The WEbook Newsletter - June / July 2015

WEbook's June Newsletter

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Dear WEbook,

Welcome to your June newsletter, a roundup of news and events from around the site and a celebration of our fantastic writing community.

This month we've nominated two members to feature as our Member of the Month and Writer of the Month. The WEbook staff select the nominations for these positions from among members who have made a stand-out contribution to the site, but we're always open to suggestions. If you know of a member who should be highlighted for their contribution to the community - this can include things such as personal progress in their writing, an innovative story idea, or for just generally being an all-round excellent person - let us know.

In this month's newsletter we're highlighting a few projects that you can get involved with on WEbook, plus some of our favourite projects written by WEbook members.

We will also be giving a few tips on how to convincingly and effectively add plot twists into your stories - a great help to everyone entering our July Challenge, Twisted Tales!

We've been teasing you with vague hints about some exciting updates to WEbook... We're still working hard on them, but we're not quite ready to roll them out just yet, so keep your eyes peeled and prepare yourselves for some serious WOW factor.

Until next month WEbookers,

Happy writing,

The WEbook Team

Member of the Month

Our Member of the Month for June is grafiksad. Not only has grafiksad been crowned winner of May's Monthly Challenge, but he has also provided over 100 pieces of feedback on the site this month! Excellent work!

Writer of the Month

Our Writer of the Month for June is Green_Regol. A member since 2009, Green_Regol has been actively adding to her ongoing poetry project, Of What is Red this month, with over 40 updates. Great going!

Write, write, write...

Here are few projects you can get involved with too

The 500 Words Challenge

Add your own chapter to this project and top it up by 500-words every day! This is an open-ended challenge, but you should aim to be adding to your chapter in 500-word chunks for 30 days. This will get you to 15,000 words in a month. If you stay dedicated to the cause, that is ...

The July Challenge

This month we want you to show us how well you can convincingly twist a narrative on its head by adding a plot twist to your submission... Entry is open until August 1st!

Pitch a Plot to the Community

Have an idea for a plot, but want some advice on how to make it better? Why not ask the community what they think?

Read, read, read...

Discover some of the best projects on WEbook

Solomon Fierce

Sprayoncrayon

When Solomon Fierce retired early as a "ghost hunter" he swore he would never accept the supernatural again.

After all, he had been running a con on each of his clients. But when a mysterious envelope arrives with an offer he can't resist, Fierce dons his con man mantle once again. Pretty soon, things go awry and Solomon begins to suspect that his past is catching up with him...

The Golden Illusion

RJUrquheart

Ruairi MacBeth is a conjurer who stumbles on a 4,000 year old illusion.

After finding a reference to the Golden Illusion amongst some papers, Ruairi begins to uncover a fiercely protected secret. His search leads him to a mysterious Elizabethan sect, The Family of Love, but he is thwarted in his quest by the secret's custodians. The search for the truth will cost Ruairi more than he could possibly guess...

Out of the Empty

LizbethRose

How can you save the world when you don't even know what you are?

Darcy Fidelma has lived a comfortable life as a serving maid for eighteen years. But when she goes to serve her master at the High King Conellan's Registries, a compulsory branding of all those of a magical, half-breed race, her world changes forever. Hunted, feared and hated, Darcy will set out across the Five Kingdoms, armed with only a cat and an elf, to figure out who, and what, she is.

Twists and Turns

Some tips on using plot twists ...

The most obvious, and commonly used method of adding a twist to your story is to employ an unreliable narrator.

Although this is a great way to lure your readers into a false sense of security, it can be difficult for new authors to achieve the level of precision needed to make this approach effective. When starting out, there are a few other methods you can employ to achieve a similar impact for your readers. This will help you to gain confidence in your writing style, and allow you to build up to using more high-impact tools when planning and writing your novel or short story.

Preparation

A Purpose in your Narrative is Essential
Avoid making your plot twist so dramatic that you lose the original story. Remember that your reader is invested in the story you have constructed for them. By scrapping the original narrative in a twist you'll alienate them, and their belief in the story will diminish to the point of failure.
Twist the Right Way
Timing is as important as the twist itself. It's traditional to place this at the end of a story, or at its climatic peak, but they can also work well in the middle of a narrative. Remember, it's important to respect your reader, so avoid throwing everything in the air on the last page with no logical explanation.
Avoid Trickery
Don't insult your reader; remember this rule. You want your reader's emotional investment in your story to be worthwhile to them as well as you. A successful twist always deepens the story, it doesn't play the reader for a fool. You're pulling the wool over their eyes, not the rug from beneath their feet.

Execution

Eliminate the Obvious
Plan your climax meticulously. Think about all of the possible 'what if's' that could ruin your twist. Eliminate them. Now, think about some more. Eliminate those too. Nobody should guess what you're up to - not even your MC.
Tip: Make a visual chart to strengthen your twist's construction and development.
Write Two Stories - Not One
A twist is about deception. First, plan the real story. Then, plan the story you want your reader to believe. Weave them together and you're ready to start on the next element, planting clues.
Clues...?
Drop a few whispers. Obscurity is the key to success, and hopefully a forehead slap or two.
Red Herrings
A clue isn't always as helpful as it seems. Drop a few false clues throughout your story to distract your reader's attention. The more convincing these are, the greater the impact of the final reveal, because the reader will have been looking under the bed when you're hiding in the wardrobe.

On the Blog

Read our interview with the winner of WEbook's June Challenge, First Line Imitations. Grafiksad's brilliantly wacky entry, Alexandra Penworthy, beat off some seriously strong competition to be crowned your winner! READ IT HERE

In the Store

We publish some of your best projects as WEbooks so that the world can enjoy reading your writing just as much as we do! Support our community by visiting the WEbook store today! VISIT IT HERE