? How does society feel about this behavior? Is it cute or romantic, juvenile or crazy?
  14. Do people change their name when they get married? Is the new member fully embraced by the partner’s family? (You’re a Jones now!)
  15. Is there a physical sign that shows a person is married (ring, hairstyle, article of clothing, etc.)? Can someone tell at a glance if a person is in a committed relationship or not?
  16. Do couples marry for love? Convenience? A combination of both? Why do most couples pair up?
  17. Can anyone marry anyone, or are there rules? Who establishes these rules? What happens to those who break the rules? Are they ostracized like Anna Karenina or forgiven like Count Vronsky?
  18.  What are the rules regarding marriage? Who established them? Why?
  19.  Is marriage about procreation and children and continuing the family name? How does society feel about childless couples? What is the general view on couples having children?
  20. In terms of children, do couples value one sex over another (boys over girls)? How about twins or triplets, etc.? Are such children a blessing by the gods or a curse?
  21. Consider the maternal mortality rate during childbirth in your world. Is childbirth a dangerous proposition for women in your world? (If only women can give birth.)  
  22. Are relationships limited to two people, or do people support multiple partners in relationships? How does society view thruples/poly-groups? In Signs of Affection by Lynn Chantale, the main character courts a love interest who practices polyamory.
  23. How does the average person define love in your world?
  24. Is love something that happens to a person (over which there is no control)? Do people fall in love like they fall off a cliff? Is love a conscious decision made by a person? Can a person choose to fall in love?
  25. Is love an expectation in relationships? Or is being part of a relationship more commonly a matter of convenience and love is found elsewhere?
  26. How do people view adultery? How do people view emotional affairs? Physical affairs? Where is the line when a relationship has become adulterous (a glance, a stolen kiss, a long hug, sex)?
  27. Are there established punishments for breaking a vow to a partner? How are they enforced? Are they different depending on who has committed the offense (women are killed while men are chastised)?
  28. Is love predetermined by an outside force? By what/whom? Are certain lovers fated to be together in your world?
  29. Is there a deity of love? Who is it? What powers do they have? How do people view this deity? How much control does a love deity have over the inhabitants?
  30. Are there love potions/love spells in your world? How do such things work? How long does a love potion/spell last? What are the long-term effects of a love potion? (Are the children of such unions born unable to love like Voldemort?)
  31. Do people believe in love at first sight? How do people feel about such relationships?
  32. Is love an acceptable excuse for irrational behavior? Do people excuse “crazy” behavior on account of love?
  33. Does love have physical symptoms? Can others see that a person is in love?
  34. Are the majority of the inhabitants romantics or cynics when it comes to love? What do your characters think about this?
  35. What does the average person think about relationships in your world?

Bonus Questions: 

  1. What kinds of familiar relationships are you featuring in your story? Why did you choose those and not others?
  2. What new types of relationships appear in your story? How are they different from traditional real-world connections?
  3. How much of the relationships depicted in your story are a reflection of your own experiences? What elements did you add to the relationships and why?
  4. How important are relationships in your story? Do they reflect real-world behavior, or are they exaggerated in some way? If so, how and why?
  5. If your story were turned into a film, what category would Netflix put it under: romance, romantic comedy, drama, horror, etc.? How much of the distinction is based on the types of relationships you include in your story?

Thinking more broadly about how relationships work beyond the scope of the story you’re telling allows you to write a story in a well-developed world, something readers will appreciate as they get to know your characters and the world they inhabit. For more Worldbuilding Questions, check out The General Worldbuilding Guide!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)
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Tapping into Your Hero’s Emotions: The Key to Engaging Creative Writing

In the realm of creative writing, heroes are more than just characters who drive the plot forward; they are the heart and soul of your story. Understanding and tapping into your hero’s emotions is crucial for creating compelling narratives that resonate deeply with readers. 

Emotions not only humanize your hero but also provide the reader with a window into their inner world, making the journey more immersive and impactful. Here’s a detailed guide on how to effectively harness your hero’s emotions in your writing.

The Importance of Emotional Depth

Emotional depth in a hero is what transforms a flat character into a dynamic one. Emotions provide motivation, shape decisions, and drive actions. They also make your hero relatable, allowing readers to connect with them on a personal level. This connection is essential for maintaining reader interest and investment in the story.

