Writers On The Move

Writing: Context, Content, Conclusion

Contributed by Margot Conor

Popular stories normally have what is called a three C’s structure. Context, content, and conclusion. They are the crucial components that can be applied at various levels of your writing to ensure clarity coherence and impact. Context, which is the why of it. Followed by the content, which can be the details of a paragraph, or an entire story, and finally the conclusion.

This is a simple way to break down your process and can be applied in a tight construction for example in every paragraph. Or can be used more loosely for each chapter or section.

If you are writing a short story, you may only use the three C’s once. Creative writers tend to apply these without really thinking about it. It’s the pattern of story-telling we grew up with, it’s what we know from fairy tales.

As an exercise, you might try consciously using the three C’s in each paragraph of a story. I believe if you are a Plotter you will find this technique easy. As a Panster, thinking of doing that makes my head wobble. It is far too constricting. However, once per chapter is doable.

WITHIN EACH PARAGRAPH

1.    Context: Start each paragraph by providing context. This sets the stage for the reader and ensures they understand the background or the main point that will be discussed. This could be a sentence or two that introduces the topic or provides a transition from the previous paragraph.

2.    Content: Follow with the main content of the paragraph. This is where you present your key ideas, arguments, evidence, or details. Ensure that the content is well-organized and focused on the paragraph's main idea.

3.    Conclusion: Conclude the paragraph by summarizing the main point or providing a transition to the next paragraph. This helps reinforce the key message and prepares the reader for what's coming next.

WITHIN EACH SECTION OF A STORY OR CHAPTER

1.    Context: Begin each section or chapter with context. This could involve setting the scene, introducing characters, or providing necessary background information. Context at this level helps orient the reader within the broader narrative.

2.    Content: Develop the main ideas or plot points within the section. This is where the bulk of the story unfolds, characters develop, and key events take place. Ensure the content is engaging and drives the narrative forward.

3.    Conclusion: End each section with a conclusion that wraps up the events or ideas discussed. This could be a cliffhanger, a resolution of a conflict, or a summary of key points. A strong conclusion at this level keeps the reader engaged and eager to continue.

WITHIN THE ENTIRE STORY

1.    Context: Provide context at the beginning of your short story. This includes the setting, initial character introductions, and the premise. The context should be compelling enough to hook the reader from the start.

2.    Content: Develop the story or chapter with rich content. This includes plot development, character arcs, and thematic exploration. Ensure that each chapter contributes to the overall narrative and keeps the reader engaged.

3.    Conclusion: Conclude the story or chapter with a satisfying ending. This could involve resolving the main conflict, providing a twist, or setting up for the next part of the story. A strong conclusion leaves a lasting impression and provides a sense of closure or anticipation.

Examples

If you examine the stories or books you’ve read, or even the movies you watch, you will be able to point to where this structure is applied. Here are a few examples of Context from Fairytales that introduce key elements of the story that follows:

1.    Cinderella
o    Context: "Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful young girl named Cinderella. She was kind and gentle, but her life was made miserable by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters."
o    Explanation: This opening line provides the reader with essential background information: the setting (a faraway kingdom), the main character (Cinderella), her positive qualities (kind and gentle), and the source of her conflict (wicked stepmother and stepsisters).

2.    Little Red Riding Hood
o    Context: "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. She always wore a red riding cloak, so everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood."
o    Explanation: This context introduces the main character (Little Red Riding Hood), her distinctive feature (red riding cloak), and her environment (a village near the forest). It sets up the reader to understand the character's identity and where the story takes place.

3.    Snow White
o    Context: "Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, when snowflakes were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood."
o    Explanation: This opening provides a vivid description of the setting (winter, snowflakes, queen sewing), establishing the scene’s mood and hinting at the magical elements that will be important in the story of Snow White.

4.    Hansel and Gretel
o    Context: "Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter lived at the edge of a large forest with his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel."
o    Explanation: The reader is introduced to the main characters (woodcutter, his wife, Hansel, and Gretel) and their living situation (poor, edge of a large forest). This context sets the stage for the challenges and adventures the characters will face.

CONTEXT IN DIFFERENT PARAGRAPHS AND SECTIONS

Applying the concept of context within different parts of a fairytale can ensure each section or paragraph is clear and sets up the subsequent content effectively.

