with guest Lisa Phillips.
I’ll admit, the topic of this blog is a bit of a love-hate thing. I love blurbs! Twitter? Not so much. I’ll confess, it’s not the media part of being online that I shy away from. I’m just not the most social person, so that’s the problem. (And if you know me, you’re laughing because that’s a super-understatement.) That’s why I needed to be in not one, but TWO box set collections this summer – one romance and one romantic suspense.
Told you: super social.
Still, one thing that IS great about Twitter is the fact we have to condense everything down into a finite number of characters.
Why is this good?
Because it makes us better writers. Every word is typed ON PURPOSE.
Sending a tweet out that condenses your book into its simplest form is a HARD thing. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a skill we have to hone, because there’s a huge difference between my 55k word Love Inspired Suspense and the 30 words I have to give the art people that boils it all down.
And if you can be ready when that editor or agent asks for pitches on Twitter? All the better.
BUT HOW?
Sabine Fraternau, CIA agent, is on the hunt for her brother’s killer. When the Delta Force soldier she loves barges in, the mission goes from bad…to busted. Doug “MacArthur” Richardson is all military, a man of faith with no room in his life for love.
When Sabine is accused of betraying her country, Doug is the only one who believes the woman he’s falling for is innocent. But after her ex-husband’s betrayal, Sabine doesn’t believe in happily ever after. Together they have to find the killer and prove Sabine’s innocence, before the nightmare of her past comes back…to kill her.
This was my first ever LIS, a book I pitched on just these 100 words. Success! The first time an editor asked to see my whole novel!
Now let’s break it down:
Sabine Fraternau, CIA agent, is on the hunt for her brother’s killer.
The main character, her job and her GOAL.
When the Delta Force soldier she loves barges in, the mission goes from bad…to busted.
Conflict in the form of romantic interest, which fits the Love Inspired Suspense line (know who you’re pitching to and what they want). Also, a little bit of voice in the, “bad...to busted” that says my story doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Doug “MacArthur” Richardson is all military, a man of faith with no room in his life for love.
The other main character, the ‘love interest’. His job, his GOAL and his obstacle in what will become their journey to happily ever after.
When Sabine is accused of betraying her country, Doug is the only one who believes the woman he’s falling for is innocent.
Plot, the suspense and the romance all tangled up and complicated with some high stakes.
But after her ex-husband’s betrayal, Sabine doesn’t believe in happily ever after.
The obstacle to their happily ever after that’s specific to HER.
Together they have to find the killer and prove Sabine’s innocence, before the nightmare of her past comes back…to kill her.
More stakes. A little of how the situation is going to be resolved.
So you can see that it is possible to present a HUGE amount of information in only 100 words.
When we’re talking Twitter pitches, you’ll simply have to decide what is pertinent and what can be left out for now. Ask yourself – what are the HOOKS?
Is it a reunion romance? Is there a single mom, a cowboy, is it Amish? What sets your book apart from other novels in a way that would peak an editor or agent’s interest?
Welcome to Sanctuary, the witness protection town that isn’t on any map. When the town’s first ever murder occurs, John’s plans to reconnect with his boy are derailed by the investigation. When conspiracy and secrets are uncovered, can John find the truth before it’s too late?
In this blurb I decided to focus on setting, since that is HUGE in this series, and less on the romance which plays a smaller role in the book. Conspiracy and secrets sound exciting, and the question at the end should draw the reader to investigate more—maybe read some reviews, check out the cover or the book’s sample. The blurb is one way to draw interest, but it certainly isn’t the only way.
It all depends on who you’re trying to hook – editor/agent or reader.
But first, let’s break down the blurb.
1. Main character #1 - who is this person in a nutshell? If their job isn’t relevant, don’t put it in. But what do they WANT?
2. Main character #2 - do the same.
3. What is going to keep them from this goal? Let your editor know this book has CONFLICT that won’t easily be resolved. Lines like Love Inspired Suspense need conflict in the plot and conflict in the relationship. Make sure it’s there.
4 and 5: How is the situation going to be resolved? How will the characters work it out? Does faith play in? What about the Antagonist (if there is one)? What’s he up to?
The last part is what changes between proposal/pitch and the back cover blurb of a book. In back cover copy, the question can be asked: Will they survive? Will he get the girl? Genre conventions make these questions easy to answer, but that’s not the point – your job as the writer is to make the reader believe that the stakes are too high, that it’s possible the hero might NOT win. Otherwise why do they need to read the book? They already know what’s going to happen. But we love the characters more the harder they have to fight for what they want.
