One of her books (that is not published) has had a huge effect on me as a writer. In this book, she offs the main character several times and then follows a new main character. I can't tell you the shock I felt the first time I read her story, and the first main character died. It was an audacious move that has kicked at me for years. She did something I've never seen done in a book before. She was fearless. Her story demanded the death of her main character and she did not hesitate. This is the lesson, if you are hesitating you are not really sure of your story yet. Dig deeper.
So what exactly is audacity in writing. It's a very good thing for your plot. It's about going there in an original way. I think it has to do with the author getting out of all the muck of writing advice and serving the story. Can you march to your own beat? You are not going to make folks turn the page unless you are fearless. I mean moxie is where it is at. Chris is a soft-spoken person who climbs sheer rock faces for fun. A fast hike across the Grand Canyon, OK! She translates her own gutsiness into her characters, and readers are happy about that. Translating your daring spirit into your story will give it a mega-boost.
So what exactly is audacity in writing. It's a very good thing for your plot. It's about going there in an original way. I think it has to do with the author getting out of all the muck of writing advice and serving the story. Can you march to your own beat? You are not going to make folks turn the page unless you are fearless. I mean moxie is where it is at. Chris is a soft-spoken person who climbs sheer rock faces for fun. A fast hike across the Grand Canyon, OK! She translates her own gutsiness into her characters, and readers are happy about that. Translating your daring spirit into your story will give it a mega-boost.
Be audacious. Scoop out the best of yourself and thread it into your work. Plots must turn with sharp, clean moves. Don't be muddy or wishy-washy -- good advice for life too. Excellent writing should force the reader to test his or her own mettle. Yes, characters need to be dimensional to get a reader that involved. Great stories need to get under a reader's skin. They need to demand the reader not just sit there but become involved; in the end the reader needs to changed--forever.
Sounds hard? You bet, but totally worth it.
This week be audacious. Write something irresistible. If you want help. I suggest you look at some of Chris's work. She writes as Chris Eboch for children and Kris Bock for adults (romantic suspense). Her books will shake you up. You may also want to check out her writing books: ADVANCED PLOTTING too and YOU CAN WRITE FOR CHILDREN. You are welcome!
More gifts next week.
Here is the cover of one of Chris's (as Kris Bock) romantic suspense books. It's so beautiful.
You want to turn the world upside down?
Here is a quote for your pocket.
Audacity, more audacity, always audacity. Georges Jacques Danton
6 comments:
Chris is amazing! I love how she forges a path both for her characters and in her writing life.
I'm feeling audacious right now, attempting something I haven't seen in MG before. I realize that, like Chris Eboch's UNPUBLISHED book you refer to, this may have the same fate and possibly for the same reason, i.e. "that's not done." But if we didn't venture we wouldn't gain, even if the gain is a loss. ;(
Yes! Chris is such a fine writer. I'm grateful to know her.
Mirka, I'm glad you are pushing boundaries. I know that publishing is all business, but writing is all art. We can make half-baked reproductions or we can forge toward toward new horizons. I'm glad you are taking risks!
Thanks for the love, Molly. It might be worth noting that I don't generally feel particularly audacious. We so seldom recognize our own gifts. And making something look relatively easy doesn't mean that it actually WAS easy. We're all in this struggle together, which doesn't make it easy either, but it sure helps. :-)
You are audacious. I'm talking bold, daring, fearless...that shows up on your pages over and over. To me making it look easy when it wasn't is called success. Knowing we are struggling together means much to me, especially those that are outliers searching for a tipping point.
Huzzah to us!
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