Just about every discipline has its own jargon. Writing and publishing are no different. This glossary will explain some of the most common word usages. Also included are some grammar explanations. This section will be updated on a regular basis so please check back if you don't find answers to your questions.

A

§         Active Voice – is using making the subject perform the action in a sentence instead of being the subject of the action. Police arrested a suspect, is active voice because the subject of the sentence, Police, perform the action of the verb arrest. Active voice begins with a simple declarative sentence.

§         Advance – is the money an author receives when signing a contract for a book. The “advance” is paid against actual royalties and the author will not receive another payment until the book “earns out” the advance amount.

§         Antagonist – the character who challenges the protagonist.  This can be the villain or in a romance it might be the person of the opposite sex who is the protagonist or heroine’s love interest.

B

§         Backstory – is the history for your characters. It may or may not play a role in your novel, but often you as the author needs to know the past for your characters because it may play a role in why the character reacts a certain way. You may want to reveal some of that past in your book to show why your character takes certain actions or refuses to take action.

§         Beats  – are the little pieces of action that occur throughout the scene. They are the physical movements by a character that allow readers to picture what is happening during the scene.

§         Black Moment – is the bleakest moment in your novel.  It is the moment when all appears lost.  

§         Blurb – is the 100 words or so that is usually on the back of a paperback, or on the inside flap of a hardcover book that tells just enough about the plot and the characters to intrigue the would-be reader. 

C

§         Climax  – is the high point of your novel. This is where the final battle is waged; where the antagonist must succeed or lose it all.

D

          §         Denouement – is the conclusion. This is how the story ends. Does the  

             hero get the heroine?

E

§         Epilogue – is an addition after the story ends. Everything has been wrapped up. The Denouement is over, but you still have a few details to wrap up. 

F       §         First person – is telling your story through only one set of eyes. This can be the Antagonist telling the story or it can be a person who is telling the Antagonists story through his/her eyes. Moby Dick was about Captain Ahab's battle with the whale, but it was told through the eyes of the only survivor.

§         Flashback – is an event that happened earlier, perhaps before the novel started or even during the novel, but the event wasn't described at the time.  This is a character remembering the event or the author telling about the event that happened in the past.

§         Foreshadow – is giving a hint of what is to come. It might be the gypsy fortune teller describing an event or it might be the hero finding something that will play a role later in the book.

G

§         Genre – a category of literary composition characterized by a particular style, form or content. 

H

§         Hero/heroine – this is the protagonist or the main character in your novel.  In a romance novel you will have one of each, a hero and a heroine. S/he is usually the good guy.

I

§         Inciting Incident – is what sets your book into action. It can a murder, a woman moving to a new town, the hero arriving back in his old hometown. It puts the plot into motion.

§         Increasing the tension -- in every story you tell you should be prepared to keep increasing the tension until the final climax. This keeps the reader turning the pages and keeps the pace moving along.  Your scenes should be built the same way. They might start slow, but the tension should increase. 

J

§         Journal – many writers started by keeping a personal journal. Many still use "journaling" to keep track of their writing or as a way to start off their writing day.

L

§       Logline - is a one sentence description of your story. A logline is useful for pitching to agents or editors or for describing your story to potential readers. A blurb is similar but it is usually a little longer.

M

§        Message – is the theme behind your novel.  What are you trying to get across to the reader.

N

§         Narrative – is the "telling" part of your story.  It is simply writing what has occurred and describing it without dialogue. While a book that is all narrative might be boring, narrative can be useful to summarize unimportant events.

O

§         Omniscient point of view – this point of view is when the reader is allowed to see all points of view in the work. The author tells what each character is thinking and acts as the overall storyteller.

P

§         Passive Voice  – is when the receiver of the action is treated as the   

 subject of the sentence rather than as the object. 

§         Plot – is the way the story movies.  It has a beginning, a middle and an end. 

§        Point of View or POV – This is who is telling the story.  It can either be in the first person, that is the main character tells or narrates the story, or it can be in 3^rd person, as in s/he is telling the story. 

§         Prologue – is the beginning of a novel that occurs before the book begins. It may be a part of the story the writer is telling or explain a reason behind why something will happen later. It is often used to set the stage.

§         Proposal – Book proposals vary from publisher to publisher. (see guidelines) The proposal usually includes a synopsis or breakdown of the book and pages from the manuscript.  For a fiction book the proposal is usually a set number of pages (as requested by the publisher).  Often the publisher will ask for the first 3 chapters, and these should be consecutive. In a non-fiction book proposal, the publisher may allow three chapters from any part of the book and a chapter breakdown.

 §         Protagonist – is the main character in your novel.  S/he is usually the good guy.

Q

§         Query – is the letter an author sends the publisher/editor or agent telling about their manuscript, article or story.

R

§        Royalties – The amount a publisher agrees to pay an author for the sales of a book.

S      

§         Scene – is what is happening at this moment in your book. 

§         Sequel  – is a follow up to your book or movie. It can be a second story using the same characters or some of the same characters that were in a previous novel.

§         Sequel  – is also the follow up to a scene. It can be thought or narrative. A good definition is available from Dwight Swain in his book, Techniques of the Selling Writer. 

§         Synopsis – is a 1-20 page summary of your story.  Often an editor will want to see a synopsis along with your first three chapters so this would be part of your proposal.  Check publisher guidelines to see how long a synopsis they want. Some may want 1 page, while others may request a detailed outline.

T

§         Theme – is the underlying premise the writer is trying to convey to the reader. It is often expressed in phrases such as “love conquers all,” or “death before dishonoror truth.  It gives meaning to your story.

§         Transition – is a change between scenes. Sometimes to increase the pacing you might go from an action-filled sequence to something slower or more thoughtful. This will give your readers a chance to catch their breath.

V

§         Villain – the character that wants the protagonist dead, destroyed, wounded, or defeated.