Self Edits, Part 1

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Before you decide that your book is finished and you are ready to spend time and money working with an editor I would suggest a round of self edits. This is the real work. If you thought that telling the story the first time was the hard part, you might be in for a surprise. Over the next few posts I will be talking about the work that comes after the first draft.

Step One. Take a break.

Most writers understand that after writing a book, you need to give the story some space to breath. I usually tell people a month is good. There’s no rush.  Give yourself some distance so that when you come back to the manuscript the material is fresh. You will be better able to recognize common problems, and will be more willing and open to making changes.

Step Two – Begin Again

When you return to the story, read it through and ask yourself a few questions. Does it seem that you have read this story a dozen times before? Does it have some twist to make it different?  Did you open yourself in the story to taking a chance? If not, what element can be introduced to make the book an original? Every story has been told. But what makes your book a fresh read for the lover of the genre it represents?

When I speak about originality, I am not suggesting that you take a historical love story and throw aliens in for the heck of it. As an author you offer your reader a promise – to give them a story that they will understand and appreciate within its genre or sub-genre. Each part of your books plays to this promise, from the cover to the opening, through the middle to the end. Don’t disappoint.

This is the most difficult part of self editing, but it is also the step I recommend first and the one most people want to skip. They want to talk about the mechanics of the writing, the grammar and the structure. Those are important. But this is the essence of your work. Begin here. Read your book, think it over. Know your genre. Hopefully, before you ever began writing this book you read others within the genre to understand the author’s promise to the reader.

Next we will look at the opening of your book.

Happy Writing,

Nancy

→ Leave a comment

Posted in A Note From the Coach, Self Edits, Writing Exercise

Tagged , , ,

Let’s Talk Dialogue

Posted on December 7, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

There are thousands of rules when it comes to the use of contractions, verb usage and sentence structure in my Chicago Manual of Style. But where do we go to look for rules on dialogue? What do we do when we are writing in the voice of a street tough from New York? Or a fisherman back in from a run on the Grand Banks? These people don’t speak the same dialect, and they don’t follow the rules in any stylebook.

When we are writing dialogue we need to be true to our characters more so than any grammar rule. In fact it is often better if we ignore the rules entirely and go with our gut. Make your characters speak as they do in our heads – broken sentences, slang and all. Write it, and then read it aloud. Does it sound like someone talking?  Better yet, if you have a good stretch of dialogue, have a friend read it with you as if you were reading a play. There is an ebb and a flow to the conversation. Without that rhythm the dialogue will sound forced, and won’t read like a realistic discussion / chat/ argument. Emotion plays a part in this rhythm – anger makes your sentences shorter, desire can lengthen the pace and cause…interesting pauses. :)

It’s also important that you are familiar with any special dialect you are attempting to recreate. Here are a couple of resources on dialects that I found interesting:

http://web.ku.edu/~idea/northamerica/canada/canada.htm  (Canadian dialects – you can even catch a few audio clips)

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/dialectsofenglish.html (English dialects, a study on how they sound, common slang, etc.)

http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/ (these are more like parodies or real dialects, but they are really fun and can be inspiring when you type in your original text)

http://www.slangsite.com/  (the slang dictionary)

Have fun and talk the talk.

Nancy

→ Leave a comment

Posted in A Note From the Coach, Dialogue

Tagged , ,

Stumbling Through Writer’s Block

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Eventually most authors come to a point where they simply can’t seem to generate the next idea. They can’t evoke the muse. Or they feel their plot is sick, and they can’t seem to find a way to help it out of it’s misery. Most authors who have reached this point blame their problems on writer’s block.

I say phooey.

Now let me quantify that – there really are times when we can’t write. But it is most often due to being overtired, rather than being blocked. There is a common cure for this state – often referred to as “refilling the well”. I am a great proponent of this cure. Blocked? Get some rest. A dream could be the answer. Go to an art show. Go for a walk. Do anything other than write – but for a short time, and if possible, include a creative slant to your non-writing activity. Do not watch TV – your mother was right, it will rot your brain. 

After you have taken a short period of time off, go back and read your story. Like it? Then write – even if you skip ahead and write an easy scene that is coming up soon in the book. You can go back and fill in the rest later.

Beyond this, I hope all my writing friends are now equipped with at least one critique partner. Someone who you can count on to objectively read your work and tell you the truth. Let those partners guide you when you feel you’ve reached a dead end. Although you might not take their suggestion, the conversation often leads to new ideas for your subconscious to mull over.

You are not writing because a mystical entity is guiding you. You write because you have it in you to write. You just need to let it out again. Don’t wait for inspiration.

Nancy

→ Leave a comment

Posted in A Note From the Coach, Writer's block, Writing Exercise

Tagged , , ,

Why Do You Need An Editor?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by admin| 2 Comments

Why do you need an editor? After years of writing, why would you hand over good money to someone else to edit your books? Surely you know how to revise and edit and proofread your books by now. Well, perhaps you do. But most of us have found one simple truth, even after all those years of writing. We cannot see our own mistakes.

