Understanding the who, what, when and where and how of writing.  I briefly touched on one of these under the letter Q (for Query), but let's expand the view.  Why?  Because if you don't understand certain basics of writing (these are just a few of my own favorites), you may as well choose another passion to pursue.  I understand knitting is very popular these days.  While some of these may seem obvious, consider them good building blocks for your budding writing career.   

Who - Who are your target readers?  Toddlers?  Middle grade kids?  Teens?  Adults?  Once you lock down who you're writing for, make sure you know the basics for that group...things like word counts, illustration guidelines (as in, who does them), suitable verbiage and so on.  Yes, there are guidelines for each reading group and you need to meet them or you may be forcing a round peg into a square hole.    

What - What publisher/agent/reviewer/blogger is accepting (i.e. looking for) my genre?  This is VERY important, as in it will save you time and money.  The worst thing you can do is send your query or manuscript to the wrong person.  You waste their time and yours...and since the Post Office doesn't ship for free, you waste your hard earned money.  My favorite online site is writersmarket.com, an excellent resource for finding the publisher who is looking for your exact material.  You can also do a web search for agents, reviewers and bloggers who prefer your genre.  Note: reviewers get swamped with books so don't be shocked if they decline you. 

When - When do I write?  I hear people complain about not having time to write.  Really?  Writing is no different than golfing...or fishing...or painting...or anything you're passionate about.  If you want to be a writer...REALLY want to be a writer...you'll make time.  But it's crucial that you know your own creative self.   When am I inspired?  When am I energized?  By the same token, when am I drained?  When are my words just not good enough.  Or really bad?   Hint: the more you work at it, the more obvious it becomes.  Personally, my most creative time is first thing in the morning...and...oddly enough, around 9:30 at night.  Know when it's time.  Know when it's not.  By doing that, you'll gain a world of confidence which will be reflected in your writing. Do this and the dreaded "writer's block" will be a non factor.     

Where - Where do I write?  Stephen King did a great piece on this in his [best] book, On Writing.  Whether it's the attic, the basement, the study, the kitchen counter or the back seat of the family station wagon, make it a sacred place.  Set up rules with your partner, spouse, and kids.  For example, when the door is closed...You. Will. Not. Open. It.   Tapping into your creative genius is no good if you're constantly bombarded with questions, phone calls, and teenage disputes.  You're a writer and people need to respect you, your space, and your time.  This is non-negotiable.  Or in the vernacular of the Borg..."resistance is futile." 

How - How can I improve as a writer?  So many answers, so little time.  First off, keep writing.  Keep editing.  Like anything, the more you do it the better you'll get.  Be sure to share your work, but ONLY with people who are suited for your genre.  In other words, don't give your fiction story to a non-fiction reader (yup...did that...what a mistake).  Don't give your romance novel to a war history buff.  I promise you, you WON'T like what they have to say.  In fact, their suggestions will probably be ludicrous.  Not probably...definitely!  But you must get outside opinions...and NOT friends and family. They'll tell you how wonderful your work is because they won't want to snuff out your dream, despite how fervently you demand that they level with you. 

Hint: they won't. 

Find a trusted "first reader" who will tell you exactly what you need to hear.  Someone you trust, someone you won't hate for being honest, because...hey...maybe it really does stink.  Someone has to tell you.  In the end, it will only make you a better writer.  Let me repeat that.  It-will-only-make-you-a-better-writer.   

Read.  Read lots.  Read lots and lots.  If you want to be a writer, see what other writers are writing. Some of it you'll like, some of it you'll hate, but either way it will help you find YOUR voice.   And find your voice you must. 

Most important...don't quit.   If you have a story to tell, keep at it until you get it right.  In this wonderfully immense and diverse world we live in, you can bet there are others who will want to hear it.   Maybe many others who want to hear it.  And when you find people who read your work and it touches them, you'll experience a feeling like no other.  You can have your Powerball and Publisher's Clearing House dreams.  I want to write words that touch lives and go far beyond my years.  They call that immortality.

Thoughts.  Or more precisely, revealing your character's thoughts within the story.  This was touched on briefly in a previous blog but it's worth another quick look.  Sharing your character's inner thoughts is a great way to reveal his/her true nature. Think of it as a window to the soul.  Thoughts are handy little helpers that can reveal inner conflict, help ramp up the action and deepen the emotional level of your character.  They allow your character to share fantasies or desire that they would never reveal out loud.  They keep the story moving forward and can foreshadow future actions or explain past exploits.  They also play very nicely against what your character is actually saying (or what others are saying), which creates a tug-of-war of feelings and adds a very important element to your story.  It's called depth.

