TODAYS WOMAN: Now get yourself in black and white - The Star

My local newspaper here in Sheffield, reported on the writing course Milly Johnson and I ran in June.  There are comments by attendees along with some great photos.


TODAYS WOMAN: Now get yourself in black and white - Features - The Star

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Milly Johnson and I are running an afternoon 'crash course' 

in writing a book in Barnsley on Sunday 17th June 2pm-5pm.

Both of us will be giving a presentation, there will be afternoon tea, 

 plenty of time for questions and our latest books will be available to purchase.

We've both given our course before and they've gone down very well, so 

this time we've decided to join forces. 

We'll tell you how to take your idea from concept

to finished manuscript.

We'll also tell you:

How to make your novel flow

How to plot

The importance of dialogue

The importance of male protagonists in Romantic Suspense Novels.

How to approach an agent

What NOT to do

...plus lots more.

We intend you home with some supporting literature and full of enthusiasm

to get started.

The afternoon will run - approximately - like this

1.30pm - arrive early if you want to catch us for an early book sale

2pm - Milly will be talking with a Powerpoint Presentation

3.15pm - break for afternoon tea, cakes and a mingle

3.45pm  - I will present my Power Point Presentation

4.45pm - A Q & A session with both of us

5.00pm - book signings.

We do so hope you can join us.  Places are limited so please book early 

to avoid disappointment.  We won't be issuing tickets but you will be

give a booking reference number.

Kindest

Victoria and Milly

Back-story

On my recent appearance on the Rony Robinson Show on BBC Radio Sheffield, we talked about back-story or the infodump, and why telling the reader too much, too soon, should be avoided.


What exactly do writers mean when they talk about back-story? Basically, it is filling the reader in on the background of your story, why the action takes place where it does, the subtext of your character’s lives, and the reasons for the big question or problem they have to solve.

Back-story is essential to novels, but the opening pages aren’t the place to go into depth about your character’s past or the places they inhabit. The trick is to give the reader just enough information to make them care, and want to find out what happens next.

You need to think carefully about the opening chapter. Readers don’t necessarily have to know that your heroine has blue eyes, blonde hair, and lives with her aged mother in a tumbledown cottage, or that the hero has two siblings who have green eyes and regularly tap him for a loan.

Think of the opening of your novel as the equivalent of an appetiser—a bit of teasing in order to keep the reader hooked. A couple of sentences here and there, no long blocks. Back-story is showing not telling. Your readers want to launch into the action. They want to see what’s happening. They don’t want to be told.

What about flashbacks – those little scenes where your character starts to think about something that took place weeks/months/years ago? Flashbacks can slow the pace of the story and confuse readers. They are best used in a prologue, but be careful that you don’t tell the reader too much, too soon. There are three primary ways to include back-story in your novel.

1. Dialogue.

2. Narrative.

3. Description.

I prefer to use dialogue. It feels more natural to have my characters talk about their past, or explain their reason for acting in a particular way. But it’s a personal choice and you have to decide what works best for that part of the story.

But how do you know how much back-story to use?

That’s a difficult question, and to a certain extent, the decision is yours. Just remember, too much back-story will make the reader bored and tempt him or her to put the book down. You’ll lose their attention. They may even wonder why they picked up the book in the first place, and that’s the last thing any writer wants.