If You Give a Girl a Pen... » Editing and Revising

Try writing the ending first…

Sarah — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:00:58 +0000

Who says that you you have to write chapter to chapter? Have you ever been stuck up to the knees in the linear process of creating your story? Sitting staring at the same chapter for weeks unable to move forward even though you know where the story needs to go? I recently discovered the ability to break this stagnation by jumping ahead in the timeline. I found it to be an excellent way to refresh the creative flow as well as an fun adventure when “sewing” the pieces of the story together.

Emily Sage lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her two “furry” children. She is a self proclaimed “student of the universe” although she is getting her formal training as an English major at Salt Lake Community College. She has been published in her school’s literary magazine. She has written mostly poetry and short stories until she was inspired to write the first book in the DreamScape trilogy. She is currently working on the second book in between working full time and finishing her degree.

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In the Land of Edits

Marybeth — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:52:38 +0000

Once upon a time, in a land far away, when a girl couldn’t catch a break or a snow day, a book was completed and editing had began everywhere. The characters grew nervous, afraid to be cut. The plot bit it’s fingers, desperately hoping it’s holes would not be seen. After all, how embarrassing is it to be filled with gaping holes and missing moments? But the worst off in the land was the author. She had sent off the entire manuscript to be critiqued for the first time. She knew the characters well and she felt dearly close to the plot. The moment the hit send and her characters were gone her stomach filled with butterflies and a wave of nausea hit her from behind. It was pure agony. She would now have to sit back like a mom who had just sent her baby to school for the first time and wait for her characters and plot to return. She hoped they would not get beaten up or mocked. She longed for them to be well received and loved. After all, she had crafted them so gently.

So she sat and she waited, and waited, and waited….

To be continued…

P.S. I’m the author! Waiting is the name of the game and I’m STILL nauseous. How did you feel the first time you first sent your manuscript off to be critiqued?

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Marybeth is an aspiring novelist currently working on her second novel. For more information visit her website www.marybethsmith.com. She also has a blog Desperately Searching for my Inner Mary Poppins where you can keep up on her moments as mother, wife and writer..

Keys to Great Writing

Damyanti — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:23:22 +0000

On my writing desk, I put up things that help me write from time to time. Recently, I found a book by Stephen Wilbers, called ” KEYS TO CREATIVE WRITING” and the two pages I find most helpful, I have photocopied and laid down on my desk where I can see them as I write.

I have scanned them for you, in order to share. You can read few pages here. But I would urge any writer be it fiction, or non-fiction to go and buy the book. This would probably be a good investment for all writers and writer-wannabes out there, because it contains detailed info not only on writing a piece, but more importantly, on re-writing and editing it to perfection.

So here you go:

Excerpt from "Keys to Great Writing"

Second Excerpt from Keys to Great Writing

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A Writing Questionnaire For All To Share

Eden — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:51:13 +0000

1. Are you a “pantser” or a “plotter?”
I tend to have an idea of the beginning and the end and, of course, the characters, but I sit down to write and a scene plays out in my head and I just write it. I’ve no control. People die, crazy things happen, I find out things about my characters that I had never even considered…. And I love it all. But, that said, I definitely have an idea about what’s going to happen. I just have no clue how my MC is going to end up there.

2. Detailed character sketches or “their character will be revealed to me as I write?”
I did one character sketch and it worked all right, but she was my first *real* character. Once I got down how to portray a character, I realized I didn’t need the sketch. I have a great one — super detailed and I can see how it can help a lot of writers, but I learn about my characters as I go. They definitely reveal themselves. Even with the girl I did sketch out, I ended up finding out later that she was a cutter at one point and now has blood lust going on…definitely didn’t plan either of those, but it’s who she is..

3. Do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing?
Only for one book. The first one. It *might* be my best, but it also has allowed me the freedom not to have to work so hard on the subsequent ones. I have more confidence. Once an idea enters my head, I take a few notes and let it all simmer ’til I can sit down and then I just write. I suppose I do have a good idea of what’s going on, but really only in the back of my mind. And it’s the knowledge the characters give me…not anything that I hyper aware of.