In an editor or agent pitch, they need to know that answer not the question. They need to know what fantastic twist you added to your story. Sara’s long lost husband turns out to be ALIVE? Whaaa? Don’t hide anything from an editor or agent. If it means the difference between them asking to read the book, or not, why would you hold back? Give them two barrels full of awesomeness and hit them square between the eyes.
I DARE YOU TO PASS ON THIS BOOK.
Making the manuscript itself the best book you can make it is the most important thing. But you can achieve SO MUCH with a short pitch. Give it everything you’ve got!
How about you? Any pitch stories from social media? How about advice for condensing a story idea into a single sentence? I’ll even take embarrassing social media faux pas!
And I think the best should really get a copy of my new book HOMEFRONT DEFENDERS!
Lisa is giving away THREE copies of Homefront Defenders. Winners announced in the Weekend Edition!
PROTECTING THE PRESIDENT
Amid the idyllic scenery of Hawaii, rookie Secret Service agent Alana Preston is attacked, and a sinister plot to assassinate the president begins taking shape. But nobody seems to believe Alana, and she doesn’t know who she can trust—except Secret Service director James Locke. Now, with an assassin hiding in plain sight on the island, she and James may be the president’s last line of defense. The closer they get to cracking the case, however, the more intertwined their lives become. And they must fight to keep their hearts out of it. With the life of the commander-in-chief in their hands, falling in love could be a deadly distraction…
Lisa Phillips is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London, Lisa attended Calvary Chapel Bible College where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). Since then she’s discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.
Lisa can be found in Idaho wearing either flip-flops or cowgirl boots, depending on the season. She leads worship with her husband at their local church. Together they have two children--a sparkly Little Princess and a Mini Daddy--and an all-black Airedale known as The Dark Lord Elevator.
Sign up for Lisa's newsletter here.
With guest Lisa Phillips.
We hear it all the time. One author is working on the next book in her series, another is writing a novella. Someone else is publishing a book as four episodes—a “serial” novel. At some point in your writing career, chances are you’re going to do most—if not all—of these.
But how?
That’s what we’ll be talking about today. So grab your morning cup of Joe, and join me in dissecting the many lengths your story can be.
My latest book, Star Witness, is a Love Inspired Suspense. These books range from the 55 to 60 thousand word mark. They typically have two points of view—the hero and heroine—and maybe some layers, but NO subplot. With that kind of word count, you don’t want to waste any page time on stuff that’s not vitally important to the danger, and the love.
Let’s do a glossary first.
Plot – what’s happening in the book.
Layer – an element of the story that directly relates to character growth and so plot also. It would not stand alone as a story (it lacks a three act structure).
Sub-plot – a story within the story. A sub-plot has all the elements of your main plot (inciting incident, rising conflict and climax) but it’s not the actual story. It simply runs concurrently.
With a long novel—seventy-five thousand words plus—you have the luxury of time to spend in other character’s heads. Maybe you choose not to do this, but you CAN in a full-length novel. Your main character could just as easily be aware her sister is having relationship struggles, and the reader can see that as a sub-plot through the main character’s eyes. But we could also see those struggles through the sister’s own eyes while the reader takes a break from the other main characters every few chapters. Later, the two plots could collide at the climax so that your story benefits from the character’s ability to help solve each other’s problems. Or, maybe they realize it was one problem all along, and they team up.
Brainstorm it out: Maybe Julie and Sam don’t have enough of a story to warrant a book of their own. In that case, their story can be a sub-plot within Julie’s sister’s book. The more books you write, the easier it’ll be to tell how much story potential your idea has.
Shorter works like novellas can range in word count. It could be almost a short story, or anywhere up to forty thousand words—if not longer. Typically in this business we get told how long it should be, rather than asked how long it’s going to be. Unless you’re a self-publishing rebel (hi) and then you can make your work as long as you like, call it what you want, publish it when you feel like it, and even take it off Amazon just because you’ve decided you don’t like it anymore because you wrote it two years ago and you’re a WAY better writer now…
Ahem.
As I was saying… Novellas. Right.
Love Inspired type novels stick with the hero and heroine’s POV. You can, as the writer, choose to show what’s happening with a secondary character, but it would act more like a layer than a sub-plot. Be very careful it doesn’t detract from the main plot. Any layer or sub-plot should not take away from the main character’s page time—it should add to it. Tension, character arc, theme. It should reinforce all that stuff, making the main plot stronger.