  1. Relatability: A hero with authentic emotions mirrors the human experience, making them more relatable. Readers are more likely to empathize with a character who feels joy, sorrow, fear, and love in realistic ways.
  2. Motivation: Emotions are often the driving force behind a hero’s actions. Understanding what your hero feels helps to explain why they make certain choices, adding layers to their character and making their journey more believable.
  3. Conflict and Growth: Emotional struggles and triumphs create compelling conflict and drive character development. Witnessing a hero navigate their emotional landscape allows readers to experience growth and transformation alongside them.

Techniques for Exploring Your Hero’s Emotions

To effectively tap into your hero’s emotions, you need to employ a variety of techniques that reveal their inner world to the reader. Here are some strategies to consider:

  1. Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of directly stating how your hero feels, show their emotions through actions, dialogue, and internal monologue. For instance, instead of writing “John was angry,” describe how he clenched his fists, his face turned red, and he spoke through gritted teeth.
  2. Internal Monologue: Use your hero’s thoughts to delve deeper into their emotions. Internal monologue allows readers to hear the character’s inner voice, providing insight into their fears, hopes, and desires. This technique is particularly effective for conveying complex or conflicting emotions.
  3. Dialogue: Emotions can be powerfully conveyed through dialogue. The way your hero speaks—tone, word choice, pacing—can reveal their emotional state. Pay attention to subtext as well; what is not said can be as revealing as what is said.
  4. Body Language and Facial Expressions: Nonverbal cues are a vital part of emotional expression. Describe your hero’s body language and facial expressions to convey their feelings. Slumped shoulders can indicate defeat, while a bright smile can suggest joy or relief.
  5. Sensory Details: Emotions often heighten the senses. Use sensory details to immerse readers in your hero’s emotional experience. Describe how the world feels, smells, sounds, and looks from their perspective when they are happy, scared, or grieving.

Building Emotional Arcs

An emotional arc is the journey your hero undergoes in terms of their emotional state from the beginning to the end of the story. Crafting a strong emotional arc is essential for character development and overall narrative impact.

  1. Starting Point: Establish your hero’s emotional baseline at the start of the story. This provides a reference point for measuring their growth and changes.
  2. Challenges and Triggers: Introduce events and situations that challenge your hero’s emotional state. These triggers should be significant enough to cause an emotional response and propel character growth.
  3. Climax: The emotional climax is often tied to the story’s overall climax. This is the point where your hero faces their greatest challenge and their emotions reach a peak. It’s a moment of intense vulnerability and revelation.
  4. Resolution: Conclude the emotional arc by showing how your hero has changed emotionally. This can be a return to a new normal, a moment of acceptance, or a newfound strength.

Playing on Your Hero’s Trauma Using CBT Principles

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers valuable insights into how trauma shapes a person’s emotions and behaviors. By applying CBT principles to your hero’s emotional journey, you can create a more authentic and nuanced portrayal of their trauma and growth.

  1. Identifying Core Beliefs: Trauma often leads to the formation of negative core beliefs. These beliefs shape how your hero sees themselves and the world. For instance, a hero who survived a traumatic event might believe they are powerless or that the world is inherently dangerous. Understanding these beliefs helps to explain their actions and reactions throughout the story.
  2. Triggering Emotional Responses: Use specific events or interactions to trigger your hero’s trauma-related emotional responses. These triggers can be people, places, or situations that remind them of their trauma, leading to intense emotional reactions. This technique adds depth to their emotional arc and provides opportunities for growth.
  3. Cognitive Distortions: Highlight your hero’s cognitive distortions, such as black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, or overgeneralization. These distorted thoughts can create internal conflict and drive the plot. For example, a hero who catastrophizes might interpret a minor setback as a complete failure, leading to a crisis of confidence.
  4. Emotional Regulation: Show your hero learning to manage their emotions through healthy coping mechanisms. This can include self-reflection, mindfulness, or seeking support from other characters. Their journey towards emotional regulation can be a significant part of their character development.
  5. Reframing and Growth: As your hero confronts their trauma, use CBT techniques like reframing to show their growth. Reframing involves changing negative thought patterns into more positive or realistic ones. For instance, a hero who initially believes they are powerless might, through their experiences, come to see themselves as resilient and capable.

Tapping into your hero’s emotions is essential for creating rich, engaging narratives. By understanding their emotional depth, employing techniques to reveal their inner world, and crafting a compelling emotional arc, you can create heroes that resonate deeply with readers. Incorporating CBT principles into your hero’s emotional journey adds authenticity and depth, making their experiences and growth more believable. 