4. Books on plotting – useful or harmful?
Books on plotting are probably not all that harmful. Maybe not super useful, either, but what’s wrong with learning something new? As long as you’re not reading a book about *how* to write, in general (because, let’s face it, if you have to be taught how to write, you’re probably not a writer), I don’t see the harm. [Sorry, I'm not one of those people who believe writers can be made...]
I do believe that learning how to *tell* a story is super important. A writer must know how to portray the action and have reason for everything. If a character can easily get out of a situation, then something in your book needs to change. There has to be a reason for everything. Otherwise there’s no point. And I mention this mainly because a good friend read a few books on storytelling and he made me realize that that’s key. I’ve always asked questions about plot holes in movies and such—ever since I was little. If a character has a choice, but only make a certain one just to keep the story going, then something needs to be done…. Motivation/necessity — crucial!

5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?
I’m a procrastinator, but only because I have no choice. If I could sit down and write constantly, I would. And I’ve done it before. But it caused some problems with the family, and now I’m taking care of my child completely by myself so I just don’t have the opportunities that I used to. But the itch is definitely there. It kills me.

6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time?
It completely depends. I *can* write eight hours a day and churn out chapter after chapter. But I just don’t have the chance. Now, if I was getting paid to write novels rather than articles, I’d have my child in day care after school and I’d work a *normal* work day and get a ton accomplished. But I don’t have that luxury

7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?
Neither. I’m an ‘everyone’s gone to bed and I Finally have no responibilities’ type of writer. Along with the fact that I work better at night. I don’t really wake up ’til about 3 or 4 in the afternoon (I mean, I’m awake and up, but my brain isn’t functioning properly) and I’m raring to go at around 9-10pm. I stay up ’til 3, on average, but some nights I don’t even go to sleep. My personal filter tends to disappear then and I can just be me and let the characters flow through me at the same time. I don’t have to be a mom or a daughter or whatever else I’m supposed to be. I can just be a writer.

8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?
I can write with about any noise besides music. Only because I’m way too into music and I’ll start listening to the lyrics and then my thoughts get all jumbled. I edit with music, though. Editing is like doing the dishes to me. Just second nature. Even though my characters write for me, it still takes more effort to churn out the draft than it does to revise/edit.

9. Computer or longhand? (Or typewriter?)
Computer. I’ll sometimes write scenes in my notebooks or journals, usually the beginning of a book — to become more personal with it. If I write it out longhand, I create a stronger bond with the brand new characters. But once that part’s done, it’s off to the computer I go. Even typing, it’s hard to keep up with my thoughts. I cannot write fast enough.

10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends. My first book, yes. The other three I have going…I’ve not a clue. But I have others in my head that I know the ending to. I’m really not a type of writer you can pinpoint. I am how I am and that means jack…which can be rather annoying at times.

11. Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write?
I’ve honestly only considered the market once, and it was more about what was best for my character more than the market. But the decision was huge and market did factor in. Otherwise, an emphatic NO! If you’re writing for the market, well, nevermind. I won’t go there….

12. Editing – love it or hate it?
Adore it. I love making something better. It’s so great to me. But hey, I went to school to be an editor so I’m a little different than other writers. I know most aren’t the least bit fond of revisions.

13. Why do you want to write?
It’s not so much that I want to — I have to. It’s just me. Even if I’m just making a list for the store…I love writing. I love putting words together. I can do that with speaking, and I do — I don’t shut up half the time — but writing is just so much more. It’s a life in itself. Whole other worlds…. It’s just the best. I can’t Not write.

14. Do you want to publish your work? Why?
Of course! Some things are just for me, but I love sharing what I’ve written with others. I’d adore it if that could happen on a larger scale.

15. Do like to write alone or do you like to work with others?
Alone. Yup. I like advice from others after the fact, but while I’m writing I like to be alone. But heck, even if I’m not alone, you’d think I was. I ignore everything else going on around me. I can’t help it. Writing sucks me in and has more of a hold on me than pretty much anything else in life. Seems writing is my life.

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Since winning her first writing competition at a young age, Eden Tyler, has only fallen more in love with the written word. She uses her English, Psychology, and Sociology backgrounds to create depth to her own stories and novels while contributing to and running websites about writing. This is what fulfills her, along with working as Co-Editor for Fuel Your Writing, but she also enjoys the freelance work that puts food on the table (and that ever-essential roof overhead) for her family.

How to edit a novel

Sarah — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:10:37 +0000

With all the writing we do, that much more time is spent editing.

In editing Legend of the Protectors, my first manuscript, I went through it with a specific task in mind each time.

