CADENCE
Cadence is the way the words flow if spoken. It varies depending on the number of syllables in a word, the length of sentences, the amount of alliteration etc. It’s important to match the cadence with the content.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Good+writing+needs+cadence.+(Symposium+Secrets+to+Stronger+Editorials)-a0102908476
CATEGORY
In genre writing, category writing is writing to specified guidelines set by the publishing houses eg Harlequin. Each category has its own specific requirements as to subject matter, length, voice etc
Romance novel www.economicexpert.com/a/Romance:novel.htm
The opposite is single title where a book stands alone and was not written to comply with guidelines.
CHARACTERS and CHARACTER SHEETS
Well rounded characters whose personalities grow throughout the course of the novel are what all writers aim for. Various methods are used to help them achieve this eg Tarot, Astrology, established Archetypes, Myers Briggs and Enneagrams.
Publishing Houses often require character sheets which describe their physical characteristics so they can forward them on to their cover illustrators. These sheets also cover facets of their personality, sometimes in the form of an interview. These may include questions like their desires and goals, strengths and virtues, faults and weaknesses.
CLICHES
Inclusion of hackneyed clichés can weaken writing, particularly when used in describing the character.
Margie Lawson has a great piece which starts: “I'm tickled pink to share clichés that set my teeth on edge. I'd give my right arm to knock clichés over the rooftops, out of the ballpark, beyond the ozone layer.”
Try to avoid these where possible by introducing fresh ways to describe these things.
CLIMAX
Climaxes don’t only occur in sex scenes <g>.
Generally a climax is some kind of a confrontation. Everything in the scene should lead up to it and once it occurs, the pace dies down until the introduction of the hook to the next scene. A mini climax needs to occur in each scene. Your major climax needs to occur towards the end of the book. It has to be strong but also realistic.
This page sets out some important parameters: www.ehow.com/how_2154032_use-climax-writing.html
CONFLICT vs CONFRONTATIONS vs COMPLICATIONS
Many teachers of writing craft (eg Dwight Swain) maintain each scene needs conflict. Newbies often interpret this as saying each scene must have an argument between the characters, ie confrontation. Wrong. Conflict doesn’t always involve confrontation it can also be the result of a complication or even a misunderstanding. It’s most effective when the thing a protagonist needs or wants to do is thwarted by an equally formidable force opposing it.
Say your character needs to get from point A to point B. This can be thwarted by:
tripping on a banana skin or someone inadvertently getting in their way (random impersonal conflict)
person standing in their way deliberately opposing them (confrontation)
they secretly think they should be going to point C (internal conflict)
they’re too drunk to run or injured and can only run slowly (complication)
the message was misheard and they should have gone to point D (misunderstanding)
One good example I came across: Someone who gets into a car crash has trouble. Someone who gets into a car crash when the evil corporation she's stolen files from slams into her car has conflict.
COMP TITLES
Comparative or comparable titles are the books your book is compared to. Trade people use them to gain an estimate for likely sales figures. You can read more at Pimp My Novel pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/07/monday-mailbag-comp-titles.html
CONCEPT
The idea behind a book is the concept. What agents and editors love is High Concept, a fascinating idea that can easily be explained in a short sentence which is different, has a terrific hook, and takes something everyone knows and puts a new twist on it.
CONFERENCES
Run annually by organizations such as Romance Writers of America, Australia or New Zealand. They usually incorporate speeches and workshops in their programs designed to encourage and help other authors write. Agents, editors and publishers’ representatives sometimes attend, allowing you to meet them and sometimes present a pitch of your latest project. They are a great way to meet other authors, learn your craft and become known.
Conferences cost money. Here’s advice from Rachelle Gardner on whether you should go to them. cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/08/should-you-go-to-writers-conference.html
CONTESTS
Many writing organizations run writing contests. Quite a few new writers have broken into publishing on the strength of their results in these competitions. Yu can also gain valuable feedback from comments in the process.
Don’t forget to look at other country’s organizations and contests. Some are open to writers from anywhere others require membership of that organisation to enter.
