L. L. PETERS

Genre? What Genre?

Posted on April 28, 2014 by L.L.PetersMay 13, 2014

In simple language, a book’s genre tells the reader what kind of story to expect. For example: western, mystery, sci-fi or romance. Genre tells a publisher or agent if it is the kind of book he/she handles. It tells a bookseller where to put it on the shelf. If you are a writing newbie, know that, as a reader, you are aware of genre. You even have a favorite.

This is an important aspect of your writing, as each genre has certain expectations connected with it. You will want to share your story with like-minded readers. They are your audience and they expect you to meet and satisfy their needs. What mystery reader would enjoy reading about a murder that never gets solved? What sci-fi enthusiast wants to know about an alien race that does nothing? What romance ends with the couple deciding to just be friends?

Think about a story you’ve read and enjoyed. Did the ending satisfy you? Likewise, you may have read a book that made you feel like you wasted your time because the ending left you cold and dissatisfied. What could those writers have done to fill your soul until you couldn’t take another bite?

What is your genre? Who is your audience and what do they want? Think about it and get back to me.

You are so annoying!

Posted on April 22, 2014 by L.L.PetersMay 9, 2014

imagesCAMFYWB2 Sit down and have a cup of coffee or tea. I want to talk to you about something. Here’s the deal. You and your friends are watching a movie that really speaks to you. You’re totally immersed in the story. But one of your friends has already seen the movie. She keeps interrupting with little tidbits of information she thinks you need to know to fully appreciate the making of the movie. Tidbits she is sure you are interested in. Maybe you would be, at the appropriate time, but right now you just want her to shut up and let you enjoy the movie. She is so annoying! Do you have a friend like that?

It is the same when you read a good book. The story is fascinating, totally up your alley, when suddenly someone interrupts. Who? The writer, of course. He stops the action in order to feed you tidbits of information he thinks you, the reader, will want to know. That is so annoying!

If I’m submersed in a story, don’t tap me on the shoulder and make me look up so you can show me all the research you did. I don’t need to know every detail of each character’s clothing. I don’t need to know each character’s background. Details should only be used if they reflect, reinforce or add to everything else. So don’t be so annoying! Let me enjoy my fantasy in peace.

What about you? Have you ever been engrossed in a good story until the writer interrupted the action? Did it ruin the experience for you?

Start Writing! He said.

Posted on March 16, 2014 by L.L.PetersMay 4, 2014

Can I tell you a secret? I was driving home from work one day, the radio playing, my mind on cruise-control, when I got the call. No, I don’t mean on the cell phone. It was a clear, direct and this-is-not-debatable voice in my head, out of the blue, that said “Start Writing.”

Perhaps you have heard this voice yourself. I don’t mean those “voices” that sometimes live in our heads. I mean “THE voice.” That quiet, yet beyond-a-doubt, God voice. To say I was taken aback would be like saying I smiled when I won the lottery. (I didn’t, but you get the idea.) It was something I thought would never happen in my small, uninteresting, normal life. Sure, I’d heard of such a phenomena. Even envied it. But I thought any opportunity for me to hear directly from God was long gone. After all, I was getting old and had never heard from Him before. God calls the young, doesn’t he?

That was over ten years ago. I now have a deep passion for writing, though I am still what I like to call “pre-published.” I have a murder mystery completed (putting final polish on) and am working, to my surprise but joy, on a science-fiction story that grew out of a contest I entered. (I won second place!)

Why did God wait so late in my life to show me my purpose? Probably because He knew I wasn’t ready before then. I’ve had my own little pity party (midlife crisis) since, wanting to take life by the throat and shake it, saying “Why didn’t you tell me what I was missing all this time?”

Life doesn’t give us do-overs. We can only make the most of what time we have left. Grandma Moses didn’t become a famous painter until her nineties! I might still beat her by a few years.

What about you? Have you ever felt like life had passed you by? That you waited too long to make something of yourself? Did you find a “second calling” or “real purpose” late in life? How did you handle all the doubts and fears?