First, I went through for passiveness, trying to take out as many TO BE verbs as possible and replacing them with stronger words. The TO BE verbs are ARE, IS, WAS, WERE… They are sometimes necessary, so don’t take them all out, but if you’re new to this, you will want to see if taking them out won’t make the story stronger.

Some examples:

Passive: Sam was sitting in the chair watching Andrew.

Active: Sam sat in the chair watching Andrew.

Okay, I know these are weak, but you get the idea.

Next thing I did was to go through and look for REPETITIVE words. (On both of these use the find/search feature–or you can simple read through, but you’ll see, if you use find/search, that you’ve missed a lot.)

I had many words, that I wouldn’t think I used tons, used TONS. So if you use SO 352 times, you might want to take some of them out. (Yes, I used SO that many times.)

Now, what are some common writing mistakes that you want to avoid? SoYouWanna.com has listed them here for you, and linked to more detail on each one. I will post them again, but encourage you to read the links.

1. MAKE YOUR SUBJECTS AND VERBS AGREE.

2. MAKE PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS AGREE.

3. DON’T MISUSE APOSTROPHES.

4. DON’T USE NOUNS AS VERBS.

5. USE SIMILAR WORDS CORRECTLY. (Like accept and except.)

6. DON’T SPLIT INFINITIVES.

7. STOP MISUSING “HOPEFULLY”. (This is one I just learned. And yep, I have to go fix it.)

So here you have a place to start. Take things one step at a time, and it will make things easier. And soon, you’ll see the mistakes, and fix them without having to LOOK for them. And one day, as you continue to write and practice your skills, you simply won’t make them.

Here’s to EDITING! Good luck!

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Sarah is writer looking for an agent. She is currently working on novel # 4, editing novels 2 and 3, and querying novel # 1. For more insight to her work, visit: http://legendoftheprotectors.wordpress.com/ or http://legendoftheprotectors.blogspot.com/

Sharing Your Writing.

Eden — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:50:35 +0000

As children, we are taught to share. Don’t hog your toys—let your friends play with them, too. Share your cookies at snack time. Share, share, share.

Now that we are adults, the same rule should apply, right? Of course, yes, when it comes to things such as snacks.
But what about writing? Do you share? If so, how often? Do you wait until you’re finished with a project and it’s all polished and shiny before you let others read it? Or do you ask for feedback as you go?

Stephen King tells us to “write with the door closed,” and I’m starting to think that he might have the right idea. Purely because I feel like a child once again. I don’t want to share my toys. Because I seem to have lost the one trait I had that most children struggle with—patience.

I’ve decided that I’m not so fond of waiting for feedback. Maybe it’s karma, though, because I’m still beta reading for someone whose book I should have finished weeks ago! I have some of my work out with friends who were kind enough to offer their assistance. I love that they offered. I love that they are going to give me new, different, objective insight into my work. I love their generosity. I truly am appreciative.

Thing is, I want that insight now! Just like Veruca Salt. The song she sings on Willy Wonka has practically become my theme song. I’ve turned into an impatient child who has not been taught how to share. I sometimes say I might as well keep my stuff to myself and wait until I’ve typed those two magic words, The End.

So, I’m sure most of you aren’t thirty-year-old children acting selfish like me, but, my recent attitude leads me to the question – do you share your work?
Do you look for feedback as you go along? Or do you write the entire draft and then edit and then ask for feedback? How do you write?

Are you like Stephen King and trust yourself to get it right, or do you ask for help along the way? I used to ask for help along the way, but now I’m not so sure…. Which way is best — in your humble (possibly selfish) opinion?

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The Visceral Reaction

Sarah — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:00:37 +0000

In my editing of Legend of the Protectors, my friend, Tes Hilaire, asked me to work on my visceral reactions. Okay, if I knew what they were, it would make it easier to work on them. So I did my research and came to the conclusion, this was a very important part of writing. So, hence this blog post.

What is a Visceral Reaction?

Ebbi Thomas at Effective Mind Control dot com had the answer. These “reactions are triggered by emotions within milliseconds, ahead of your conscious awareness. Adrenalin increases to prepare your body for a fight or flight response. Your heart beats increase to improve blood supply. Blood pressure rises and breathing changes. Acidity increases in the stomach. Your excretory system prepares to clear toxin. Your endocrine system produces the adrenal hormone cortisol.

