Hey Writers,
The point of view (POV) you choose for your story will greatly impact how you tell it.
POV is about more than selecting first-person, third-person, or (in some cases) second-person.
For example, third-person POV ranges from omniscient third-person to deep third-person.
Then, there is the matter of using one viewpoint character or multiple viewpoint characters.
With so many choices, how do you decide which POV to use?
Today we have award-winning novelist Jami Gold to help us understand all our options, as well as give us insight into their strengths and limitations. Check out "Choosing a Point of View: Understanding the Nuance."
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📌 If you hadn’t noticed, this past week we had a short story theme happening for Apex zoom calls.
- Scot Noel, Editor-in-Chief for DreamForge, who gave us a tour of what he does as an editor for the magazine, along with giving us insight into the magazine’s Patreon group, Dreamcasters, who have monthly challenges, receive info on writing and meet with monthly speakers. Included in the talk was a little about the Plotting Game they have played, which can help you get the bones of your short story together fairly quickly.
Currently they are closed for submissions but keep an eye out for when the submission window opens.
And probably one of the most sage takeaways from this talk—during the picking and choosing phase for the editor it's like being at an art fair with all sorts of cool things and it isn’t possible to take everything because you don’t have the space or the money for everything. This means editors have to pick and choose based on not only what they like but what they need. The bottom line is if your story is rejected, it doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t liked and it wasn't good. Keep going!
- Michael A. Ventrella’s "What Editors of Themed Anthologies are Looking for" gave us insight into many do’s and don’t’s when submitting. He gave many real-world examples, along with emphasizing the importance of making networking connections within the writing community. Michael has edited and co-edited many fun anthologies (including RELEASE THE VIRGINS, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, and THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS series with New York Times Bestseller Jonathan Maberry), and recently received a glowing recommendation from Asimov’s Science Fiction for THREE TIME TRAVELERS WALK INTO . . .
Something to definitely check out.... on his web page, he interviews authors, editors and agents with advice for new writers. www.MichaelAVentrella.com. This is a solid resource of great information. Plus, his website is the place to keep checking periodically for when he opens up the next submission window for the next anthology
- And then on Saturday, Mike Jack Stoumbos, lead editor of WonderBird Press and 1st-place winner of the Writers of the Future contest, gave us "Don’t Polish Off the Snags." If you haven’t caught this one, we highly recommend watching the replay. He explains the importance of knowing when to stop editing and when to move on to the next story. Takeaway reasons: For upping your game in being accepted in the submission process AND for keeping your story fresh and original. Those snags in your story might be exactly what captures an editor’s attention!
Plus, he gave resources of some of the places where authors can submit. The first in the WonderBird Press's Unhelpful Encyclopedia series, Murderbirds, is coming out soon and Mike put out word of the upcoming call for Murderbugs. This submission call is being posted in select communities and not on public boards. He posted it earlier on the Apex Facebook group AND the information is also provided below.
- And we have another short story presentation coming up this Saturday with Lyn Worthen - Sharpening Your Short Story Skills!
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📌 ON DECK for NEXT WEEK:
- Monday’s (2/27/23) Strategy Meeting - Joe Solari - Starting Your Writing Business Joe is regarded as a thought leader and business expert in the publishing space. He actively consults with bestselling six and seven-figure authors. He’s been a guest speaker at 20 Books Las Vegas and NINC. He has also been a guest on many podcasts, including The Self-Publishing Show, The Author Podcast, and I wish I had known.
- Monday’s Mastermind, (2/27/23 at 7 pm MT/ 9pm ) - Michael Hauge - HOW TO SEDUCE YOUR READER IN THE FIRST 10 PAGES! The opening of your screenplay or novel is your single most powerful weapon for acquiring an agent or securing a deal. Using examples from recent successful films and novels, Michael reveals the secrets of transforming your opening scenes into emotionally gripping sequences that will force readers to turn the page.
- Saturday’s Mastermind (3/4/23) - Jana S. Brown - Branding
📌 PLUS, we have a great line-up coming up:
- Savannah Gilbo, editor, book coach, and podcaster of the popular Fiction Made Easy will be presenting “How to Write Compelling and Well-Structured Scenes” on Monday, March 6.
- Lisa Cron, story analyst, speaker and author of WIRED FOR STORY and STORY GENIUS will be presenting “Hardwired for Story” on Monday, March 20.
- Donald Maass, literary agent and CEO of the Donald Maass Literary Agency and author of the BREAKOUT NOVEL and THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT IN FICTION will be presenting “The Emotional Craft in Fiction” on Monday, April 10.
WANT TO SEE WHO IS ON WHEN?? Check out the links below.
Mastermind at a Glance
Strategy at a Glance
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Looking to improve your story? Check out our NEW course from MyStoryDoctor.com! The Triarchy Method of Story by September C. Fawkes.
Craft your best book by focusing on what matters most: The “bones” of story.
This content-focused course will help you:
- Brainstorm better and more relevant material
- Evaluate what ideas most belong in your story (preventing you from writing hundreds of pages that need to be scrapped), and
- Craft a page-turning plot with compelling characters that sticks with readers long after they’ve closed the book (. . . and hopefully leads them to preorder your next book).
- And more
This live, online class is limited to 10 students. Classes start March 7 and run Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 pm Mountain Time (8:30pm EST) for a total of 23 classes. Classes ends on May 25.
For more information, visit https://mystorydoctor.com/the-triarchy-method-of-story/
About the Instructor
September C. Fawkes has worked in the fiction-writing industry for over ten years and has been editing stories for longer. She has edited for both award-winning and best-selling authors, as well as new writers. She has worked on manuscripts written for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers, and specializes in fantasy and science fiction.
For seven years, she worked through New York Times best-selling author David Farland, providing feedback on his workshop students’ assignments, editing their manuscripts, and sometimes, even editing David’s own books.
When not working, she is running an award-winning writing tip blog. She has also served as a writing coach on Writers Helping Writers and teaches at writing conferences. Some may say she needs to get a social life. It’d be easier if her fictional one wasn’t so interesting.
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📌 Shout-out to some of our Apexers for this week!
- To Loretta Torossian, First Place WINNER in the SCBWI Rising Kite Contest in the category of Young Adult Novels for her manuscript--Light Weaver!! This event celebrates Florida’s best yet-to-be-published writing for children.
- To Cheryl Carpinello--for finishing an interview for the Author Show. You’ll be able to hear her interview soon. The Author Show is a professional interview podcast that presents the work of authors to readers around the world.
📌 If you have success news you’d like to share about yourself or another Apexer, please email Tammy and have Apexer Good News in the subject line. We’d love to do a shout-out!!
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Every week Apex members have informative meetings with two Mastermind interviews/presentations with industry experts, Strategy meeting to give the tips and tools to better serve your authoring life, Accelerators meeting focused on how to up your game, along with group meetings featuring craft and marketing discussions, writer rings, networking, support, accountability, sprints, and more. Plus, there are hundreds of hours of Teachable videos.
Visit https://www.apex-writers.com for more information.
And, to participate in these events, all you do after joining is to click on “Upcoming Events” for the zoom links.
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