Greetings from steamy, summery (even before summer officially begins) but beautiful Mount Dora, Florida. Today, I have the privilege of interviewing a friend I’ve never met. Gail Gaymer Martin and I share several writing connections (including CAN) that have allowed us to pray for one another, as well as a “Gail” connection (her first name is my middle one). Gail is a multi-published novelist with lots of insights about marketing and promotion, so let’s get right to her encore interview. Welcome back to the CAN blog, Gail. How many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest…
Tag: Gail Gaymer Martin
This is our archive pageNovels With All-Important Hooks by Gail Gaymer Martin
Welcome to the CAN Blog on Fiction Writing. I always enjoy stopping by to share with you my many years of writing Christian romances, romantic suspense and women’s fiction. You can find more about me and my books on my website at www.gailgaymermartin.com Today I want to talk with you about hooks. Hooks are an important technique to arouse a readers interest in a story and to keep them reading. Reader or writers, these techniques are excellent for both. Who doesn’t want to read a gripping story that tugs you to the end? I think we all do. Every novel…
Ruining Your Book At The Last Minute
Welcome to the Christian Author Network (CAN) from Gail Gaymer Martin. Winter is fading in some areas of the country. I spend the winter in Sedona, Arizona and enjoy the spring days that stay with us through the winter, and bask in God’s glorious creations from our townhouse deck. The red rocks remind us of the Lord’s might, strength, and power, and we are blessed.
Short and Sweet: The Romantic Novella – Part I
Happy December Friday from Gail Gaymer Martin. Today I’ll talk about writing a novella. I have a lot of experience with these short novels when I wrote for Barbour and even Love Inspired has the Duet books which is two short novels under one cover. They are interesting to write since they are a challenge to create a great story in only half the pages of a regular novel. In Part I will cover Major Differences Between a Novel and Novel and Connection between the Hero and Heroine. Part II will cover Subplots in a Novella, Setting’s Purpose in a Novella, and Time Span…
Characters and Their Mannerisms
Good morning on this Friday in autumn. Welcome to the CAN blog on writing from Gail Gaymer Martin Today I want to talk about another element of creating characterization through using character mannerisms. When you think about people you know, notice what they do with their bodies, hands and facial expressions as well as their stance, stride and actions. Mixed in with the natural way we move and act, we can always see a few personal mannerisms. These are often related to their person’s attitude or emotional response. Here’s some things to think about. Characters and Their Mannerisms A man cracks…
Characterization: Apparel
Happy Friday, and welcome to the CAN Blog on Writing Fiction from Gail Gaymer Martin. When writing a novel, authors can deepen characterization by adding elements to the novel that sends a signal to readers. These signals allow them to see deeper characterization by observing what a character chooses wear in a given situation. Not only can personality be seen, but often deeper character such as morals or values. Dressing Characters If your heroine comes through the door wearing baggy jeans, a large bulky sweatshirt, and a baseball cap set on her head backwards, what would a reader think? A…
Ruining Your Book At The Last Minute
Hello from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin. Once again I’m here to share some information with you about the art and craft of good fiction writing. Earlier this year I read an article written by Agent Erin Buterbaugh on Chip MacGregor’s Blog. The article talked about what happens when you don’t understand how to end a novel successfully. I’ve written numerous articles on the final act of a novel, Act III (you’ll find more info on writing the last quarter of the book on my website under Plotting, but Erin made reference to the denouement, a French word meaning the last…
NEW RELEASE: MAY 2015 – A MOTHER TO LOVE BY GAIL GAYMER MARTIN
Tired of matchmakers, Angie Bursten lets coworker Rick Jameson comes to the rescue—as her pretend boyfriend. As she spends time with Rick and his adorable daughter, Carly, what began as a hoax soon feels real. Betrayed by the woman he’d married, single dad Rick is slow to trust. But seeing Angie with Carly, he can’t ignore the way he feels for his beautiful coworker. When Angie helps Rick with the toughest battle of his life—gaining full custody of his child—there’s no more pretending. If they can open their hearts, Rick and Angie have a chance at happily-ever-after.
Short But Sweet: The Romantic Novella
May has opened our eyes to the beautiful of creation—flowers peaking above the ground, trees leaving and sprouting blossoms. Earth’s beauty abounds and we look forward to summer, the time of vacations and outdoor living. One thing many of us love to do in summer is sit in the shade on our porches or beneath a tree and read. Many people like shorter readers so today I’m talking about novellas, full-length stories but in a shorter format. Romantic historical and contemporary novellas are popular among readers. They are short novels, running from 20,000 to 40,000 words, yet are complete stories…
SUBPLOTS: The Why, What, and How – Part II
Wishing you a sunny Friday from Gail Gaymer Martin. Last month I talked about Subplots: The Why, What and How. Part I on subplots covered the purpose for using a subplot and information about both internal and external types of subplots. Today the topic extends to Part II on Subplot Ideas. Simply in review, the purpose of a subplot is: 1. Make the story more real. 2. Add greater conflict and tension. 3. Add interest by giving variety to the story —keeping this unpredictable. 4. Add texture by adding story layers — see the characters interacting with new characters and in…
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