Seriously. How many times have you written something, reviewed it, revised it, only to give it to your critique partners and have them tell you about the big plot holes? Or the two times you gave the hero different eye colors? Spelled his name incorrectly? And it is nearly ompossible for you to notice senteneces that have the wrong tense, are missing commas, or have a reversed structure.

It’s up to your editor to find these things. A fresh set of trained eyes. And one who has never reviewed your work before can often find the problems in a character development arc, or sub plot. An editor will tell you when you don’t need an extra character. Or when your hero is just too tall. Or when a move in a fight scene is just plain impossible.

I have an editor. She is awesome on toast, Ms. Rhonda Helms. She does all of the above, and I love her for it. And no matter how long I have been editing, I will still need her, or someone like her. How about you?

Nancy

→ 2 Comments

Posted in A Note From the Coach, editors

Tagged , ,

Publishing Channels

Posted on November 6, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

In today’s market, authors have three major methods or channels through which they can see their book published and sold.

1.      TRADITIONAL

2.      SMALL PUB (OFTEN EPUB, OR EBOOK FIRST)

3.      SELF PUBLISHING

TRADITIONAL       

We know the drill here. Or do we? In the traditional publishing world, where we would submit to the big 6 (don’t know who they are and what they are about? Check them out here http://www.fictionmatters.com/2010/03/05/who-are-%E2%80%9Cthe-big-six%E2%80%9D/ ) or a mid level publishing house like Harlequin.

There are those that bemoan the big publishers, but I bet secretly if they were offered a deal they would go for it! Yes, the royalty rates are smaller. But you sell so many more books. Some people feel that breaking into a bank would be easier than getting your work into one of these publishers. Maybe not anymore.

A lot o the really big names are now going it alone, leaving more room for mid list and new authors. But often you need an agent before you can have your books submitted. Even there you have to check every single imprint because requirements can vary widely.

For instance – YA publishers (because I happen to be looking at YA and a couple of you are too) that do not require agents, are part of the big 6 or mid-list, and who are accepting submissions:

Sourcebooks (Sourcebooks Fire) http://www.sourcebooks.com/authors/submission-guidelines.html

 Harlequin Teen http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1403&chapter=0

Penguin ACE (fantasy and sci-fi) http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/specialinterests/scifi/submission.html

Still feel you need an agent? These are YA agents that have made recent, respectable deals for YA books from new authors (and there are hundreds more): 

Deborah Warren   East/West Agency    
Tina Wexler   ICM      
Kate Schafer Testerman KT Literary    
Tracey Adams   Adams Literary    
Leticia Gomez   Savvy Literary Services  
Stefanie Von Borstel   Full Circle Literary    
Victoria Marini   Gelfman Schneider    
Miriam Kriss   Irene Goodman Agency  
Martha Millard   Martha Millard Literary Agency  
Kevan Lyon   Marsal Lyon Literary Agency  
Kristin Keene   ICM      
Ammi-Joan Paquette   Erin Murphy Literary Agency  
Stacey Glick   Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

SMALL PUB

The newer breed of publisher, the small pub, the epub, the e-first pub. These guys are quickly evolving. They offer much higher royalty rates than their traditional big brothers, but sell fewer copies through smaller distributions. Some off both e-formats and paper, some just epub. Most do not require agents but will work with them if you have one.

Examples:

Entangled http://www.entangledpublishingblog.com/submissions/        
                   
Medallion http://www.medallionpress.com/guidlines/index.html        
                   
Sourcebooks (Sourcebooks Fire) http://www.sourcebooks.com/authors/submission-guidelines.html

SELF PUBLISHING

The final frontier. Maybe. In this ever evolving business it is hard to say for sure. Especially when a ‘traditional’ (ie it’s been around for a couple of years) venue for self pubbing, AMAZON, suddenly becomes one of the big boys. Perhaps to be one the big 7? With others like KOBO following suit.

So – you write the book, you get it edited, get a cover, get it formatted and you put it up for sale at a number of forums. Amazon, Smashwords, a ton of other places.

But I want my book in paper! That’s okay, you can do that too. Where? Here’s an excellent article on forums. http://mashable.com/2009/03/01/publish-book/ 

But really, the problem with self publishing is the distribution. Yes, you get most of the money from the book, aside from a few fees. But where do you sell those paperbacks except for Amazon. That my friend, is the problem.

Nancy

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Agents, Publishers, Publishing Channels, YA

Tagged , , , ,

Dealing With Rejection

Posted on October 30, 2011 by admin| 2 Comments

Whether you are brand new to writing and on your first submission to an agent or editor, or you are a multi-published author sending out a new proposal, rejection is a reality you may and eventually WILL have to deal with. Because buying books is a subjective business, your works have to pass a personal review by one or more people before you can be offered a contract.

I’m thinking about this right now because although I have sold two stories this year, I was just rejected on a short story that I had sent in to an anthology. Why?  Hard to say, but since I feel it was a good story and a good fit, it was likely a matter of personal opinion on behalf of the anthology’s editor, publisher, or marketing staff. They will have had their reasons, and that’s ok.

