WRITERS SHOULD BE PREPARED – TO WRITE

by Elizabeth Knowles Palladino

In light of Sandy and Athena.....

Everyone needs a pre-packed kit of emergency essentials, and the period following a disaster is the best time to re-think and re-stock crucial supplies.

Browse the Internet for emergency preparedness or disaster survival websites. They contain lists of emergency items that can be helpful in deciding what to have packed and ready to go. redcross.org is an excellent place to start.

It’s a good idea to make an emergency items checklist, rather like a packing checklist used for travel. Add anything that might have been needed and not available during recent crises. Keep the completed checklist in the emergency box, ready for the next time disaster preparation is needed.

A writer probably should not put a manuscript above survival needs for food, water, or shelter. Still, in preparing for an event, writers can include pens, paper, and a battery-operated light in a waterproof, fire-resistant box. Perhaps the box itself could function as a lap desk.

If the writer is safe and isn’t needed to assist others during the emergency, the writing box could be accessed and could help forward a writing career through whatever crisis life might inflict.*


Elizabeth Knowles Palladino lives in Kingston, New York, where she works in health care and writes medieval romance.

CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

by Ursula Renée

Before looking ahead to the New Year and making new resolutions, take a moment to reflect on 2012. Do not focus on the goals you did not achieve. Instead, look at everything you accomplished.

It may be hard to see the bright side if your ultimate goal was to be published by the end of the year and all you seem to have for your efforts is a folder overflowing with rejection letters. However, consider the fact you would not have received those letters if you had not submitted your manuscript.

A manuscript can be as precious to an author as a child is to a parent. Authors create stories, and then nurture them until they are ready to go out into the world. But, just like a parent may find it hard to let go of a child, it can be difficult for an author to send out a manuscript. It takes courage to tell yourself that you did the best that you could and then send out your baby, with the hope an editor or agent loves it as much as you do. Therefore, give yourself a pat on the back for your bravery.

The celebration is not limited to those who sent out manuscripts. If you completed the first draft of a novel, you have conquered one of the hardest steps towards getting published. Taking time each day to write demonstrated discipline, which could be hard to maintain with the everyday distractions of family, work, and whatever else life tries to throw your way.

Even if you did not complete a manuscript, consider the things you did to improve your skills. Very few people have the ability to write a bestseller in one draft. Attending a conference, taking a class, and doing research are activities that will make your story shine.

Becoming a published author can be difficult. Taking time to celebrate the little accomplishments can make to process a bit more pleasant.*


Ursula Reneé writes historical romances and thrillers. When she is not writing, she enjoys drawing, photography and stone carving. Visit her at www.ursularenee.com.

EDITING: SO WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN EDITING? – PART II

By Isabo Kelly




Pay Attention To The Following Big Topics


1. Characters (Consistent? “In character”? Appealing? Interesting? Unique?)

2. Plot (Engaging? Are there holes? Logic errors? Complex enough? Are you torturing your protagonists enough? Does it get consistently more intense or does the middle stumble along pointlessly for a while?)

3. Flow (Does the story flow? Does the writing itself flow? Are you pulled out by awkward sentences? Scenes?)

4. Voice (Appropriate to the type of story you’re telling? Consistent?)

5. Pace (Does it move appropriately to your genre? Are there lulls? Is it too fast with no breaks for the poor reader? Cut the parts you skim.)

6. Dialogue (Realistic? Unique to each character? Important?)

7. Facts (Accurate? Research required?)

8. Descriptions (Appropriate? Excessive? Not enough?)

9. Use of sensory detail!!! (Forgive the exclamation marks but this is very important—are you using more than just sight? If not, do!)

10. Chapter arcs – openings (Compelling?), middles (Sagging?) and endings (Encouraging readers to move on to the next chapter?)

11. POV (Head hopping? Consistency? Are shifts clear?)



Within these over arching topics,there are also some specific things to look out for:


1. “Pet” words (words you use way too often because you like the way they sound). This includes words or phrases a character uses in dialogue so frequently they start to become annoying rather than a signature tick of the character.

2. Repetitive words, especially big interesting words. You will probably not be able to get away with “effervescent” twice in one chapter, nonetheless twice on a page or in a single paragraph.

3. Repetitive sentence structure: This can sound very monotonous; be sure to mix things up. Changing sentence structure will help immensely with the overall flow of your book, too.

4. Scene importance: Does the scene advance plot and/or character development (preferably both)? Or is the scene an indulgence? Cut all indulgences.

5. Pointless dialogue: There are just some things we don’t need to read right out of the characters’ mouths; also, no dialogue that conveys information those involved in the conversation already know.

6. Are descriptions filtered through your POV characters at all times? They should be.

7. Character growth: Is there any?

8. Passive voice: Are your sentences and word choices strong and specific? Or are you rambling around the point? Get to it. Using one specific word instead of five or six weaker words will strengthen your prose.

9. Writing ticks: I tend to write “where” when I mean “were” and vise versa (did that in the first draft of this article as a matter of fact). I have to triple check those in my edits. If you have a tick like this, watch for it.

10. Excessive us of “that” and “it”. Cut as many of these as you possibly can. Then cut more! They are almost always either unnecessary or too vague. This goes back to using specific language. Only use these two words when absolutely necessary!

11. You will notice the irony of this point after the previous paragraph (as well as the sensory detail point above). Cut out almost every single exclamation point. Relying on them weakens your writing, annoys readers and doesn’t always convey what you intend.

12. This leads to the next important elimination: adverbs and adjectives. Get rid of as many as you possibly can. Use specific, strong nouns and verbs and you won’t need modifiers. Or at least you’ll need a lot fewer. I’m not saying don’t use them at all. But the fewer you use, the stronger your writing will be.