Novellas are weird. Let’s just get that out there right now. Readers aren’t sure if they like them, I don’t know if I want to write one… It just might be a match made in heaven, if not for the fact books which are 99 cents sell better on Amazon. So—face it—you might have to suck it up and write one.
I just called mine a “prequel” story instead. You know—to make myself feel better.
Novellas are your novel distilled down to its purest elements. There’s just no room for rambling, or stuff the reader won’t care about anyway.
Man, woman, Jesus, love. Danger. Explosion. Death-defying rescue. Swoon-worthy kiss.
The end.
That’s all. Whether it’s 15 or 50 thousand words—make them good.
If you want to learn more about sub-plots and layers, I would recommend you read Deep and Wide by Susan May Warren. I’d lend you mine, but it’s falling apart. She does a great job of explaining how to brainstorm layers, and weave in sub-plots. She takes you through each major plot point of the three acts, and shows you how the character grows through it all. In short, it’s everything you ever wanted to know about plot and character (which is pretty much all of writing).
It’s good to learn these things. That’s probably why you’re here—to get a pep-talk. As writers, we have to face the changing market, pitching woes, reader expectations, pressure to market, pressure to produce more, and better.
I’ve discovered—particularly in switching from writing a Love Inspired Suspense to writing a full length novel—that this job really is hard. A hundred thousand words is a LOT, and you have to sit there and type ALL OF THEM. Every single word. But I love this story, and I believe my readers will love it too.
I’m going to say this again, because it bears repeating.
It’s hard.
Sometimes I don’t want to do it. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe you’re burned
out. A lot of us are. Let’s purpose to pray for Christian writers,
Christian publishers and Christian readers. We all need His strength in
us.
A British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London, Lisa Phillips attended Calvary Chapel Bible College where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. She’s taken the Apprentice and Journeyman writing courses with the Christian Writers Guild, and discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after. Lisa can be found in Idaho wearing either flip-flops or cowgirl boots, depending on the season. Find out what’s COMING NEXT www.authorlisaphillips.com
Check out Lisa’s latest novel: Star Witness.
Mackenzie Winters spent years building a life in Witness Protection, but when someone shoots at her, she fears her cover has been blown. Could the brother of the drug lord she put away be here for revenge? Mackenzie must rely on her handler’s twin, world-weary Delta Force soldier Aaron Hanning, to protect her. Aaron doesn’t want to be anyone’s hero, but he can’t let this brave woman die. Now, with danger stalking them, they’ll have to make a daring choice that means life or death—for them both.
Question: Have you tackled different length novels? Which is your favorite? Are you a purist, or a “try anything once” author? Tell us about your struggles with length, or your idea for a short story and get entered to win one of TWO copies of Star Witness!! (Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.)
And in honor of her visit to Seekerville, I am putting my two indie novels, BAIT and SANCTUARY LOST on sale at 99 cents, today only, for Seekers to enjoy.
Hi all, Lisa Phillips here! I’m so excited to be on Seekerville today!
In June 2012 I participated in a Speed Date pitch with Love Inspired editor Emily Rodmell. In a Harlequin chat room I had to pitch my novel in only 100 words and then hold my breath for her response. From that nerve-wracking pitch, I got a request for the full manuscript (yay!), a set of line edits (ack, she hates it!), and then “the call” (yay again!).
Here is my pitch: Sabine Fraternau, CIA agent, is on the hunt for her brother's killer. When the Delta Force soldier she loves barges in, the mission goes from bad...to busted.
Doug "MacArthur" Richardson is all military, a man of faith with no room in his life for love.
When Sabine is accused of betraying her country, Doug is the only one who believes the woman he's falling for is innocent. But after her ex-husband's betrayal, Sabine doesn't believe in happily ever after.
Together they have to find the killer and prove Sabine's innocence, before the nightmare of her past comes back...to kill her.
When pitching your story in a proposal, or face-to-face with an agent, or trying to convince your neighbor that you don’t just lie on the couch all day and drink tea (okay, that’s sort of true), find the least amount of words with the most punch.
So yes, I want to talk about pitches. But I also want to talk about YOU and your writing. Because, before you have something to pitch, you have to have a STORY.
Editors and agents (and readers) will assess your work in a matter of seconds. What are they looking for, something exciting, sharp and witty, or dangerous and hard-nosed, or sweet and redemptive? How do you know if you have that?