If you’re eager to explore more tapping into your Hero’s emotions and using psychological principles to do it, I highly recommend checking out my book, The Psychology of Character Building for Authors. This comprehensive guide delves into the psychological underpinnings of character development, providing invaluable insights and practical techniques to help you create multifaceted characters that resonate with readers. 

Happy writing!

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From the Professor’s Desk: Sentence Diagramming 101

Do you ever wonder about what’s under the hood of the English language? English is a rich language with a convoluted history and tons of inconsistencies, but contrary to appearance, it does actually have rules that organize the way we put our words together. One way to visually explore the way English functions is to use a technique called sentence diagramming. 

Some of you may remember traditional sentence diagramming from some long ago class in elementary school or think of it as something you did for a day in grammar school during the 80s. Yes, sentence diagramming has been around for a while (since the 1900s!), but it’s still relevant if you want to think structurally about the way English works. 

Sentence Diagramming 101: Fun with Linguistics (and Movies!) is a great resource for anyone interested in understanding the underlying structure of the English language.

“A surprisingly fun jaunt into the convoluted wilds of the English language!”

Sentence Diagramming 101: Fun with Linguistics (and Movies) explores the relationship between words using traditional sentence diagramming and amusing movie references. Inside this textbook, you’ll find detailed explanations as well as 50+ film-focused practice exercises, and on the companion website, you can explore the answer key, informative videos, additional practice, and lively discussions about the English language.

One abiding question often accompanies any discussion of traditional sentence diagramming (Reed & Kellogg): does sentence diagramming create better writers? This book’s answer: Maybe. If you think of the English language as a car, think of this book as a look under the proverbial hood of the language. Someone may know the names of all the parts and how they work together to make the vehicle move when the gas pedal is held down-but does that knowledge create a better driver? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps that driver will explain spark plugs while they drive straight off a cliff.

Such is also true of writing. English can be messy, filled with archaic bolts and cobbled coils, but somehow, it still manages to get users where they want to go. Hop in and enjoy the ride!

A great primer for writers, word enthusiasts, and those seeking to understand the fundamentals of English grammar, this textbook breaks down complicated ideas into digestible pieces.

Topics include:

  • The Basics: Parts of Speech and Word Function
  • Sentence Patterns
  • Phrases, Verbals, and Clauses
  • Sentence Types
  • Weirdness: Questions, Commands, Expletives, Poetry, Made Up and Repeated Words

Additional features:

  • ADA Compliant
  • Free Companion Website with Video Overviews, Answer Keys, Practice Explanations, Additional Practice, and Language-Focused Discussions

Get under the hood of the English language with Sentence Diagramming 101!

Sentence Diagramming 101: Fun with Linguistics (and Movies)
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From the Author’s Desk: How do you know it’s time to update your covers? 

Covers are a tricky business. I’m a writer, someone who works well with words and characters and dialogue. Graphic design is not my strength in any way, and my art skills peaked with stick figures. I am not the person to ask about cover design, but even with my shortcomings, I still know a few things about covers and marketing. 

You know the drill–your books come out, and you are super excited about those first covers. They nail the genre, convey the feeling of the story, and look cool on your shelf (or behind you during meetings online). Usually, this is the result of your cover designer’s hard work–they researched the market, considered the trends, and created something you are proud to show off atop your baby book. 

However, the crazy (and cool?) thing about books is how often things shift. A bestselling cover ages out, sometimes in a few years–but sometimes over a span of a few months. When you design your covers, think about how long you predict this trend will last. Yes, this often requires a crystal ball and some scrying stones–but there are some people in the industry who have the marketing sense and judgment. Follow them and heed their advice. 

Think about the shifts in these covers for Stephen King’s The Stand over the years:

This is the cover I had when I first read this book in the 80s (a tattered secondhand shop version I hid in my backpack to read at school). Yes, I now know this version is worth money (it was the first edition!), but mine has long been lost to cross-country moves and bookshelf updates. No worries–I now have more copies of this book than I know what to do with, the result of writing my dissertation on it–people keep giving me copies (and I LOVE all of them!).

Here are a few more over the years:

Think about how these have shifted. The fonts have changed, though the name is always at the top. The graphics shift from artwork to abstract to realistic. They each convey a slightly different tone: some focusing on the post-apocalyptic feel while others emphasize the horror undercurrent. 

