Writing Terms That Authors Should Know

Know your craft. To be a top writer, it takes effort and time. Here are some of the things you should know:

• SMS = Saggy Middle Syndrome. This is probably the most common fault in all first draft manuscripts. The author expends much energy on a strong opening and a great twist ending, but the middle suffers. The solutions are various: add an extra sub-plot, add a mid-point reversal, or merge lots of scenes out of the mediocre middle.
• WRS = White Room Syndrome. This is a common scene problem where the characters are talking in the middle of nothing. The solution: add prop beats or scenery beats to the dialogue.
• THS = Talking Heads Syndrome. Similar to WRS, this is where the characters are talking but not much else. The solution is to add body language beats (and other beats).
• KCD = Kindle Countdown Deal. This is a marketing feature of Amazon KDP where you can discount your e-book to 99c for up to a week.
• SSS = Slow Start Syndrome. A lot of novels have this problem. You want to show your hero's life before the big inciting event, but you end up starting with the hero alone eating breakfast. The radical solution is to cut your entire start and begin the story "in media res" (which means in the middle of the action).
• HEA = Happily Ever After. This usually refers to romance novels, but a Hollywood ending is a reader favorite in any genre.
• HFN = Happy For Now. This is a not-quite HEA. The romantic pair are together now but it won't last, or they stay friends, but don't continue their romance.
• Deus ex machina. An overused plot twist where an overpowering being comes into the story at a hopeless point and saves the day. The modern version of this is a sudden overly-convenient coincidence that resolves all the issues. The solution is creativity: how can the situation appear doomed for your hero and yet there's a plausible way out.
• OOC = Out-of-Character. A dreaded editor's comment.
• H = Hero or Heroine.
• ARC = Advance Reader Copy. This is a pre-launch marketing strategy where you can get feedback from beta readers, and sometimes also queue up some reviews.
• DNF = Did Not Finish. Not the type of review you want.
• YA = Young Adult (genre)
• NaNoWriMo = National November Writer Month. This is an annual competition and morale-builder for authors.