Promises, Promises by Marie Wells Coutu

Your story is a promise.

If you’re writing fiction, you’re making a promise to your reader that he or she will find entertainment, adventure, and perhaps inspiration in your novel. The reader expects to be transported to another time and place, where she’ll “meet” interesting characters.

If you write romance, she’ll want to fall in love with the hero.

If you write science fiction, your reader wants to discover new worlds.

Readers of historical fiction may expect to experience life in an earlier time period.

In addition, your tagline, your back-cover blurb, your cover, and your opening line all contribute to your promise. Each one helps to set expectations, create a mood, and entice the reader.

What happens if you fail to fulfill your promises? If the tagline hints at romance, but the hero doesn’t show up until midway through the story, the reader is likely to be disappointed. If the cover appears to show adventure but the story is a slow, relaxing tale set in an Amish community, there will be a disconnect—and the reader is likely to throw the book across the room.

How can you be sure you’re fulfilling the expectations of your readers?

1. Be clear in your own mind what your story is about.

2. Know what genre best fits the story. To be sure, brainstorm what your plot might look like if you wrote it in a different genre. For instance, does your romantic suspense plot work better as a fantasy instead? Or as a military thriller? If the answer is “no” to all the other genres, you’ve got the right one.

3. Be familiar with the primary conventions of your genre. You don’t need to shoehorn your story into a formula, but if you’re writing a romance, your readers expect a HEA (Happily Ever After), so you need to give them that kind of ending.

4. Determine your primary Story Question, write it down, and post it where you’ll see it when you’re writing each scene. Then pay attention to whether the scene contributes to answering that question.

If you take these steps, chances are good you’ll fulfill the expectations of your readers. Live up to the promises you make with each story and your readers will likely come back for more.

Your story promises entertainment, adventure, & perhaps inspiration. 4 tips to fulfill your #promise. #amwriting #writingtips @mwcoutu @MaryAFelkins

Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like old houses, gnarly trees, and forgotten treasures. When she’s not writing about finding restoration and healing through God-designed journeys, she enjoys taking broken things and making them useful.

The Secret Heart, her newest release, was named a finalist in both the 2018 National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Awards and the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards. An unpublished historical novel set near Golden Pond has been a finalist in five contests.

You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook author page, her website, MarieWellsCoutu.com or follow her on Twitter or on Amazon.com

Writing Wisdom...Or Things I've Learned From My Chickens

Writing Wisdom...Or Things I've Learned From My Chickens

by Mary Manners

Some of you may know that my husband and I recently relocated to a mini-farm in the foothills of East TN. One of my dreams has always been to raise chickens. Well, with the beautiful coop we inherited with the property, I got right on it. And quickly discovered there are a lot of correlations between raising chickens and the writing process.

My baby chicks arrived and they were so tiny, barely seeds of the chickens they would grow to be. I thought of my writing ideas over the years, all swirling around in my head, and knew that something fabulous was in the future, but it was going to take some time, great dedication, a touch of humor, and a whole lot of patience.

Every day, without exception and even when I was tired, sick, or just plain over it, I tended to my chicks. Though they looked nothing like the adult chickens I had envisioned through all my years of dreaming, beneath the heat of a red lamp in the dead of winter, they began to thrive. Though they were noisy and helpless, often stinky, disorganized, and at times downright frustrating, I continued to love on them without exception, keeping the faith that one day a gift--eggs--would materialize as if from thin air (only I would know how labor intensive eliciting that gift actually truly was).

Well, the chicks ate and they ate (I practically needed a second job just to pay for the feed) and finally, ever so slowly, they began to mature. Finally, the day came for me to release them from the warm confines of their safe, homebound bin to the great outdoors of the coop. With so many predators lurking in the country, I wasn't sure they would make it. But I kept the faith, and had to try.

Well, winter turned to spring, and then spring to summer. I waited and I waited for those eggs to arrive. And while I was waiting, I kept working. I read and studied everything I could find on chickens, asked my chicken-savvy friends for pointers, cleaned the coop, tended to the chickens' needs, and often even sang to them (because what's the point of all that work if there's not a little fun mixed in, as well). During it all, I kept believing that one morning, as a result of all my work, I'd enter the coop and find those elusive gifts--eggs--winking back at me from the nesting boxes. Twenty weeks went by, then twenty-five, twenty-six, nearly thirty. The deadline passed and still I found no eggs. I worried my chickens were somehow defective...somehow not good enough. Even so, I clung to faith.

Then one day...

The happy-dancing commenced, followed by a delicious, farm-fresh breakfast.

So, the moral of this story is...never give up. Have faith and work diligently toward your writing goal. Stay happy and remember to laugh. Share your trials and worries with friends, and lean on them when it's hard. Because your happy-dancing day will come if you hold firm to your faith and stick with it. 

And those eggs...well, they're worth every bit of the hard work and the wait.

~~~~~

Tragedy and Trust

ONE WRONG TURN AT A FORK IN THE ROAD...

When Chloe Rylin flees New York City and her dream of becoming a Broadway performer, she returns to her hometown harboring a life-altering secret and the shame of a shattered past. Best friend Kelsie asks her to help build a house through the local Shelter the Homeless program, where Chloe meets Zack Coleman and his mischievous St. Bernard, Sammy.

Zack is dealing with a devastating loss of his own, yet his gentleness and patience melt Chloe's resolve never to trust, much less fall in love, again. But what will Zack think when he discovers the shame of Chloe's past? Will he reject her, or can their fledgling love heal hurting hearts and blossom into a happily-ever-after, together?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing. She lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and their rescue dog Axel, mischievous cats Colby and Rascal, 6 rambunctious chickens, and 13 fish.

Mary writes stories full of faith and hope. Her books have earned multiple accolades including two Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, the Aspen Gold, the Heart of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Mary loves long sunrise runs, Smoky Mountain sunsets, and flavored coffee. She enjoys connecting with reader friends through her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.