My own series, Klauden’s Ring Saga, just got re-released with new covers, and it’s only been out five years! Check out the difference between the old covers and the new:

Note the changes: no more people! Less vibrant color shifts! The new covers follow current trends for fantasy romance, symbols buried amid swirls and designs. 

How can you tell when it’s time to update your covers? I’m glad you asked. 

  1. Look at the top 100 bestsellers in your category on Amazon. Scroll the covers–they will probably all be quite similar. Does your book match that vibe? 
  2. Do a google search for your genre + book covers. Does your cover look anything like the images popping up? 
  3. Watch reels about your genre on social media. Does your book resemble the ones you keep seeing?

If the answer to these questions is no, it’s time for a new look. Yes, I know it’s time-consuming and expensive to redo your covers (not to mention the stack of old covers you probably still have to sell!), but keeping up with trends in your genre is a great way to stay relevant and catch the attention of new readers. 

And what to do with old stock? So many options!

  1. Sell them at a discount at shows (“Get the old version on the cheap!”)
  2. Wrap them up and call them “Blind Dates” with a book!
  3. Send them to readers–prizes, free copies, review exchanges, etc. 
  4. Offer them to libraries or local community centers.

Any of these will get your name out there–and get new readers buying the rest of your books! I know we say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but we all do it. Don’t let readers pass you by because of an outdated look. Update your covers!

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Crafting Authentic Villains: The Heart of Compelling Conflict

Creating authentic villains is an art that breathes life into narratives, infuses tension, and drives stories forward. Villains, often the shadowy figures lurking in the periphery, can be as complex and multifaceted as protagonists. They should not merely serve as obstacles but as catalysts for growth and change, both for the story and its characters. Here, we delve into the intricacies of crafting authentic villains that captivate readers and elevate your storytelling.

Understanding the Villain’s Role

At the core of any memorable villain is their role in the narrative. A well-crafted villain is not just an antagonist but a character whose actions and motivations are integral to the story’s progression. They must challenge the protagonist in ways that force them to evolve. To achieve this, consider the following:

  1. Purpose and Motivation: Every villain needs a clear, compelling reason for their actions. This motivation should be rooted in their backstory, beliefs, and desires. Whether it’s revenge, ambition, or a misguided sense of justice, understanding why your villain does what they do makes them more relatable and less of a caricature.
  2. Conflict and Stakes: A villain’s actions should raise the stakes and create significant conflict. Their presence should disrupt the status quo and compel the protagonist to confront their deepest fears and flaws. This conflict drives the narrative and keeps readers invested.

Developing the Villain’s Backstory

An authentic villain is often a product of their past. A detailed backstory provides insight into their psyche and helps explain their motivations and actions. Consider these elements when crafting your villain’s history:

  1. Origins and Upbringing: Reflect on the villain’s early life. What events or experiences shaped their worldview? Traumatic events, familial influences, or societal pressures can all contribute to their current behavior.
  2. Turning Point: Identify a pivotal moment that set the villain on their path. This could be a betrayal, loss, or revelation that fundamentally altered their outlook on life and spurred them towards villainy.
  3. Complex Relationships: Explore the relationships that matter to your villain. Allies, mentors, and rivals can all play crucial roles in their development. These relationships add depth and can create intriguing subplots and dynamics.

Humanizing the Villain

To make a villain truly compelling, they need to be humanized. Readers should be able to see aspects of themselves or people they know in the villain. This does not mean justifying their actions, but providing a window into their humanity:

  1. Flaws and Vulnerabilities: No one is entirely evil or good. Give your villain weaknesses, fears, and insecurities. These elements make them more relatable and believable. A villain who struggles with self-doubt or who has moments of kindness can be particularly compelling.
  2. Sympathetic Traits: Introduce traits that evoke empathy. Perhaps the villain has a code of honor, shows kindness to certain individuals, or has a dream that, while misguided, is understandable. These traits can create a complex emotional response in readers.
  3. Internal Conflict: Show the villain grappling with their choices. Internal conflict adds layers to their character and can lead to unexpected moments of vulnerability or hesitation. This can make the villain more unpredictable and engaging.

