Your Plot Shouldn't Rely on Miscommunication

We've all seen this story before. Two characters (best friends, a couple, business partners, the arrangement doesn't matter) find themselves at odds over a rather small but embarrassing misunderstanding. Maybe the fiancé thinks her husband-to-be is cheating on her with his secretary due to suspicious-looking-but-innocent circumstantial evidence. Perhaps a co-owner of a business thinks his partner is undermining him, when in fact he's trying to save their bottom line. The list goes on and on, but whether it's a mystery, a detective story, or one of the dozens of romantic or comedic plots out there, we've all seen some version of this story.

And it's a very shaky foundation to build an entire novel on.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up, Becky!

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! To be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, make sure you check out my Vocal archive for several hundred other articles about geek ephemera, weird history, writing, and more!

A 5-Minute Conversation Can't Carry a 200-Page Book

A common term for the situation in question is an idiot plot, best described as, "A plot that only happens because everyone involved is an idiot." After all, miscommunications happen in life, and people sometimes get the wrong idea about a situation. And when that happens there may be some immediate tension, and an awkward conversation that needs to be had to fix it.

The point, however, is that if you can fix a problem with a simple explanation, that really isn't something strong enough to hang your whole book on.

Okay, this is embarrassing, but I love you, so let me lay it all out for you...

Now, for clarity, this does not apply to situations where a person can't explain what's going on. For example, if you're writing a spy novel where part of the story is the spouse who's an intelligence operative keeping the nature of their work a secret (True Lies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, etc.), that isn't the situation we're talking about. We're also not talking about situations where someone is deliberately lying, even if the reason they're lying is stupid. We're talking about a storyline where, rather than just asking what's going on and being honest with one another, characters just make assumptions, and cling to them no matter how obviously, ridiculously wrong they are.

As a subplot, or as a part of a larger story, you can get away with this. However, the miscommunication needs to facilitate a larger part of the plot. If it leaves someone emotionally vulnerable to make a poor decision before it can be explained, for example, then that is a functional use of this trope. But if the whole plot is, "I caught you in what looked like a compromising position with a co-worker/personal trainer/ex, and I left before you could explain things to me," that's not a load-bearing hook.

Especially if your whole cast has to keep making objectively dumber and dumber decisions to keep the charade going, instead of just laying out what happened over coffee and wrapping up the plot by chapter three.

Support The Literary Mercenary

For folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, consider checking out my show Tabletop Mercenary if you've ever thought about becoming a TTRPG creator, but you want a glimpse behind the curtain before you just jump into the deep end.

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

More Writing Advice Brought To You By Alice The Author (And Tabletop Mercenary)

Most folks who come to my blog for the Business of Writing topics are here because they've mostly figured out how to write a book, or tell a story, but they don't actually know what the hell to do with it from there. And since we know that words on the page aren't transmogrified into money by the sprinkling of magic fornit dust (nod to all the Stephen King fans who got that reference), we all want to understand the alchemical process that turns our tales into legal tender.

And I like to think that I've covered a lot of aspects of the profession over the years. At the end of the day, though, I'm just one creator. As such, I wanted to big up the signal for someone else who has at least as much (if not more) to share than I do, and who is a very knowledgeable voice on all things writing and publishing.

Her name is Alice Liddell, also known as Lauren Masterson, and you can find her on YouTube at Alice The Author.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more!

Good Advice From a Lifelong Professional

For those who haven't come across Alice's work before, at last count she's got over 30 titles in print, with a mix of self and traditional publishing across a variety of genres. From the gothic romance of her latest release Succumb to Darkness, to the fantastical mermaid's tale of Love of The Sea, she's put more words on the market than a lot of us have even practiced with. And her YouTube channel has 236 videos at time of writing that cover everything from editing tricks, to behind-the-scenes on self-publishing topics, to what it really costs to work a convention, to dramatic readings of her books for the enjoyment of the audience!

Yet, despite all of the time, effort, and energy, there's only 177 subscribers on her channel... and given the amount of great information on there, I'd say that anyone who finds what I have to say useful should definitely head over there and subscribe today.

Now, this is the part of the article where I put in my disclaimers. Because Alice is my partner, and that's something I feel folks reading this week's post should know. However, before we were partners, we were authors who worked the same conventions for several years together. I watched her set up her booth, run through her sales pitches, listened to her talk on panels, and give feedback in writers groups. I checked out several of her books, and went through her channel.

