Q: I’m working on a book, but it’s not finished yet. Should I attend a writers conference anyway, or should I wait until my book is finished and I’m ready to pitch agents and editors? A: Don’t wait. There are many benefits to attending writers conferences beyond pitching. Classes Writing …
Author: Kristen Stieffel
Kristen Stieffel is a writer and freelance editor specializing in speculative fiction. She's a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Christian Editor Connection, and American Christian Fiction Writers.
Q&A: What’s the deal with spaces after a period?
Q: I saw a post online that said only people over the age of forty put two spaces after a period. But I’m under thirty, and my college professors said to use two. I’m confused. Which is correct? A: Both are correct in different circumstances. As with so much else …
The Prophet’s Chronicle Storyworld
One of the things fiction allows us to do is examine hypothetical situations that don’t exist in the real world. A novel is a large-scale thought experiment. This is true of any fiction, but doubly true in speculative fiction. The whole point of science fiction and fantasy is to explore …
Alara’s Call — Release Day!
If you follow me on Facebook, you may be sick of hearing about this, but if not, I’m pleased to say that today is the release date for my first novel, Alara’s Call. It’s book one of my series The Prophet’s Chronicle.
Fiction Q&A: Styling Royal and Noble Titles
Q: When referring to a king or lord, when do you capitalize—if at all—for sire and your majesty and such? For example: All we can do now is wait and pray that you and your healers can help my sister, your majesty. I’m so confused. Thanks for your help. A: …
Q&A: Do I Need Italics for Flashbacks?
Q: I used italics in a scene with a flashback, but my critique partner said I should never use italics. Here’s the part I put in italics: He sat in the cold hospital waiting room, feeling numb. This was just like when Mom died. We did all we could, the …
Subplots, Side Stories, and What to Do with Them
Novelists often get carried away with characters. Or maybe that should be, characters often carry away novelists. Either way, well-developed secondary characters can run away with a story if you let them. In one of my sample book maps, I showed how this can happen. In my fictional fiction (sorry …
Use Storybreaking to Fill Narrative Gaps
Once you’ve made your book map, you may find that it reveals a gap or disconnect in the writing — a place where you’ve jumped from point A to Point D without explaining to the reader how you got there. Storybreaking can help you close that gap. Narrative gaps can happen …
Using a Book Map to Edit a Novel
Last time we looked at how book maps can help in nonfiction editing. Now let’s look at how this technique can help novelists. As I worked on how to illustrate this, I found myself redacting so much information from so many client book maps, that you would get more out …
How to Use a Book Map
If you’ve read the last few posts, you may have decided to make a book map of your current project, whether it’s in progress or in editing. Great! But once you’ve built a book map, what do you do with it? You use it to examine the structure of your …