Writing Tip of the Day-Scenes

Every scene included in a book should have a definite purpose, one known to the writer from the beginning. Working without one is like walking in a forest with no trail; you can easily wind up wandering in circles.

Writing Tip of the Day-Scenes

I've been traveling for most of August, with only occasional access to the Net, so have fallen behind on my writing tip posts here. Apologies to one and all. Resuming these now with a series on writing in scenes:

Books, like movies, are presented in a series of scenes rather than continuously following a character throughout her/his daily life. Like a group of snapshots placed in order, they tell the story without forcing the reader to wade through nonessential activity. Every scene, then, should advance the story while also engaging the mind and emotions of the reader.

Jennifer Blake Newsletter - August

Greetings:

The Long Hot Summer slowly moves along… Remember this theme from the old Paul Newman movie? The dog days of summer are definitely upon us as it was 105° F yesterday—too hot to breathe when coupled with Louisiana's humidity. Complaining about the heat is a Southern pastime, however, especially when it makes such a great excuse for doing as little as possible.

Have you seen ROYAL SEDUCTION on the book racks yet this month? This Sourcebooks, Inc. reprint was officially out on August 1, though it's been available at Amazon.com so long that it sold out, at least temporarily. Notice how thick the book is compared to those around it. Publishers wanted 150,000 words when this title hit the New York Times best seller list in 1983. Printing costs now dictate word counts of around 100,000 for mainstream novels—which may still seem like a thick book until you see one of these older titles. Future books of mine in this reprint program will be brought out in trade size paperback editions (the size of hardcover books) as part of Sourcebook's Casablanca Classics program. Those scheduled so far are FIERCE EDEN, February 2011, MIDNIGHT WALTZ, August 2011, and SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL, October 2011. Covers and blurbs can be seen at: http://www.jenniferblake.com/books.cfm

Speaking of book sizes, how do you feel about the tall and narrow mass market paperbacks? Frankly, I'm not fond of them. The pages are so skinny that the print disappears into the spine margins: you have to almost break the book's spine to read them. Holding them seems more difficult, too, as there's less to grasp. Or could be it's just me.

I continue to add a "Writing Tip of the Day" to Jennifer's Journal, my web site blog. This past month I expounded on villains and secondary characters, and will be writing about the use of scenes in story construction over the next few days. If you have any interest in writing, take a look. You never know when some small comment may change the way you think. I still read books on writing for these "Aha!" moments.

Part of last month was spent in the mountains of Colorado on retreat with several members of the sewing group I belong to, Magnolia Stitchers. We took in a quilt show and festival at La Veta, enjoyed the Fourth of July parade, fireworks, and Chaffee County quilt show in Buena Vista, and traveled to Golden for a visit to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. We even sewed a little! It was a lovely, relaxing get-away.

With this trip behind me, as well as a Mediterranean cruise last month, it's time to turn my attention to the next book. This will be #3 in my medieval trilogy, with a working title of SEDUCED BY GRACE and a deadline of April 1. I managed to make a start last week, and plan to continue, slowly, as August moves along.

With warmest wishes for something interesting to help get you through the rest of the summer,

Jennifer