Crafting Memorable Encounters

The interactions between your villain and other characters, especially the protagonist, are pivotal. These encounters should be charged with tension and reveal different facets of the villain’s personality:

  1. Dialogue: Use dialogue to reveal the villain’s intellect, wit, and philosophy. Sharp, memorable exchanges can make confrontations more impactful and highlight the ideological differences between the villain and protagonist.
  2. Actions and Decisions: The villain’s actions should consistently reflect their core motivations and personality. These actions should be significant and impactful, driving the plot forward and forcing the protagonist into difficult decisions.
  3. Symbolism and Imagery: Utilize symbolism and imagery to reinforce the villain’s presence and influence. Recurring motifs, colors, or settings associated with the villain can create a lasting impression and add to their mystique.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Creating an authentic villain involves avoiding clichés and ensuring your villain is as well-rounded as any other character. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

  1. One-Dimensional Evil: Avoid making your villain evil for the sake of being evil. Depth and complexity are crucial. Provide clear reasons for their actions and show their humanity.
  2. Over-the-Top Monologues: While dialogue is important, avoid clichéd villain monologues. Instead, focus on meaningful exchanges that reveal character and advance the plot.
  3. Lack of Agency: Ensure your villain is proactive rather than reactive. They should have clear goals and take decisive actions to achieve them. A passive villain is less compelling and poses less of a threat.

Dive Deeper into Character Building

Crafting an authentic villain is a delicate balance of complexity, relatability, and menace. By understanding their role, developing a rich backstory, humanizing their character, creating memorable encounters, and avoiding common pitfalls, you can create villains that not only enhance your narrative but also leave a lasting impact on your readers. An authentic villain is more than just an obstacle; they are a force that shapes the story and challenges the protagonist to their core. 

If you’re eager to explore more about crafting authentic villains and other complex characters, I highly recommend checking out my book, The Psychology of Character Building for Authors. This comprehensive guide delves into the psychological underpinnings of character development, providing invaluable insights and practical techniques to help you create multifaceted characters that resonate with readers. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, this resource will enhance your ability to craft memorable and authentic characters.

Happy writing!

The Psychology of Character Building for Authors
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From the Author’s Desk: Worldbuilding 101: Mythmaking

One thing to consider when creating the world for your story is the stories the people in your world tell one another about creation. How did your world come to be? What do the people in your world commonly believe about the beginning of it all? Generally, this kind of worldbuilding can be divided into two categories: the truth about creation and the myths about creation. Let’s start with the first part–what actually happened?

To start developing the truth of your world, consider the following questions:

How did your world come into being? Was it formed out of the Void, the result of some cosmic Boom, the plaything of a godlike being? Tolkien’s Middle Earth began as a song of the Ainur, a vision in music that the Valar had to then build based on their understanding and memories of that experience. 

Is there just one world/planet? Is it a free-floating ball in space or a disc with an edge that people can fall off? Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is literally a disc on top of four elephants on top of a turtle that swims through space.

Is the world part of a larger galaxy/universe? Is there a larger cosmos with other solar systems in the galaxy or just the lone world floating in the void by itself? Think about the night sky your inhabitants would see—are those lights in the sky other stars or something else (Shrek’s ogre ancestors, for instance)?

What does the rest of the galaxy/universe look like? Solar systems with planets and suns or black holes or dwarf stars? Titan AE explores a universe where the earth is a tiny piece of a huge tapestry of galaxies.

How big is the universe? Are other worlds nearby or far away? Can people see it or travel to it? How is this done? Get a general sense—if light speed is 186, 282.397 miles per second, how far away is everything from everything else? For example, the sun is 91.4 million miles from Earth while the moon is only 238,900 miles away.

For the people in your world, are there visible stars in the sky? Other planets that can be seen? Do people create constellations from the patterns? What meaning is attributed to these lights in the sky? Is astrology a thing in your world?

Has anyone seen the planet from beyond the surface? Do people travel to space to get that perspective, or do they think the world is flat or ends beyond the mountain range in the distance?

Has the world always looked like this or has it changed over time? Was there an age of dinosaurs and prehistoric plant life or a world covered in oceans, or has it always been as it is now? (This relates to the “how old is your world” question too!).

If it has changed, why? What happened to make it look different? Was this change a result of some natural catastrophe (meteor strike, volcano eruption, ice age, etc.) or the result of the people who live in the world? What did the people do that caused such dramatic shifts in the world? Even earth has had some dramatic environmental shifts over time (*cough* dinosaurs *cough*).

How old is the world? Does the world have an expiration date—like will the sun explode at some point or the gravitational pull let it drift away into the void, or will the world always be there?