1.    Within a Paragraph:
o    Context: "As she walked through the forest, Little Red Riding Hood felt the cool breeze and heard the rustling leaves."
o    Content: "She admired the tall trees and picked some wildflowers along the path."
o    Conclusion: "But soon, she realized she had wandered far from the familiar path."
2.    Within a Section:
o    Context: "The king's castle stood high on a hill, overlooking the entire kingdom."
o    Content: "Inside the grand hall, the king sat on his throne, worried about the future of his realm. Advisors and knights were gathered, discussing the imminent threat."
o    Conclusion: "As the discussions continued, a messenger burst through the doors with urgent news."

By using The three C’s effectively at different levels, writers can ensure their readers are always oriented and engaged, understanding the background and the significance of the events as they unfold.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margot Conor has been writing for as long as she can remember, but it wasn't until the COVID lock-down that she had enough time to dedicate to the craft and bring something to completion. Having finished her first novel, she went through the grueling two-year process of editing. Now she has jumped into the author's world with both feet. She's preparing to debut her first novel, which means learning how to promote it. The last year has been spent attending many writing retreats, seminars, and writers' events. She also listened to presentations specifically on the topic of publishing and book marketing. She will be sharing what she learns with the reader.
Learn more about Margot at https://margotconor.com/

Your Best Edit is Your Manual Edit: Do It Feeling Virtuous

Your Best Manual Edit: Feel Virtuous. Save a Tree!

Cover Photography by Anne Howell

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

This article is excerpted from the winningest book in my HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers, #TheFrugalEditor, now in its third edition. It’s from one of my daring departures, a little one-page essay on editing or…mmm…maybe a diatribe on one of my pet projects as it relates to editing—in this case the environment.. My publisher and I came up with the rather sedate title of “The Frugal Editor’s Extra" for all twenty of them numbered sequentially. (This one is number two.) They get placed sporadically at the end of selected chapters. Come have some editing fun with me.

I know some of us cheat on our manual edits by using a computer or we didn’t realize how superior a manual edit is to one done on a screens. But really, a manual edit can’t be fudged. You may resort to the keyboard because you are working at saving the planet. So feel virtuous. And thrifty. So, do it by printing your manuscript on your own recycled paper and feel just as righteous—and almost as thrifty.

We’re not talking about the reams you buy labeled with the recycled logo, though I’m glad you do. We’re talking paper printed on only one side that comes across your desk or out of your computer’s printer. I finally trained my husband to save his once-used paper for me to recycle, too. Our paper gets one more (great!) life before it becomes fodder for our city’s recycle bin.

To do this, salvage paper as it’s produced in your office and rescue the good stuff from your junk mail. Arrange the new ream of leftovers you are accumulating so the printed sides are all facing the same way and tamp them a bit so the edges line up to prevent your printer from rejecting them. When in manual editing mode, carefully put these salvaged reams into your printer tray with the clean sides facing up or down, depending on your printer’s preferences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers and also coauthored a book honoring the Earth by reaching across hemispheres to work with Aussie Magdalena Ball. It is Sublime Planet, featured in the Earth Day Issue of The Pasadena Weekly and recipient of Dr. Bob Rich’s Life Award (Literature for the Environment). “Endangered Species,” a poem in it, was the recipient of the Franklin Christoph prize and the book was honored by USA Book News. All proceeds go the World Wildlife Fund. It is part of Carolyn’s and Magdalena’s Celebration Series, each a gift of poetry suitable for different holidays.

“Every day is #Earth Day.”

“…no dictator can monopolize the sun. No autocrat can control the wind.”

~ Greenpeace

[and neither should they be used to threaten the planet with annihilation!”

~ Carolyn 🌞]

“…beautifully written and poignantly sad, as the reader considers
harsh climate issues happening now.”
~ Carolyn Wilhelm for Midwest Book Review

On Grabbing Great Blurbs and Editing Them

The Best Marketers of All

On Grabbing Up Great Blurbs and Editing Them

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

I am in the throes of editing the second edition of my popular and very complete How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically and couldn’t help excerpting some of this for WritersontheMove visitors to have now before they start their holiday marketing campaigns. That book will be released late fall by Modern History Press.