A visceral reaction occurs quickly, before you become aware of it. Paul Ekman, the famous emotions scientist, reported ‘We become aware a quarter, or half second after the emotion begins. I do not choose to have an emotion, to become afraid, or to become angry. I am suddenly angry. I can usually figure out later what someone did that caused the emotion.’ The nervous system processes all the available information and drives you to anger, or despair, within just half a second. Each visceral response occurs before you know it. Nature also provided laughter to counter this response.”

Well, our characters can’t always laugh off these reactions to keep from getting a stomach ulcer, but that’s okay. We need to be aware of these reactions and add them in our writing.

That said, I’m working on this and hope to improve my writing with Visceral Reactions.

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Hidden tips that your book MIGHT need some work…

Marybeth — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:32:03 +0000

The best way to get objective, honest feedback no doubt comes from a professional editor. But let me tell ya, I checked into that. Editors are expensive!

Sometimes we are blessed to find a great critique group or friend to help us edit. If we are REALLY lucky we get someone who will tell us how it is, without having to pay for it! But let’s be honest, not all of us are lucky enough to find someone in the industry that gives the right kind of feedback.

Although friends and family are GREAT to boost your ego and tell you how wonderful your book is and how every little edit has made the book a sure fire seller, they aren’t the best people to take advice from.

So what’s a writer to do? How can we tell if our book is really ready or worthy to get published?

Here are some good indicators that your book may need some help…

1. You’ve found a few beta readers who are also writers. They were super excited to read your novel, but two chapters in…they stop reading and suddenly you aren’t hearing from them. It’s possible your book may need some help. If they aren’t begging for more, chances are, you’re not hooking them enough.

2. You’ve broken down and sent out tons of query letters. You’ve been reassured that your query is flawless, but you are still getting form rejections. It’s a good indication that your book may need some help. If your first chapters are not able to get you any type of feedback, chances are, you’re not hooking them enough.

3. Your friends and family aren’t too excited to keep up with your changes, updates and edits. In short, they are bored. Friends and family are usually our BEST critics, if we can’t hook them our book DEFINITELY needs help!

If you have experienced any of these my best advice is to work on the beginning of your story. Make it full of hooks and impossible to set down. Just like Julie Andrews said, “Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!” (Oh how I love The Sound of Music!)

Have you ran into any other signs that make you sit back and think, “Maybe my book needs a little more help?”

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Hit a Writer’s Block? Take a Detour.

Sarah — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:00:29 +0000

After three years of work on my first novel, I was pretty exhausted. I’d written the initial draft of WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW in third person, then another version in the first person voices of the three main characters. The third year found me back in the third person for another round. I was starting to resent my characters, wondering why they were taking so long to tell their story, and hoping they didn’t plan to drag it into a Michener-length piece of fiction.

My editor advised a detour from the novel to explore the backroads. She suggested I take background situations and build short stories around them. The result would be a better understanding of the characters, finished work for literary journals and contest submissions, and . . . a needed break from the tedium of the novel.

In the next six months I crafted over ten stories. Several pieces were flash fiction of between 250 & 1,000 words. The others were in the 2,500 – 3,000 word range. They were sent to journals and contests, and because there was a variety of material, I had the ability to send out a new story if I received a positive rejection that turned down the submission but invited future work.

I went back to the novel with a renewed interest and fresh ideas about structure. Certain character traits came to light as I wrote the short pieces, leading me to approach the novel-length story from a different angle. It developed a beginning, middle, and end that made sense in under 90,000 words. I had a finished, polished manuscript within the year.

That’s the “writing life” part of the story. Now for the “marketing” part. After a few of the stories were accepted for publication, I added to my agent query, “Stories based on the lead characters have been published online and in anthologies,” giving credibility to my writing and my characters .

At a recent conference, an agent suggested that I post the unpublished stories on my website and then do promotion to drive readers to the site. She noted a recent client who did this. The traffic numbers helped to build a selling point for the publisher pitch, showing that readers were already familiar with the characters and would be inclined to buy the book for more of their story.

The first of my RITA & SYLVIE stories posted last month at www.gingerbcollins.com. It’s the initial step in a campaign that began as a detour and will hopefully serve as the path to agent representation and publication of my first novel.

BIO

Ginger B. Collins writes short fiction and creative non-fiction. Her work appears online and has been published in Freckles to Wrinkles, Silver Boomers, and the newly released Scratch Anthology of Short Fiction. She recently completed her first novel. Read excerpts at www.gingerbcollins.com.