If your world is loosely based on the real world, how is it different from the known universe? What world-features are your characters familiar with that readers will recognize? What distinct world-features have you added to distinguish your world from the real one? Do things in the universe have the same name that the scientific community uses (Big Bang, quarks, Jupiter, Io, etc.)?

Bonus Question for Earth-Variants: Is Pluto a planet or a planetoid in your world? How do people argue about this distinction?

Now, think about the second part: What stories do people tell about creation in your world?

How do people explain the creation of the world?Are there competing theories about how it all began? Which ideas will your characters embrace? Which will they deny?

Are there immortals who remember the beginning? How accurate is that recollection (and do they share that knowledge with others)? Will those beings be around for the end of the world, like the robots in AI?

Has the truth of creation been altered in some ways? How? Why? By whom? How does this difference affect the story you will tell in that world?

How much is known by the average person in the world about the creation of the world? Is this knowledge protected or is it shared? How do people share this information (Giver-style or oral culture or what)?

Where would someone go to find creation stories? Are they written down and stored in a library or shared freely among the people? Who is permitted to learn the truth and who is not? Why?

Mythmaking will be the foundation of your world, but it doesn’t need to be the first thing you decide. Let your creative inspiration wander from topic to topic as you wish! Don’t box yourself into getting all of this information carved in stone from the start. One of the great things about being an author is the ability to shift things as you need–creation stories can change as your story develops. You don’t need to know everything from the start. That said, you should have some inkling of these answers somewhere in the back of your mind. Stories that take place in worlds with solid backgrounds, even if those details aren’t known by readers, tend to satisfy in a way that others do not. Readers can sense a solid foundation beneath the plot, details available should the need arise to start digging. 

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Did you enjoy these kinds of questions? Check out more in The General Worldbuilding Guide, available wherever books are sold!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)
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From the Editor’s Desk: Tips to Save Your Sanity During Editing

It’s time. You know it. Pour yourself a drink (whatever liquid gets you through the writing process), put on some comfortable clothes, and settle down in front of the computer. Editing is never easy, but there are some general things you can do that will make it easier the next time you finish a book. Here are some general tips to get you through this round of editing:

1. Read. Read in your genre. Read outside of your comfort zone. Read established writers with distinctive voices. Read emerging writers with astounding vision. 

2. Learn the rules. You can’t effectively break the rules of grammar without knowing them (otherwise your clever fragment may just look like a mistake!). Take it slow, but take the idea of learning to wield your tools, your words, seriously. Tons of books, blogs, and videos cover the rules. Check them out! I’m a fan of the classic Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynn Trusse. I also recommend Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner.

3. Read your work out loud … backward. Yes, I said backward. Start with the final sentence, find the capital letter that starts it, and read that sucker aloud all the way to the end punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation mark). Is it a complete thought? Does it make sense? Cool. Go back or up a line. Find the previous sentence and repeat the process. Reading your sentences in isolation forces you to look at them one-by-one (instead of the way you read the story). You likely won’t do this for the entire thing, but you can put a serious dent in troublesome areas this way.

3a. Live with someone? Or have a very expressive pet? Read your story out loud and watch their reaction. If their expression is confused, mark that spot to revise later. If you stumble, mark that part to revise later. You’re not narrating here (though I suppose you could if you’re supper confident in your splicing skills); you’re reading for flow and comprehension. 

4. Take breaks. Editing is not a one-and-done event. It can be a marathon of late nights/early mornings and five-minute breaks from work (and lots of tea if you’re me!). It’s best accomplished in small chunks with a specific focus. If you read your work straight through looking for all of the things, you will find some of the problem stuff—but definitely not everything (not without making yourself crazy first!). 

5. At some point, your manuscript is finished. Let it go. Yes, you could make it better tomorrow—but how many tomorrows are spent re-working something when you could be on to your next story? Academics say papers are never done—just due. Give yourself a deadline and stick to it. Find your “good enough” point and watch Frozen (Let it go!!!). We will never get to see it if you keep tinkering with chapter five. 

6. Remember that your story is worth telling. No one can tell it like you can. No one else can do what you can. Don’t give up. We need to read your words. Get it out in the world!

Oh, you wanted ACTUAL steps on how to do this? Well, conveniently enough, I already wrote that book, and it’s a bit longer than  a blog post. If you want specific step-by-step instructions on how to edit your book, check out 10 Steps to Save Your Editor’s Sanity, a helpful guide that walks you through the process of self-editing one task at a time!

10 Steps to Save Your Editor’s Sanity