The process for excerpting isn’t something most of us were taught in school. It seems such a nonissue that many have no idea how to do it and don’t realize they need to figure it out. Without a few guidelines, it can go miserably astray. Some won’t try excerpting at all because they are unsure of themselves. I’m not sure which is worse for the success of an author’s book.

Blurbs may be so neglected and misunderstood because there is confusion about what they are. I have heard them called endorsements, testimonials, praise, quotes, blurbs, and sometimes bullets because they are frequently printed on the back cover of books set off by little BB-sized dots and most of us relate them to reviews because that is where we authors usually find them.

When my husband solicited blurbs from VIPs in the Asian community for his first book What Foreigners Need to Know about America from A to Z, he was going to skip the process. He had me to…mmm, nag him. He ended up with endorsements from the ambassador to China from the United States and his counterpart, the ambassador from China to the U.S. This, by the way, illustrates why authors (anyone?) shouldn’t listen to naysayers who think approaching influencers with requests for blurbs is futile. I just happen to think excerpting them from reviews and capturing them from fan mail is easier. Just know you can do it and you can do it effectively.

Authors who misuse or underuse excerpts from their reviews are at a disadvantage. Not only are blurbs or one of the best tools in your marketing kit, but review excerpts are often your only chance to use the credibility of a prestigious review journal as part of your panoply of credit boosters.

The excerpting process is easy and a lot of fun once you know how to do it. Let’s say you have a review that includes some praise or even a word that made you happy or you could use to illustrate point you’d like to have your audience know about your book Perhaps (yikes!) it doesn’t include your name or title! Or maybe it just plain makes memorable reading. Perhaps the rest of it wasn’t all you’d like it to be. Here’s how to proceed:

§ Put on your marketing bonnet and reread your review thinking “soundbites” as you read. Or select the phrases that remind you of the praise you see on movie posters or ads. Many of them are excerpts or clips from advance reviews of that film.

§ Choose gems that make you glad you wrote the book. Some will be short. Even one word. Shorties are used as blurbs for everything from restaurants to sports cars because they emphasize the raves that are…mmmm, over the top when publishers and authors use them about their own work. These no-nos are usually strong adjectives like awesome and first-rate. But you can use them as blurbs because someone else thought so!

§ Don’t neglect some of the praise that points out the benefits readers get when they read your book.

§ When you must leave something out of the sentence you choose to keep short or because it is inappropriate, let ellipses (three little dots…) take the place of those missing words.

§ Sometimes you need to substitute for purposes of clarity or brevity. If the blurb says, “If there is any justice in the world, this book is destined to be a classic,” delete the words this book and replace them with the name of the book: Put the squarish brackets around the part you insert yourself so it reads “…if there is any justice in the world, [Jendi’s poetry book Two Natures] is destined to be a classic.”

§ Use them liberally. Use them everywhere. Put them between quotation marks. Indent them if you wish. Always credit them to the reviewer or publication where they were originally used.

Note: You want to avoid sacrificing the original intent of the excerpt you choose while using minor and approved editing techniques to meet your purposes.

§ So you have the reprint rights or a review journal like Midwest Book Review notifies you when your review has been posted that you have permission to reuse it—a very nice service that benefits both Midwest and you. Don’t lose it. Put it in a special file and stow it in a folder dedicated to your book’s title. To avoid confusion later and make using any one of them a quick copy-and-paste process, include the accreditation at the end of each blurb you extract.

§ It is handy to know that copyright law allows us to quote without permission for certain purposes and in certain amounts if you write commentary, satire, criticism, academic material, or news reports. The number of words you can use without permission depends upon the size of the copyrighted work as a whole. Guidelines differ from genre to genre. Find specific guidelines at the Library of Congress’ website or let a research librarian help you. For novels and full books of nonfiction, Amazon uses twenty-five words as a guideline for novels, and I trust they have great copyright attorneys advising them.

Note: Those who want to learn more about copyright law as it applies to authors will find help in Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyrights, Trademarks and Contracts in Plain Language by Tonya Marie Evans and Susan Borden Evans with a foreword by my deceased friend and book marketing guru Dan Poynter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books for writers including USA Book News’ winner for The Frugal Book Promoter. An instructor for UCLA Extension's renowned Writers Program for nearly a decade, she believes in entering (and winning!) contests and anthologies as an excellent way to separate our writing from the hundreds of thousands of books that get published each year. Two of her favorite awards are Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment given by members of the California Legislature and “Women Who Make Life Happen,” given by the Pasadena Weekly newspaper. She is also an award-winning poet and novelist and she loves passing along the tricks of the trade she learned from marketing those so-called hard-to-promote genres. Learn more on her website at https://HowToDoItFrugally.com. Let Amazon notify you when she publishes new books (or new editions!) by following her Amazon profile page: https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Her The Frugal Editor is now in its third edition from Modern History Press. Let it help you edit your work-in-process.

