James Scott Bell
1) Deadlock
There is one sure-fire way of improving your novel fast ...
You may know the fundamentals of how to write fiction. You may be more than competent in plot, structure and characters. But if your dialogue is dull it will drag the whole story down.
On the other hand, if your dialogue is crisp and full of tension it <i>immediately</i> grabs the reader. And if that reader is an agent or editor, sharp dialogue
...How far will a man go to protect his family? Attorney Sam Trask will go farther than he ever dreamed, even in his worst nightmare. Because his worst nightmare is about to come true... At age forty-seven, attorney Sam Trask finally seems to have his life in order. The dark years of too much drinking and all-consuming ambition have given way to Christian faith. His marriage is strong again. Everything seems finally on the right track. Then a voice
...At the age of five, Steve Conroy saw his seven-year-old brother kidnapped from the very bedroom they shared. His brother was never found. And the guilt of his silence that night has all but destroyed Steve's life. Now thirty years old with a failing law practice, Steve agrees to represent convicted criminal Johnny LaSalle, an arrangement sweetened by a lucrative retainer. It's not long until he discovers that this con man might just be his missing
...