And I tell you all of that because I've been recommending Alice's books and videos to people for years. But I didn't want folks to head over to her channel, see my face in some of the setup and convention videos, and wonder why I hadn't mentioned that connection up front!

Also, Check Out Tabletop Mercenary!

While we're on the subject of new ways for folks to get the low-down on what it's like to be a professional in the publishing industry, make sure you check out my new show Tabletop Mercenary, which is featured on both the Azukail Games YouTube channel, as well as on my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary (along with a bunch of longer-form audio dramas of mine that didn't make it to YouTube).

So if you've been thinking about throwing your hat in the ring as a TTRPG writer and designer, make sure you stop by and check those videos out! Especially since we're still about 1,000 hours away from getting the channel monetized, and we really could use all the help we can get. With that said, a like, subscribe, some comments, and even just sharing the video around on your own socials (or this week's blog post in general) would go a long way toward helping us hit that goal!

Support The Literary Mercenary

For folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, my gangland noir thrillers starring Leo the Maine Coon Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

The Purpose of Storytelling is Communication (If You Aren't Doing That, Fix It)

When we write a story, whether it's a piece of short fiction or a massive doorstop of a novel, we often get wrapped up in what we were trying to do as the storyteller. Whether it's the lovingly crafted purple prose, the intricate plot twists and reveals, or the unique patois we used for how we chose to write it, these are usually very specific decisions we make as creators for how we want to present our stories.

The problem comes when the people you're writing those stories for aren't picking up what you're laying down. Because when that happens, you need to do something to make sure that what you're saying is what your audience is actually hearing.

Hmmm... is "apocrypha" a well-known enough word to use here?

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! To be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, make sure you check out my Vocal archive for several hundred other articles about geek ephemera, weird history, writing, and more!

Listening Is Just As Important As Speaking

To get the obvious out of the way, there are different dialects in any language. There are different styles of prose, and there are different expectations that come with different genres. This post is not saying that we must always use Proper English (TM) and write in the same, easily-digested style or we are Writing Wrong (TM). Sometimes you want to speak to a particular audience, or you feel that the language you're using is part of the artistry of your story, and to change it would be to lose something the book needs.

All of that is down to artistic decision. This is your book, and you are the one with the final say in how it's presented to the public.

With that said, though...

With that said, if your audience cannot understand what you are saying, then it's up to you as the creator to say it in a way so your story isn't lost on people trying to read your book.

Communication is a two-way street, and you could be telling the most amazing story your audience has ever heard... but if you're telling it in French, than anyone who doesn't speak that language isn't going to be able to access that story. The same is true if you publish something exclusively in Braille, or if it's only written in cursive, or Cyrillic. For a communication cycle to be complete, the message you're delivering has to be translated, and understood by the intended recipient. And for most of us that's the widest audience possible so that we can sell enough books to pay the bills.

It is an almost universal experience to work really hard on a story, or a book, and when you hand it to your beta readers to have someone scratch their head going, "I don't get it," or, "what the hell do all these $5 words mean?" Sometimes it's because a given beta reader isn't familiar with the language of a particular genre (such as someone who doesn't normally read cosmic horror trying to figure out what eldritch and squamous mean without looking them up), or it might be because the way you write isn't intuitive to the general public. But there's always a knee-jerk reaction to place the blame on the audience; to say that you did everything right, but they're just not listening correctly.

The truth of the matter is, we need the audience for our stories to spread. So while it is important to keep the soul of the story in mind, and to be careful when it comes to changing the way you use language, it's also important to keep the practical aspect of, "Can they understand what I'm saying?" firmly in mind. Because at the end of the day, writers need an audience, and it is our job to provide entertainment for them. Because there are already hundreds of stories out there they can read instead... so make understanding yours as easy on them as you can.

Even if that means we have to use plainer language to meet our audience where they're at.

Support The Literary Mercenary

For folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, consider checking out my show Tabletop Mercenary if you've ever thought about becoming a TTRPG creator, but you want a glimpse behind the curtain before you just jump into the deep end.

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Writers, Are You An Ant or a Grasshopper?

There is an old story about an ant and a grasshopper. During the summer months, the ant begins preparing for the winter to come, but the grasshopper is just jumping around, playing his legs like a fiddle, and doing whatever his little heart wants. The grasshopper even mocks the ant for his daily work, saying that he's just wasting his summer by spending all this time working. Surely the work will wait, won't it?  And while the ant reminds the grasshopper that winter is coming, the grasshopper keeps blowing it off. As the leaves change color, and the temperature starts dropping, the grasshopper realizes he's in real danger. And while he tries to throw something together at the last moment, he simply didn't have enough time before the snow began falling.