In her blog, OFF THE TOP OF MY RED HEAD, Ginger applies a past career in sales, marketing, and PR to her new role as author, sharing links and writer resources while exploring subjects like social media, agent search, and writer platforms. All writers are invited to follow the blog and share experiences. http://coppertopcollins.blogspot.com.

Ginger and her husband, Melvin, are avid sailors, and would be content to spend life onboard, cruising coastal waters and exploring land from the shoreline in. Until then, they winter in the Southeast and summer in Atlantic Canada.

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a random number of tips.

Eden — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:11:14 +0000

I have this friend who is a wonderful writer and is sweet and helpful and amazing and any other ‘nice’ adjective you can think of—including smart. Smart, she most certainly is. Oh, and she was taught how to share well. She shared these tips with me and many others, so here I am, paying it forward.

These are Rachel May’s 8 Tips to Better Writing::

1: Read your work out loud.

This one is the most important in RayMay’s eyes. And she’s quite right.

What does this do?: By reading your work out loud, you will pick up grammar mistakes and flow problems. Also, you will hear how your audience is hearing it in their heads. If you trip over a phrase, most likely your reader will as well.

2: Vary your sentence length.

Why is this important?: Sentences that are all the same length tend to make the reader hear your story in monotone. By varying up line/sentence length you add rhythm and flow to your writing. To tell whether or not you have sentences the same length, print out the first page of your story, take a pen or pencil and at the start of every sentence draw a line through the words. When you get to a period end the line. At the next sentence do the same thing. Follow that same system through your first paragraph and subsequent paragraphs. If every line appears to be the same length. Cut some of your sentences down into short ones. Read the entire paragraph out loud to double check that you haven’t taken anything out that’s imperative or shortened a sentence where it should, in fact, be longer.

3: Write great descriptions.

Why is this important?: By writing vivid descriptions, you are involving the reader beyond just words and dialogue. Physically imagine yourself in that particular situation…you already know this I’m sure…but it can’t hurt to remind you.
Also, another way to get descriptions just right is to imagine yourself explaining whatever it is you’re trying to explain to someone who doesn’t have that sense. If I were blind, how would you convey to me a sunset? If I had no sense of smell, how would you convey a scent to me?

4: Dialogue can make or break a story.

Why is dialogue important?: Dialogue is important because when you write great dialogue it adds a whole new level to your story. It gives your characters a voice. Try to think about the people you know—how do they respond to mundane conversations or important conversations? Write dialogue that feels natural. Every person has a different rhythm to their speech patterns; try to give each character a different rhythm to their dialogue. This will help the reader differentiate between your characters.

5: Make (-ing) your friend.

Why are -ing words important?: Sometimes starting a sentence with a gerund helps to add a different feel to a sentence.

Example:

She ran as fast as she could to catch the bus, but still missed it.
Despite running as fast as she could, she still missed the bus.
Running as fast as she could didn’t matter, she still missed the bus.

Basically these sentences are pretty much saying the same thing in different ways. Determine which way flows better with the sentence before and the sentence after.

6: Make each chapter stand on its own.

What does this mean?: This means that a person should feel intrigue in each chapter. That if I picked up your book and turned to chapter 14, I should feel the pull of your story as strongly as if I started from the beginning. And every chapter should end with a hook so that it compels me to read the subsequent chapters.

7: Characters with a point.

What does this mean?: I’m not saying that your characters should have pointy heads or have daggers coming out of their skin. No. I’m saying that you should not introduce a character that has no point. Why? Because if you introduce a character without a real point to push your story along, we as the reader are thinking, “well all that time we spent reading about that unimportant character was wasted.” So, if you have superfluous characters in your story, as cruel as this sounds, KILL THEM. No will notice and no one will care. Well, you will. But your readers will thank you for it.

8: Add moral dilemmas.

Why should you do this?: When I was in school my writing professors told me that stories, especially YA stories and children’s stories, should have a moral. Make sure if you’re writing for the children genre or YA genre that there is some sort of lesson to be learned. Take a cue from Aesop’s Fable’s and Charlotte’s Web. They have a moral. Even the more complex YA tales have morals—they may not be as easily defined as say, a Dr. Seuss tale, but they are there. I promise you!

Hope these tips help you! I know they did me.

What tips do you all have? What are your writing secrets?

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