Is It Time To Let It Fly?

Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

A manuscript is a funny thing. It seems it can be revised, edited, and proofed indefinitely.

Then you get to a point where you think it might finally be there.

But, as every good writer should do, you go over it yet again.

At this point, it’s strongly advised that you take at least a week to two weeks, possibly more, before giving your manuscript a final read-through.

This strategy will help you find errors, content that can be tightened, gaps, and so much more that you couldn’t possibly catch if you read it every day.

After you've let it rest for a couple of weeks and have made any necessary revisions and edits, you're on your way.

When Should You Move Past Your Own Editing Skills?

When your manuscript is as good as you can get it, it's time to think about a professional editor. Of course, this depends on your budget, but if at all possible, it's worth the investment.

If this is not an option, you might give the final manuscript to your critique group or maybe a writing friend or a writer in one of your groups just to have another set of eyes on it.

While all this reviewing and tweaking is a good thing, there is a point when you need to let it go if you ever want to see your manuscript take off and fly.

It’s important to note that this revision and editing process should take place whether you’re traditionally publishing or self-publishing. Whichever road you take, you want your book to be the best it can be. You want it to be professional.

Just as there are steps to take to get your manuscript ready for flight, there are a couple of things you should avoid.

What to Avoid

1. Don't rely on children.

I've had clients who have read their manuscripts in front of age-appropriate classrooms or friends of their children.

While this can give some insight as to whether the story is engaging to the targeted reader and which parts are the most engaging, you shouldn't base revisions and edits solely on their opinion.

Children don't understand the rules of writing.

2. Don't rely on non-writer, amateur opinions.

I've had clients who had friends and other parents read their stories, asking for their input.

Again, while this can be helpful in some aspects, they don't know the rules of writing.

When looking for those extra eyes on your manuscript, make sure it's a writer who understands what she's looking for.

When Should You Let Your Manuscript Fly?

You've taken all the steps necessary to get your manuscript in its best shape. Now it's time to research publishers and/or agents and let your manuscript fly.

If you're a children's writer, I recommend Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market (Current Year). This is a trusted guide for authors seeking appropriate publishers and agents.

If you're NOT a children's writer, you can check out Writer's Market (Current Year). It's also a trusted guide that lists publishers and agents to submit to along with lots of other information.

Always check all information you can find on a publisher or agent you're interested in. Read their guidelines carefully and follow those guidelines even more carefully.

If you’re self-publishing, it’s time to research professional illustrators (if you’re writing a children’s picture book or chapter book, or even middle-grade book).

After illustrations, you’ll need to find a service that will take your files and turn them into ebooks and/or paper books.

Now, watch your manuscript fly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. If you need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

Karen also offers authors:

FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN ECOURSE

A guided self-study course and mentoring program.

HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S FICTION BOOK

A DIY book to help you write your own children’s book.

WRITERS ON THE MOVE PRESS

Self-publishing help for children’s authors.

Make your Fictional Setting Memorable

The spooky old farmhouse in Secret in the Mist,
illustrated by Danika Corrall

By Linda Wilson @LinWilson

In an article by Jessica Redland, bestselling author of stories of love, friendship, family, and community, such as Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn and The Start of Something Wonderful, Redland wrote, “If a setting is developed really well in a novel, it has the power to become a character in itself, as memorable as the hero whose journey you’ve followed.”

Setting can offer readers:

An escape – Our books invite readers and listeners to leave their world and venture into a world of our making (The Lord of the Rings series)

A sense of familiarity – We create a setting that they can identify with; in a series, they can become so fond of the story’s setting, they will want to return to it again and again (Harry Potter books)

An education – A rich setting can open up new worlds (Chronicles of Narnia)

Develop your Setting

The first two books in my Abi Wunder series, Secret in the Stars and Secret in the Mist, take place in Pine Hill, a fictional town loosely based on my home of four years in Purcellville, Virginia. Because both stories take place in and near my neighborhood, I already had a picture in my head of the setting I wanted to create when I began Book 1. Here are some ways a fictional setting can be created from real life.