Setting.  The last of The Big 5 (story essentials) and more than just the location for your story.  Setting is used to provide not only a physical backdrop but an emotional landscape as well—two critical elements that impact your characters (to whatever degree you choose) from start to finish.  Physical settings are a no brainer.  It's the emotional setting I want to discuss here.  They help elicit a deeper response from the reader by way of sensory information we process every minute of the day.  Take for example the deafening scream of an air raid siren in the still of the night.  That sets a great scene and makes a pretty good opening segment too.  How about smells?  The acrid smell of smoke emanating from the basement or the unmistakable odor of a skunk beneath the screen porch.  It's all good stuff because it can initiate immediate action, dialogue, emotion and conflict.  What about physical sensations?  Describing the goosebumps on your character's arms when she sees a strange shape move past the window in the dark of the night.  Yup, works for me. 

Simply put, when creating the setting(s) for a story, the writer's palette should include more than just what a character sees.  Beyond the basic geography, some writers include specific background information like day, date, time, weather conditions, and so on.  As mentioned before, however, don't get too wordy or you slow the story down and bore your reader with tiresome (i.e. unimportant) details.   

R for resolution.  Another one of The Big 5 (story essentials) and for good reason.  This is where all the questions you've planted in the reader's mind get answered.  Conflicts are decided, choices are made, treasures are found, and so on.  You've brought the reader on this long journey and now they find out if the trip was worth their time.  So, you've got to have an ending (resolution) that lives up to the story.  A destination worth the long ride in the hot car with the complaining kids and the smelly dog. 

Have you ever listened to someone tell a long and tedious joke which led to a weak punch line?  You probably shook your head and admonished yourself for wasting your time.  Story resolution can have that same effect on the reader.  As I was reading the Harry Potter series I couldn't help but wonder how the author would bring the epic story to an end.  Well...she didn't disappoint.  I've gone back and read the final chapters of the last book dozens of times.  It was that good (I'll spare you my disappointment with the movie version), and I can't imagine how she could have brought the saga to an end any better.  In other words, the journey that spanned years was totally worth it.

Some authors resolve the story with an unexpected twist.  You think everything is over but wham...he hits you with something you never saw coming.  She reveals something you never considered.  Misdirection is a superb story element that rears its ugly head in the resolution.  It leaves the reader thinking about the story long after the book has been shelved or passed on.  Your story sets it up, your resolution brings it home...and...has the reader buying your next book.  

Q is for query.  That tricky fishhook we writers try to bait with the right stuff to attract the curious eye of those big fish otherwise known as publishers and/or agents.  Your query letter is the first look they have at you—the first time they read your words...about your words.  So while you have their attention you really need to wow them.  Give them something to spark their curiosity so they'll take the next big step.  Like manuscript submissions they get gazillions of them, so it goes without saying that yours need to stand out from the rest. 

Instead of breaking off into a long diatribe about the perfect query letter, here's what you need to do.  Go online and research them.  There are countless examples spread across the digital universe just waiting for you to find.  First learn the format of a query...what's included and in what order.  That much is pretty standard.  Read a bunch of them and very quickly you'll get a feel for the mouth-watering style that makes publishers and agents sit up and take notice.  Think of it as the first door.  If you get through it, bigger and better things await.  There are bigger fish to fry if you catch my drift.    

Plot.  Another one of the Big 5 (story essentials).   It's the interstate highway of your story, loaded with twists and turns, on-ramps and off-ramps, breakdown lanes, and speed traps.  Plot is one way to drive your story.   ...BUT...

Characters can too.  Best to know what you've got before you start.  Is it a plot driven story or a character driven story?  For now, let's stick with the plot driven variety.

Simply put, a plot driven story is fueled by the events of the story, not the characters.  In fact, the characters are secondary.  The movie Armageddon is a perfect example.  Big rock hurtling towards the Earth...threatening to wipe out mankind.  Yikes.  What shall we do?   The characters certainly have their foibles but top billing goes to the asteroid. Hands down.  Jurassic Park is another good example.  More recently, Pacific Rim.  Plot driven stories make for one exciting thrill ride because the antagonist is, in many cases, other worldly.  Makes a great movie too. 

For more great insight into this topic (and many others), be sure to check out Anita Rogers' blog (writerchick.wordpress.com).   

Onomatopoeia.  Defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it.  For the sake of this discussion, I'll simply refer to John Prine's song by the same name, taken from his 1973 album, Sweet Revenge:

"Bang! went the pistol,

Crash! went the window

Ouch! went the son of a gun.

Onomatopoeia--I don't want to see ya

Speaking in a foreign tongue."

Using a word that evokes the sound of the action you're describing.  Genius!  Yet another great tool to bring the reader closer to the action.  And as words go, they're exciting, sizzling, crackling, thumping, whirring, buzzing, screeching, tick-tick-ticking...you get the idea.