The drawback is cost. Entry fees and the cost of printing, packing, posting and providing return postage can become significant if you’re entering a lot. Take care to ensure your work matches their criteria for entry and follow the rules.
CONTRACTS
Contracts set out the terms between you and your publisher in a sequence of clauses. Usually these are negotiated by agents on your behalf, however if you don’t have an agent because you are epublishing you will need to research this thoroughly or get someone with expertise to do it for you.
There is some good advice from an agent at Genreality www.genreality.net/guest-agent-jenny-bent
Here’s a great list of Must Have Contract Clauses by Joe Nassise www.genreality.net/must-have-contract-clauses
Also some great advice from Angela James, formerly of Samhain Publishing now with Carina Press. “be aware of the terms of your contract. Understand not just the print side of your contract, but the digital side as well. Now that we have digital books, the term “out of print” could take on a whole new meaning, especially when it comes to reversion of rights. Is your book out of print when it’s not in paper copy any longer, or is it still in print as long as a digital copy is available?
CONVENTIONS
RT, the US Romantic Times Convention and ARRC the Australian Romance Readers Convention are the most obvious examples but there are also ones for different genres such as Worldcon the World Science Fiction Convention.
Conventions are geared more for the fans i.e. the readers. They have a few panels covering the craft of writing plus they are a great way to meet other authors and pimp your novel at book signings. They may also be the inspiration to become a writer yourself (as ARRC was for me!).
COPYRIGHT
First off you cannot copyright an idea.
Jessica faust at BookEnds Literary agency has this to say on the subject. bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/08/idea-theft.html
In Australia, copyright protection is granted automatically from the time an original work is created. See the Attorney General’s site for details: www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/page/Copyright
The duration of copyright protection is dependent on a number of factors, including the nature of the work, the time when it was made and whether it has been published. The duration of protection for copyright works that have been published (or otherwise made available to the public) generally lasts for 70 years after the death of the creator. There are some exceptions to this general rule.
Copyright subsists indefinitely in a literary work that has not been published during the life of the author. If the work is posthumously published, the copyright will terminate at the end of 70 years after that event.
Copyright laws vary from country to country and from time to time, so check what is relevant to you.
COVER LETTER
These are the letters addressed to the recipient of the synopsis, partial or whatever you are sending to an agent , editor or publisher.
Here’s a good list of do’s and don’ts from Raelene Gorlinsky at Redlines and Deadlines.
redlinesanddeadlines.blogspot.com/2009/07/letter-laws-how-not-to-write-cover.html
CRAFT
Craft is the science of writing, the grammar, structure, characterization etc. The nuts and bolts used to ensure an effective story hangs together. There are great "How To" books out there and countless blogs devoted to them, such as this one!
CRITIQUE PARTNERS
The main word here is partners. Instead of paying someone to correct your typos and grammar and suggest improvements, you swap your work with another author and do it at no cost.
Ideally you should have partners whose advice you value and know you can likewise contribute to their writing. Some may help your sentence construction, others may be great at working where your writing needs strengthening. Both types should be encouraging and where possible say what works as well as what doesn’t.
behlerblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/critique-groups-when-do-i-join/
Carol Burnside at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales had a good blog n the subject to: petitfoursandhottamales.blogspot.com/2009/06/share-your-work.html
Critiquing can be a valuable learning experience. Most importantly, it should be a positive experience. If it’s not, you may be matched with the wrong partner.
CROSS GENRE
Genre fiction is broken down into sub sections such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, science fiction. Cross genre is where a book combines elements of more than one type eg science fiction romance. The problem then is how the book is promoted and sold. Is it shelved in the shop in the science fiction section or the romance section?
Author and writing teacher Marilynn Brierley sums it up this way:
If a novel is cross-genre, one of the genres must be the strongest and its genre tropes and plot must drive the novel throughout.
A werewolf novel that is driven forward by the worldbuilding and various werewolf political/pack struggles is urban fantasy or horror. A werewolf novel where boy wolf meets girl vampire, and they fall in love during various werewolf and vampire struggles is a paranormal romance.
You must understand what the central genre of your novel is so your novel doesn't fail by genre standards, and you will know where to market it.