Now, this story doesn't take into account the way these insects actually work, and the fact that surviving the winter isn't always a thing. However, the point of the story is a simple metaphor that we should easily grasp as writers; if you want to prepare for the hard times, you need to do the work now, while the sun is shining. Because if the snow is falling, it's probably too late to get started.

Left... left... left, right, left...

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more!

No Summer is Eternal

I want to open with a little fact here. According to some, author Terry Pratchett only wrote an average of 400 words per day. A prolific novelist whose work had a rather large impact on literature as a whole, he managed that with an output that's shorter than some people's Facebook posts. The key here is that he did it every day, rain or shine, sickness or health. Because it may not sound like much, but 400 words a day is easily a novel a year. Two, depending on the length of the genre you're working on.

But you have to roll up your sleeves, and do the job.

You don't get here over night.

There are a lot of writers out there who do things for the love of the craft, or the enjoyment of the exercise. And, to be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you are someone who just wants to create when the urge strikes you, or when the project is fun, that is perfectly fine.

However, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to write professionally.

I say that because, at the end of the day, writing is a numbers game (as is making YouTube videos, TTRPG supplements, audio dramas, or any other creative endeavor out there). The odds are not in your favor that the first book you write, or short story you tell, is going to be the thing that explodes. It's possible, absolutely, but not likely. And while the numbers vary depending on genre and conventional wisdom, I've seen it said that you need at least 10 novels in genres like sci-fi and fantasy, or 20 novels in romance, before you've built the momentum it takes to take your foot off the gas a bit.

Let's return to that earlier example. In fact, let's say that you were a little more ambitious than Sir Terry, and you wrote 500 words per day. This is my personal writing speed, and it allowed me to put together my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers in 10 months, and the first book of the Hardboiled Cat series Marked Territory in about 7 months. So if you had roughly the same amount of fixes and changes that I did, you could hit that 10 books in 10 years. If you were a little more put-together and focused (or maybe you're more skilled than I am), you could hit it in 5 years. And if you were writing romance novels, you've got 20 years on average, 10 years if you're a tight writer.

That's how long it would take for someone who has a plan, and who has dedication to work on their stories every day, using a perfectly realistic word count. But now ask yourself how long it would take if you only wrote sporadically? If you only wrote a handful of weeks, or months, and then didn't get back to your manuscript until after the holidays? Or, worst of all, what if you wrote half the book, then just set it aside in favor of a new idea that had seduced you away from your original manuscript because it was young and fun, and it hadn't yet become a daily slog?

If that's the case, then you may only put out a book every 2 years. Or 3. Or it may take you 5 years to finally get it done. And if that book hits big, it's all good! But if it doesn't... well, as the words of House Stark say, Winter is Coming.

Final Thoughts

I want to be clear, here. This is not some kind of sigma-grindset, up-at-dawn, work-16-hours-a-day message. The point of this week's entry is to remind folks out there that if you want to make a living as a creator, then you typically have to make a lot of stuff... especially if you're not already famous for some reason (Instagram influencer, former national politician, film star, etc.). But making stuff takes time, and as they say, time is money. So if you're depending on the money your work earns to pay your rent, keep the lights on, and buy you food while you work on the next piece, you need to either produce your work quickly enough that you build up a suitable backlog, or you need to have some other source of income in order to keep the wolf from the door.

Lastly, this isn't about who's a real writer. If you write things, then you're a writer, plain and simple. But if your writing cannot pay your bills, or if you aren't able to make yourself produce that work reliably enough for it to satisfy a fan base, it's important not to put all your chips on a single number and let the roulette wheel ride.

Have You Ever Wanted To Be a Professional TTRPG Creator?

A bit of a hard segue, but I wanted to let folks know that I recently started a show titled Tabletop Mercenary, which can be found on both the Azukail Games YouTube channel, as well as over on my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary. On this show I talk about the business side of tabletop RPGs, what it takes to find success in this little corner of the publishing industry, and how folks can avoid the pitfalls I've dealt with for the past 10 years or so.

If that sounds interesting to you, then check it out, and subscribe to my channels so you don't miss a beat!

Support The Literary Mercenary

For folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, my gangland noir thrillers starring Leo the Maine Coon Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!