I’ve heard people say that you have to develop a thick skin as an author, and I would have to agree. The most important thing with a rejection is (after you have cursed about it and eaten half a tub of your favorite ice cream) to read it over again and see if you can learn anything. Some rejections give a reason, but these days, most do not. They are simply a form letter. So look at your book again. Was it edited? Was the plot good?  Did it fit into the publisher’s line (you need to review what each publisher has been putting out for the last several months to see if you really fit or not – this is important research)?

Then, put the book aside for a month. Yes, a month. Don’t look at it. Work on your new book (hopefully you started one the moment the last book was out of your hands). After a month, or at a convenient place in your wip, go back to the rejected work and read it over. Is it still good or do you see places that need improvements?  Odds are you will see something that needs to be changed. Change it, send it out again, and move on.

Sounds simple. But it isn’t. It’s hard, I know. But you are a writer. Self determined and maybe a little masochistic anyway. ;)

Nancy

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Balance

Posted on October 27, 2011 by admin| 4 Comments

It’s all about balance. I know a lot of authors. But I know very few full time authors. Most writers, even those multi-published, have a ‘day job’. A full time position that brings in regular paychecks. Writing can be a fickle career and unless you are independently wealthy, or have a supportive spouse / partner that can bring in enough funds to pay those pesky utilities, that’s what you will have too.

So how do you bring balance to your writing/ day job / home life / social commitments? Very carefully. It takes planning.  One of my good friends, author Kelly Boyce, gets up about an hour and a half early in the mornings to write before her day job. Another friend writes when she waits for her children at various sports / school activities after work. Yet another writes only after her kids are off to bed, from 9PM until 11PM. These are dedicated writers, all published. They know that they have to schedule their writing time.

Review your daily routine. Is writing part of it? If not, where could it be a regular part? Don’t forget that reading is a part of writing. Reading other people’s work helps you to learn about your own. So count that in too.  And be honest with yourself. Are you too tired to write every night? What if you said you were only going to write a hundred words? Don’t think you can write in a limited time frame? Try this exercise (scroll down to where it says ONLINE) with WRITE OR DIE - you have to keep writing, or you lose!

You can write every day, make it part of your life without losing your family or your day job. The social life though – well, you might lose a little of that. But someday your friends will be able to say they know an author.

Nancy

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Goals, Writing Exercise

Tagged , , , ,

Goals Again. Why?

Posted on October 25, 2011 by admin| 8 Comments

Further thoughts on goal setting and achieving. Why am I thinking about this? Why now and not a week before New Year’s Eve or three weeks after December 31st when our resolutions have been broken and tossed in the bin?

Because a week from today we begin NANOWRIMO. Don’t know what it is? Check it out – this is an awesome program for writers, National Novel Writing Month. Where everyone goes crazy trying to write a full 50,000 word book in the month of November. Here’s the link. Signing up for free gets you some wonderful, encouraging newsletters, some cool tracking tools, and fun contact with other writers, both online or in person in your area.

Now some people enter NANO without a clue as to what to write. The founder of the program, Chris Baty, even wrote a book on it – No Plot? No Problem. But having done NANO a few years now, I know the truth is – you need a plan. You need to know what you are going to write. Have a synopsis at least. And just as importantly, you need to know WHEN you are going to write. You need to get almost 1700 words a day on paper to win. And you want to win, right?

Most Nano’ers find their biggest problem wasn’t that they couldn’t find time, or that they couldn’t write. It was after a while, they couldn’t fight the urge to go back and edit, eating up their valuable writing time and as they inevitably changed the plot along with their grammar, they ruined their understanding of what to write next. Goodbye plan.

So, if you plan to write in NANOWRIMO, decide now – what you will write (lay it out a little), when you will write, and that you will not back up and edit. Make your goals. If you do nothing else by participating, you will create a habit of writing every day. That’s your goal.

Nancy

→ 8 Comments

Posted in Goals

Tagged , , ,

A Note from the Coach – Goals

Posted on October 23, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

I read some time ago that willpower is a limited resource, residing in the same small section of the brain that houses the ability to stay focused, our short term memory, and the part of our mind that solves abstract problems. That is a lot for one very small area in the front of our brain. But there is so much I would like to accomplish! And I need willpower to do it all. The way I see it, we can only handle so much, so we need a PLAN.

I have just come from a meeting today with my goals group, a five person meet-up of like minded women. We talk about our goals for writing, for our home, for finances and for our health. We meet every two weeks and discuss what we achieved, and what we didn’t, and today we reviewed what we had accomplished not only over the last two weeks but also for the 3/4 mark for the year.  It was really quite a lot.

Here’s the key to our success. We state our goals out loud, and we write them down. We hold each other accountable.

Pull out your goals for the year. Where are you? No need to comment here but consider what you could accomplish in the next few months. Make that plan.

Nancy

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Goals, Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,