Cadence is the way the words flow if spoken. It varies depending on the number of syllables in a word, the length of sentences, the amount of alliteration etc. It’s important to match the cadence with the content.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Good+writing+needs+cadence.+(Symposium+Secrets+to+Stronger+Editorials)-a0102908476
CATEGORY
In genre writing, category writing is writing to specified guidelines set by the publishing houses eg Harlequin. Each category has its own specific requirements as to subject matter, length, voice etc
Romance novel www.economicexpert.com/a/Romance:novel.htm
The opposite is single title where a book stands alone and was not written to comply with guidelines.
CHARACTERS and CHARACTER SHEETS
Well rounded characters whose personalities grow throughout the course of the novel are what all writers aim for. Various methods are used to help them achieve this eg Tarot, Astrology, established Archetypes, Myers Briggs and Enneagrams.
Publishing Houses often require character sheets which describe their physical characteristics so they can forward them on to their cover illustrators. These sheets also cover facets of their personality, sometimes in the form of an interview. These may include questions like their desires and goals, strengths and virtues, faults and weaknesses.
CLICHES
Inclusion of hackneyed clichés can weaken writing, particularly when used in describing the character.
Margie Lawson has a great piece which starts: “I'm tickled pink to share clichés that set my teeth on edge. I'd give my right arm to knock clichés over the rooftops, out of the ballpark, beyond the ozone layer.”
Try to avoid these where possible by introducing fresh ways to describe these things.
CLIMAX
Climaxes don’t only occur in sex scenes <g>.
Generally a climax is some kind of a confrontation. Everything in the scene should lead up to it and once it occurs, the pace dies down until the introduction of the hook to the next scene. A mini climax needs to occur in each scene. Your major climax needs to occur towards the end of the book. It has to be strong but also realistic.
This page sets out some important parameters: www.ehow.com/how_2154032_use-climax-writing.html
CONFLICT vs CONFRONTATIONS vs COMPLICATIONS
Many teachers of writing craft (eg Dwight Swain) maintain each scene needs conflict. Newbies often interpret this as saying each scene must have an argument between the characters, ie confrontation. Wrong. Conflict doesn’t always involve confrontation it can also be the result of a complication or even a misunderstanding. It’s most effective when the thing a protagonist needs or wants to do is thwarted by an equally formidable force opposing it.
Say your character needs to get from point A to point B. This can be thwarted by:
tripping on a banana skin or someone inadvertently getting in their way (random impersonal conflict)
person standing in their way deliberately opposing them (confrontation)
they secretly think they should be going to point C (internal conflict)
they’re too drunk to run or injured and can only run slowly (complication)
the message was misheard and they should have gone to point D (misunderstanding)
One good example I came across: Someone who gets into a car crash has trouble. Someone who gets into a car crash when the evil corporation she's stolen files from slams into her car has conflict.
COMP TITLES
Comparative or comparable titles are the books your book is compared to. Trade people use them to gain an estimate for likely sales figures. You can read more at Pimp My Novel pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/07/monday-mailbag-comp-titles.html
CONCEPT
The idea behind a book is the concept. What agents and editors love is High Concept, a fascinating idea that can easily be explained in a short sentence which is different, has a terrific hook, and takes something everyone knows and puts a new twist on it.
CONFERENCES
Run annually by organizations such as Romance Writers of America, Australia or New Zealand. They usually incorporate speeches and workshops in their programs designed to encourage and help other authors write. Agents, editors and publishers’ representatives sometimes attend, allowing you to meet them and sometimes present a pitch of your latest project. They are a great way to meet other authors, learn your craft and become known.
Conferences cost money. Here’s advice from Rachelle Gardner on whether you should go to them. cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/08/should-you-go-to-writers-conference.html
CONTESTS
Many writing organizations run writing contests. Quite a few new writers have broken into publishing on the strength of their results in these competitions. Yu can also gain valuable feedback from comments in the process.
Don’t forget to look at other country’s organizations and contests. Some are open to writers from anywhere others require membership of that organisation to enter.
