Frank L. Cole: 5 Writing Tips + Blog Tour Contest

Welcome to Day #8 of The World’s Greatest Adventure Machine Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of The World’s Greatest Adventure Machine by Frank L. Cole (in stores now!), blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Frank and 10 chances to win a copy of Adventure Machine, as well as theme park tickets in the Grand Prize Giveaway!

Today, we’ve got a guest post from Cole featuring some of his top writing tips – plus keep reading for your chance to win a copy of the book & that aforementioned grand prize.

Frank L. Cole’s 5 Writing Tips

1. With every description you write, remember to write it from the perspective of your main character. We often try to show-off a little when creating a story and feel the need to describe everything in a room with intricate detail. Those descriptions, while impressive, can distract the reader and pull them out of the story. If your book focuses on a 12-year-old boy, write and describe what they would see if they were a real person walking into the room. Every description matters and should impact the story in a positive way.

2. Your first chapter should do one of three things for the reader.

a. It introduces your main character or characters into some sort of action sequence where the reader is a given taste of their personality, their ability or powers if they have any, and perhaps a glimpse of what motivates them.

b. Introduce the reader to a specific theme. If it’s magic, give them a taste of the magic. Show the reader what they can expect to see more of if they continue reading. No need at this point to go into great detail to explain the whys of your story, just show them something worth learning more about.

c. Force the reader to ask questions. Nothing makes someone want to continue reading more than having a pressing question they want answers to.

3. Don’t bog your story down with tons of backstory and history. If you find yourself having to explain your characters behaviors extensively to the reader right from the start, you’ve probably made a mistake somewhere. Let the actions speak for themselves. Stephen King once said, “The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.”

4. Remember, casual conversations, or dialogue that has no purpose to the story, likely does not belong in a novel. If you find yourself adding dialogue just to do so without any direction, you could be making a dangerous mistake for your book. Your conversations between your characters should feel natural, but be interesting and either develop character or move the plot forward.

5. When starting your novel, this could help. Remember, your main character needs 5 things. A Talent (skill, ability, attribute), a weakness, a secret, a goal, and a friend. If you can incorporate those 5 things into your protagonist, you should have an excellent start to an intriguing story.

• August 14th — BookhoundsYA
• August 15th — Good Choice Reading
• August 16th— Word Spelunking
• August 17th — Life Naturally
• August 18th — A Dream Within a Dream
• August 21st— Reading Teen
• August 22nd — Crossroad Reviews
• August 23rd — Novel Novice
• August 24th — YA and Kids Books Central
• August 25th — Once Upon a Twilight

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Grand Prize Giveaway

• One (1) winner will receive a copy of The World’s Greatest Adventure Machine and a set of two theme park tickets to the park of your choice (up to $125)
• US Only
• Enter via the rafflecopter below
• Giveaway ends 8/27 at midnight ET

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