Share this page!

Kate Brauning Profile picture
Twitter logo
Jan 12 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
hey why not resurrect my #subtips?

As an editor, one of the most frequent notes I give on MSs is "move the current climax to the midpoint. See what it does for the story."
What if you moved the big bang of the story to the middle? What if it went so badly or so well that it changed everything? What does that do for your characters, your pacing, the action of the plot, your theme?

If that sparks anything for you, pause to think about it #subtips
This is such a great tool for taking your story from a 5 to a 10. As writers we're so scared to dream big with our characters and what we allow them to go through.

So here's a question: What would happen if you let all the shit hit the fan at 50%, rather than the end? #subtips
If I'm bringing back #subtips, might as well link to some previous ones I've done! Here's one on agents and editors responding to your queries and the frequent lack of feedback:
And this #subtips is on crafting a compelling premise-- what makes a breakout concept?

Want to have a clue about your book contracts, know what your agent is doing, educate yourself so you can advocate for yourself? Here's a rundown on book contracts:
Here's part 2 of book contracts: subright splits, escalations, no-compete clauses, and more.

Lacking emotional dimension is almost always the reason behind "liked it but didn't love it" query rejections, or submission passes.

and here's a part 2 for emotional dimension--how to move the reader.
How to write sexual content in YA-- and this is why I wrote a 6-page sex scene in The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell:
Part 2 on how to write sexual content in YA, addressing tone, language, scale, pacing, & more. #subtips

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Kate Brauning

Kate Brauning Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @KateBrauning

Kate Brauning Profile picture
Jun 16
It’s #subtips time! Here’s an editor plot tip challenge that may significantly tighten your plot, stakes, & pacing.

Make your main character the antagonist of your antagonist.
So many genre novels I work on tend to have MCs with strong internal goals but soggy, abstract external goal. Discovering something, figuring something out, dealing with a family dynamic, making it through something. #subtips
But the antagonist’s goal the author really nailed—it’s specific, measurable, concrete, unique. Get revenge by doing X. Build power by siphoning magic from Y. Present a deadly puzzle to trap Z. #subtips
Read 17 tweets
Kate Brauning Profile picture
Apr 25
It's #subtips time! 3 golden rules of the first page, from an editor:
1) Give us a burning question. What will happen? Are we right about our dangerous suspicion? What is this incredibly intriguing situation? Why are they doing this very odd thing? We will read to get the answer.
This question should hang in the reader's mind as the early conflict/tension. It should be fresh-- why is this toast so important? Why the hell is she sitting in a hole in the back yard? It should be important and not TOO big. "Will they live?" is much too big for pg 1 #subtips
Double down on this question on page 2-- add a layer, give a detail that prompts a deeper question. Slowly peel the onion-- only tell us things that will make us have MORE questions or will make the original question even more important. That re-sets the hook! #subtips
Read 4 tweets
Kate Brauning Profile picture
Nov 18, 2019
Some quick Monday morning #subtips on author branding! In an age of so much information and access, a solid brand becomes a goldmine for authors.

What is a brand? It's the core elements that readers can expect from you-- it lets them know what to expect before they buy.
Your brand is made up of who you are + what you write. You + your books = your brand. #subtips

But of course it's not THAT easy, right?
Your brand is not a logo, a business card, your website, your colors. Those are all products or expressions of your brand. Your brand guides them. Before you jump into branding with hundreds or thousands of dollars in purchases, hang on a second. #subtips
Read 25 tweets
Kate Brauning Profile picture
Nov 20, 2018
Whaaat is it really #subtips time again? It is! I'm going to yell about what makes a standout, bestselling, award-winning, reader-grabbing first line in a novel. WITH EXAMPLES.
First to note-- not every book that wins awards or becomes a bestseller or that readers love like their own child has a striking first line. BUT why not use every power you have to hook your reader and set their expectation? #subtips
There's a magical joy in picking up a book that's new to you & reading a first line that just stabs you in the heart, or makes you laugh out loud in the bookstore, or mesmerizes you so intensely you forget that you're a person making a decision & simply enter the story #subtips
Read 31 tweets
Kate Brauning Profile picture
Oct 6, 2018
I am so tired of people thinking being a bi person married to a person of another gender makes you somehow less queer. Like you’re basically straight and can live a straight life.
A) it’s not being “basically straight.” Your brain and body are still bi. Your relationship is not a straight one.

B) it’s not all “I get to pass as straight.” Sometimes I pass as straight, but it’s not always that I GET to. Passing as straight sometimes SUCKS
There are aspects of privilege to not having my orientation immediately guessable by everyone around me. This is very true. Those of us with no option there so often deal with massive trauma because of it.
Read 17 tweets
Kate Brauning Profile picture
Nov 29, 2017
Time for more #subtips! More on emotional engagement and emotional dimension! To review here's my thread from last time:
Your character can go through hell but if the reader isn't impacted emotionally, none of it matters. Breakout books move the reader. #subtips
I am specifically talking about mainstream fiction straddling the literary-commercial divide, and how to boost that breakout potential. Though these tools apply to a lot of books! #subtips
Read 26 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(