The drawback is cost. Entry fees and the cost of printing, packing, posting and providing return postage can become significant if you’re entering a lot. Take care to ensure your work matches their criteria for entry and follow the rules.
CONTRACTS
Contracts set out the terms between you and your publisher in a sequence of clauses. Usually these are negotiated by agents on your behalf, however if you don’t have an agent because you are epublishing you will need to research this thoroughly or get someone with expertise to do it for you.
There is some good advice from an agent at Genreality www.genreality.net/guest-agent-jenny-bent
Here’s a great list of Must Have Contract Clauses by Joe Nassise www.genreality.net/must-have-contract-clauses
Also some great advice from Angela James, formerly of Samhain Publishing now with Carina Press. “be aware of the terms of your contract. Understand not just the print side of your contract, but the digital side as well. Now that we have digital books, the term “out of print” could take on a whole new meaning, especially when it comes to reversion of rights. Is your book out of print when it’s not in paper copy any longer, or is it still in print as long as a digital copy is available?
CONVENTIONS
RT, the US Romantic Times Convention and ARRC the Australian Romance Readers Convention are the most obvious examples but there are also ones for different genres such as Worldcon the World Science Fiction Convention.
Conventions are geared more for the fans i.e. the readers. They have a few panels covering the craft of writing plus they are a great way to meet other authors and pimp your novel at book signings. They may also be the inspiration to become a writer yourself (as ARRC was for me!).
COPYRIGHT
First off you cannot copyright an idea.
Jessica faust at BookEnds Literary agency has this to say on the subject. bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/08/idea-theft.html
In Australia, copyright protection is granted automatically from the time an original work is created. See the Attorney General’s site for details: www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/page/Copyright
The duration of copyright protection is dependent on a number of factors, including the nature of the work, the time when it was made and whether it has been published. The duration of protection for copyright works that have been published (or otherwise made available to the public) generally lasts for 70 years after the death of the creator. There are some exceptions to this general rule.
Copyright subsists indefinitely in a literary work that has not been published during the life of the author. If the work is posthumously published, the copyright will terminate at the end of 70 years after that event.
Copyright laws vary from country to country and from time to time, so check what is relevant to you.
COVER LETTER
These are the letters addressed to the recipient of the synopsis, partial or whatever you are sending to an agent , editor or publisher.
Here’s a good list of do’s and don’ts from Raelene Gorlinsky at Redlines and Deadlines.
redlinesanddeadlines.blogspot.com/2009/07/letter-laws-how-not-to-write-cover.html
CRAFT
Craft is the science of writing, the grammar, structure, characterization etc. The nuts and bolts used to ensure an effective story hangs together. There are great "How To" books out there and countless blogs devoted to them, such as this one!
CRITIQUE PARTNERS
The main word here is partners. Instead of paying someone to correct your typos and grammar and suggest improvements, you swap your work with another author and do it at no cost.
Ideally you should have partners whose advice you value and know you can likewise contribute to their writing. Some may help your sentence construction, others may be great at working where your writing needs strengthening. Both types should be encouraging and where possible say what works as well as what doesn’t.
behlerblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/critique-groups-when-do-i-join/
Carol Burnside at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales had a good blog n the subject to: petitfoursandhottamales.blogspot.com/2009/06/share-your-work.html
Critiquing can be a valuable learning experience. Most importantly, it should be a positive experience. If it’s not, you may be matched with the wrong partner.
CROSS GENRE
Genre fiction is broken down into sub sections such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, science fiction. Cross genre is where a book combines elements of more than one type eg science fiction romance. The problem then is how the book is promoted and sold. Is it shelved in the shop in the science fiction section or the romance section?
Author and writing teacher Marilynn Brierley sums it up this way:
If a novel is cross-genre, one of the genres must be the strongest and its genre tropes and plot must drive the novel throughout.
A werewolf novel that is driven forward by the worldbuilding and various werewolf political/pack struggles is urban fantasy or horror. A werewolf novel where boy wolf meets girl vampire, and they fall in love during various werewolf and vampire struggles is a paranormal romance.
You must understand what the central genre of your novel is so your novel doesn't fail by genre standards, and you will know where to market it.
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