Backstory - Bane or Bounty?

Backstory.

It's all that information you know about your characters and the story that led up to the start of your book.

It's every emotion and motivation driving the characters into this plot.

It's all those interesting little tid-bits of history between characters / demons on their backs that make them real.

But it can also be a millstone around the neck of your novel.

See, backstory is important for you and the reader. But the reader doesn't care about the backstory until they care about your characters. If you try to give them too much early on, they get bored. If you don't give them enough, they get frustrated.

So how do you know when to include backstory? And how do you weave it in so it isn't an information that leaves your reader yawning and taking that trip to the bathroom?

Read the rest at YAtopia....

Will 2013 Be Different for You?

Okay, so I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. In my experience, they have a tendancy to remain firmly ensconced in the New Year. (They don't, after all, call them "Still Going in March" resolutions....).

But I do believe the new year is a great time to reflect and re-apply yourself.

If your writing life wasn't satisfying in 2012, here's a couple questions to ask yourself, and ways to approach the sticky problems of this writer life that might help you look back on 2013 with a better sense of achievement.

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Characters: It's the Motivation that Counts

...My motto is, you can do anything in a book. And I mean that. YA fiction in particular has some incredibly inventive fantasy elements and plot twists. But if you really want to take the reader into a whole new world, or behind the curtain of a crazy sky, there's one thing you need: Realistic motivations.

Unfortunately, time and again, I come across manuscripts with amazing and thoughtful premises that are driven by plots with only the flimsiest of character motivations to support them. And I've realized there's a very common theme among them:

Click here to read the rest at YAtopia.

YAtopia: My New Playground

I'm really excited to announce I was invited to join the team of contributors at YAtopia! It's a writer's blog that focuses on teens and books written for them - but there's more. The YAtopia gang is also AWESOME at running competitions.

If you're a YA writer and you haven't followed us yet, get over there and do it! Just last week we've announced a pitch competition that's direct to an Egmont editor - and there's more to come!

So, about once a month (starting in two days) you'll see me linking Seeking the Write Life to my contribution at YAtopia. I'll also be tweeting links to their competitions, writer advice and so forth.

I look forward to seeing you there!