Anna Bendewald
Hudson-Ivy Press

  How to Write a Book: What is Plagiarism? I hear two questions more and more these days. If there’s nothing new under the sun, who can say what plagiarism is? If there are basically three story archetypes doesn't it follow that every new story just riffs on the same old plots?*  You can look at creating a story through that myopic lens, but why would you choose to? In order for your book to be unique, you need to create something different even if it has echoes of familiarity. That's the craft of writing! In romance, The Princess Bride isn't the same as Outlander, but you could create an exhaustive list of things they have in common. For one thing, Outlander is eye-wateringly violent and infamous for its graphic and prolonged rape triggers. Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own and it is a crime. You know if you're stealing someone's characters and plot. But we humans are ingenious. And if you're a writer, you've got quite a reservoir...

  How To Write a Book and Follow a Trend Hey, there is nothing new under the sun. According to some experts, there are seven story archetypes, and according to others, there are only three: Revenge, Love, and Quest. I agree more with the latter. So how are cool, inventive new stories being written all the time? It's all in the nuance. True, you may be writing one of those three types of stories and it may have a similar era and setting to many other stories, but it's up to you to offer a fresh story and surprise your reader.  I happen to love Gosford Park and got my husband to watch it with me decades ago. Now, whenever I invite him to watch something he identifies as "the same" he declares, "I saw Gosford Park . They're all the same." But  Downton Abbey is not Gosford Park is not Remains of the Day is not Atonement . You get what I’m saying. Sure, they have a lot in common and if you loved Gosford Park for its grand estate, period dressing, and upst...

  Word Choice Matters Shakespeare wrote words words words for Hamlet to speak, and The Bard selected the ones he used with care. When one didn't exist to convey what he wanted, he created one. You can thank him for: discontent, arouse, obscene, remorseless, moonbeam, metamorphize, lackluster, flawed, amazement, circumstantial, and over 1600 other now-common words including blanket and advertising ! Regional words like pop or soda lend the ring of authenticity to a book and you can set your moment in time with a word from the era. Groovy. Genres have tones that readers expect and a big part of that tone is the words you use to bring the story forth. Hardboiled crime or gangster stories rough you up with their tough words and slang. And in the romance genre, romance can veer into erotica or porn if graphic words are used. When writing my first romantic scene I struggled. Oh! The names for parts go from silly to cute to threatening and where the noses go and how they get out of their...

  How To Write a Book Through Writer's Block I've never suffered with writer's block per se. I've experienced blank spots in scenes or indecision about which way a chapter should go or the more frequent situation where I don't know where my characters are taking me and I gamely go along in faith. I have two questions that can help you diagnose what may be blocking you: Are you a type-A personality?      The good news is, you're a powerful person, but the controlling aspect of your superpower can lead you to try to direct or coral a process that generally can't be corralled or directed with any real accuracy. * Are you trying to write a hit?     If your creative process is aimed at making money, that pressure heaped on your muse may be crushing the life out of it. I ask people who are complaining of blockage why they want to write . If they can answer that they have a great story that they're struggling to get written, I ask them to try to lighten up. Try...

  I Want to Write When confronted by someone complaining that they want to write a book, but can't find a way to begin, I reply, "You just write. Bakers bake. Writers write."  If you want to write, go ahead and write. The best situation is for writing to be an outlet for you. If you currently don't enjoy writing but have a desire to start writing anyway,  Here is what you need:     Time         Find the time of day when you’re fresh and your creativity is most juicy.          I haven't met anyone whose creativity flows at the end of the day, but I'm sure         there are as many flavors of writing schedules as there is gelato at          Della Palma Gelatoria  in Rome*.      Space         Clear an area where you won't be distracted.         Set props or images to i...

  How to Write a Book: SHOW don't TELL I often use violent language when talking to fledgling writers, and in the case of show versus tell, I use words like "grab" and "propel" and "drag". As in, "You want to grab your reader with this scene. Propel them into what's happening and drag them along at a pace that keeps em turning pages." Ask yourself this one question:      Do I like to experience occurrences or hear about them second-hand? Most readers prefer the experience and were the type in school to crowd forward to hold and play with something during the show part of Show and Tell. Showing something and letting people experience it makes your story memorable. I recall Eric bringing his grandfather's Japanese sword to class (along with grandpa who held it). We couldn't care less as Eric read his explanation aloud. We were weaving our way closer and closer to grandpa shuffling like zombies reaching out to experience how heavy it...

  How Much Research Do You Need? When considering how to write a book, ask yourself this 1 Simple Question:       How much in-depth information do my readers need?  A good rule of thumb is a balance between generality and specificity. No need to dive deep into every measure of time, distance, era, or political climate. It can become laborious and slow your story's progression.  In one of my books, I glossed over how far a French town was from a place in Belgium and my beta readers balked that the trip was unrealistic. In their minds, it was A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY!!!! I'd lost my readers. They needed more information to understand that distance so more research was necessary and I had to research routes on the internet. Readers needed to know it was typically a 40-minute drive. That was easy enough to do by having a character remark, "She's always speeding! The way she drives, she'll get there in half an hour." Boom! We were back in business.  Ficti...