I asked my editor what she looks for in a pitch, and she said, “Plot,conflict and hooks.”
How do you know if you have a plot?
Do you have a person, an event, a plan, an antagonist (human, animal, vegetable, mineral, environmental, it doesn’t matter), a cost for failure (stakes), a lesson to be learned, a prize, a moral dilemma and a pinch of backstory that holds your character back?
Those are the key ingredients—they are the MAGMA of your story.
Conflict can be either internal or external, and try to have both in your story.
Internal conflict would be a heroine who can’t fall for the hero because she’s an accountant and he’d be a “high risk” investment.
External conflict is when the bad guy is framing your hero and heroine for the crime they’re trying to expose.
Check out this pitch for a Love Inspired Suspense novel:
Accountant Victoria Hayes has discovered fraud within her own company, but when her evidence goes up in smoke along with her home, all she has left is her hero dog. Seeking justice, she unwittingly puts herself and her handsome supervisor, Jeff Tucker, in danger. The strict ethics that lead Victoria to trust Jeff also keep him from pursuing a romance, given his hidden past. Victoria has a past of her own and her analytical skills score Jeff as high risk—a risk she’s not willing to take. Framed for the very crime they wanted to expose, Victoria and Jeff must uncover the truth before it’s too late.
Calculated Risk – Heather Woodhaven (coming Spring 2015)
Which leads us to hooks.
A rogue CIA agent. A Delta Force soldier. A hero dog. Fraud. A hidden past.
How about a stripper, running from a cop...?
A teenage stripper, hunted by a cop, discovers the only escape is the one who cursed her.
It isn't like I dreamed I’d take off my clothes for money when I grew up, but life doesn’t always happen the way you want.
I was desperate when I walked into the Wild Lily. When I left, it was more than just a hundred dollars I’d gained. I had hope.
But every time I think I’m in control—I’m not. Every time I think I have a friend—I don’t. And now, the footsteps behind me are getting louder.
Sovereign Ground is an Inspirational YA novel of redemption that is available now at Amazon!
Find what it is about your story that will GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION.
Because when you think about it, every story has already been written. There’s nothing new under the sun, right?
So what makes YOURS unique?
Find that thing. Boil your premise down to its essential elements and find the MAGMA, the fire that makes you excited about what you have to say.
Post it somewhere while you’re writing. It will help you focus your plot, and tighten your character’s arc—their journey to redemption. Because if this chapter, or scene, or conversation, or the thought that your character is having does not relate to the MAGMA of your story then you’re slowing the pace and your reader might decide she has something better to do.
But what if your story is about lots of things and you can’t say them all in a five sentence pitch? What if you have a generational story with multiple points of view?
It only took one moment.
One lie.
One Josephine Finch to keep them apart…forever.
Sixty-four years have passed since Emmy lost her true love, but the curse still echoes through every second, every breath, every heartbeat, and Emmy’s tired of running. With the help of a Wish Listener named Adam, four generations of troubled women will come together for two weeks in a cabin at Angel’s Cove—their last chance to face down the past and put an end to the dark secret that has haunted Emmy for a lifetime.
But Angel’s Cove is not just a mountain vacation resort. If Emmy gets her wish, her bloodline will finally find true love as beautiful as what Emmy lost so long ago. If she doesn’t, the legacy of Josephine Finch could destroy them all.
Available now at Amazon
This pitch focuses more on the heart of the story—the theme. It’s about what tore them apart, but also about what (or who) is going to bring them back together.
So how about you?
What is the MAGMA of your story? What is it that’s going to wow us, and can you pitch it to us in as few words as possible?
The commenter with the most WOW in their story will win a signed copy of Double Agent, out now!
Target, the prequel to my novel Bait, is free today at Amazon so hop on over there and grab your copy! Click HERE
A British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London, Lisa Phillips attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California. It was there she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody's perfect.
It wasn't until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). She's taken the Apprentice and Journeyman writing courses with the Christian Writers Guild, and discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.
Lisa can be found in Idaho wearing either flip-flops or cowgirl boots, depending on the season. She leads worship with her husband at their local church. Together they have two children, a sparkly Little Princess and a Mini Daddy, and there’s only one bunny rabbit now (sad face).
To find out more about Lisa Phillips,visit www.authorlisaphillips.com where you can sign up for her newsletter and see what is COMING NEXT!
Why is this good?
When we’re talking Twitter pitches, you’ll simply have to decide what is pertinent and what can be left out for now. Ask yourself – what are the HOOKS?