Draw a map – My map began with my true-life neighborhood. Across the road from my house was a tiny patch of water where marshy plants and a bull frog lived. There were horse stables down a dirt road, farms with horses in pastures, and about 1-2 miles down the road was the tiny town of Round Hill, made up of two stores—a small grocery store and a hair salon. A two-room farmhouse and barn from the 1800s sat abandoned across the road from my house, and the real-life ruins of a flour mill well-known to Purcellville residents, was a stone’s throw away. As the stories evolved, the fictional parts of the setting were woven in.

Use interesting facts connected to your setting – Quaker families settled in the Purcellville area in the 18th and 19th centuries. Research about the Quakers helped create a big part of the plot as well as added texture to the setting. For example, the ghost was a Quaker. Research provided the information I needed for the clothes she wore and the furniture and goods that were in her home in the old farmhouse, which included dishes, a doll, and a pouch that contained U.S. postal stamps from her day.

Operation of the flour mill in the story - Abi and Jess, the two main characters, ride their horses to an old abandoned flour mill. Today the mill is in ruins, but the two friends take a brief trip back in time and see how the mill operated back in the ghost’s day during the 1800s.

Use the senses to bring your setting to life - I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here. We know that using the senses is important with all kinds of writing. We need to remember to include them.

A True-Life Setting Imagined

The marsh:

Up close, the marsh teemed with life. Cattails and tall grasses shot out of the water. Leafy green plants grew scattered around the edge among different size rocks. Dragonflies skimmed the surface. And the sounds. Abi’s ears were filled with the buzzing and clicking of cicadas and crickets, and even the occasional croak of a bull frog.

The old farmhouse:

Partially lit by moonlight, the building was small, about the size of a large shed. A leafless tree bent over the roof, its crooked branches seeming to strangle the small structure.

To the right of the front door moonlight reflected off of one small, thick-paned window. A rickety porch step led up to the postage-stamp-sized porch.

The flour mill:

The walls of the old mill were only as tall as Abi’s knees. The bricks had taken on a faded ashen tone, their edges worn and crumbling. Over time, silent vines had woven their way through the structure’s uneven nooks and crevices. Bright green moss tinged the crumbling bricks and nearby rocks.

A large half-crescent piece of metal stuck out from the thick undergrowth. Jess pointed it out. “That’s part of the old waterwheel. Farmers used to haul their wheat and corn here. Dad told me that the water in the river turned the wheel, which powered heavy stones that ground the farmers’ crops into flour. But the mill burned down a long time ago and this is all that’s left.”

While at the mill, Abi and Jess take a trip back in time:

In seconds, the creek went from a modest gurgling stream to a great surge of water.

A wooden structure about the size of a small house had taken the place of the ruins. Buckets of water spilled from the spokes of a large wooden and metal wheel, operating in complete silence.

Shocked at this sudden transformation, Abi remembered what Jess had told her about the mill and how it operated. But that was back in the 1800s!

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Abi whispered to Jess.

Creating an Imaginary Setting

If your setting isn't based on a particular place, Redland suggests cutting out pages from magazines, creating a storyboard in person or on Canva, or setting up a Pinterest board, which can help with inspiration. Creating storyboards and Pinterest boards are great, but I enjoy thinking about my story while doing hands-on projects such as drawing maps, sketching pictures, allowing me to envision what my ghost looks like, creating storyboards on a bulletin board and on poster board, and cutting out pictures and hanging them on my board for anything else I need to envision.

You will discover what creative process works best for you. The goal: put your effort into creating vivid settings which your readers and listeners will remember long after your story is finished.

Sources: Jessica Redland

Illustration by www.danikacorrall.com

The Spanish version of
Tall Boots is now available
on Amazon!

Linda Wilson is the author of the Abi Wunder Mystery series and other books for children. Her two new releases are Waddles the Duck: Hey, Wait for Me! (2022) and Cradle in the Wild: A Book for Nature Lovers Everywhere (2023). You’ll find Linda on her Amazon author page, on her website at LindaWilsonAuthor.com, and on Facebook.