13. Finally, look for the “little stuff” like typos, spelling mistakes (watch carefully for things spell check programs won’t catch like “their” when you mean “there” and “you’re” when you mean “your”—had that last in the earlier draft of this article, too), punctuation, paragraphing, formatting. Here’s where changing fonts can really come in handy.


[Again]…Editing a full novel is hard work. And there will always be more editing to do. At some point, you do have to let go and start sending the manuscript out to editors and agents. But before taking this leap, making your book as clean and sparkly as you possibly can will mark you as a writer to pay attention to, one not easy to reject. And the harder you make it on editors and agents to reject you, the better chance you have of achieving your dreams. Good luck!♥



Recommended Reading


SELF-EDITING FOR THE FICTION WRITER: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King (the second edition of this book was just released this year and is an excellent resource for self-editing)

WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass (this book and his other craft book below will help you pull out specific aspects of your novel that can make it great)

THE FIRE IN THE FICTION by Donald Maass

REWRITING SECRETS FOR SCREENWRITERS: Seven Strategies to Improve and Sell Your Work by Tom Lazarus (useful even for novel writers because of the specificity and compact nature of screenplays)

ON WRITING by Stephen King (because it’s good and will make you feel good about being a writer)




Isabo Kelly mostly builds fantasy, science-fiction and paranormal romance worlds in her fiction, with the occasional foray into something completely different. Her latest release is a contemporary set paranormal romance, CHRISTMAS PRESENT, which is Isabo’s small ode to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. For more about Isabo and her books, visit her at www.isabokelly.com, follow her on Twitter @IsaboKelly or friend her on Facebook www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly.

EDITING: LET THE HARD WORK BEGIN! -- Part I

By Isabo Kelly


“If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.” ~George Orwell

With the passage of another NaNoWriMo, many writers are now feeling the supreme satisfaction of having written, if not an entire book, then the bulk of one. And once that first, unfettered, completely creative draft is finished, rejoice! Every time an author completes a new novel, satisfaction and celebration is in order. That’s a huge accomplishment.

After enjoying the moment of having hit “The End”, however, it’s time to get down to polishing that novel. And here’s where the hard work comes in. Editing requires a completely different mindset to writing the first draft: a harder, more ruthless, honest, almost detached frame of mind. Now’s the time to make your prose sparkle so editors can’t say “No” too easily.

First and foremost, every editing article out there recommends a break after finishing the book. I highly recommend this, too. There’s nothing like a little distance to give you a fresh eye. Immediately after finishing a manuscript, seeing what’s actually on the page, as opposed to what you think is written, can be difficult. If you have the time, try to stay away from this particular novel for a month. Longer will give you even more perspective so if you have the option, take several months.

But taking a break from one book doesn’t mean resting on your laurels. During your break, feel free to start a new project, something that takes your head out of the recently finished work. Also, take the time to read a lot. Both good and bad writing. Good to feed your soul, for enjoyment, and to get an idea of how great story telling is done when it’s done well. Study favorite authors to see what about their writing really transports you and see how you can use that in your own craft. Read books that in some way don’t appeal to you because there’s a reason that supposedly bad book was published. Find that reason and this will help you in analyzing your own story. Noticing writing that doesn’t work for you will also help you clean those particular issues (sins I bet you’ve committed) out of your manuscript.

Once the break is over, I recommend editing in at least two waves. The first is for the big stuff (plot, character, flow, etc…). The second is where you weed out the little stuff like repetitive words, awkward sentences, typos, weak verbs, excessive use of adverbs and adjectives, etc… Another thing I recommend, whether you edit on paper or on the computer screen, is to change the font in the manuscript from the one you wrote the book in. Change it with each round of edits if necessary. You can always change it back to the proper format later. But going through the book in a different font than the one you’re used to looking at is a great way to see the book with fresh eyes. Things you might not have noticed will suddenly jump out at you.

Some will recommend a full read through of the manuscript first, then start editing. Personally, I can’t stop myself from editing when I come back to a novel after a break. I save the full read through for the end. I’ve found that after editing the small stuff, taking another short break, say a week or two, then reading the manuscript as if I were reading it for the first time is more effective. Things I might have missed in the previous rounds will jump out because I’m going through the book as a whole rather than in its individual pieces.

If you can, read the book out loud. Especially dialogue. You’ll quickly spot typos and awkward sentences this way. Read the book to yourself if you don’t want others to hear it just yet. The exercise will still be useful. After those first two edits, if you have a trusted reader or two, pass the book on to them. They will spot what you’ve managed to miss because you know the story too well to have seen the mistake. But when you do this, remember to take any comments with a grain of salt. If the critique or suggestion feels right and make sense, fix the problem. If the comment feels wrong for your story, see if anyone else has the same issue. If more than three people see the same mistake, fix it. If the issue is only a problem for one reader, feel free to ignore their complaint.

And this brings up a really important point. You have to listen to your own instincts. No one else knows this world, this story, these characters as you do. And chances are, if your trusted readers have an issue with something, the very same issue has been nagging you already. Often, you’ll suspect a problem but either don’t know how to pinpoint it or (like I tend to do) are waiting for confirmation that the issue really was in need of fixing. Almost always, if you suspect something is wrong, it is.

Cutting and adding is a part of editing. Cut ruthlessly. The George Orwell quote above is apt. This is no time to be either writerly or too precious. You want other people to read your work and for them to enjoy the book, the writing needs to be as unobtrusive as possible. That turn of phrase might be just lovely, but if it doesn’t advance the story, the characters, or the scene in any way—or worse, if it simply confuses the reader—that turn of phrase needs to get out of your book. This goes for scenes, chapters, subplots and even characters. Be ruthless. What do you absolutely have to have to tell the story effectively? That’s what stays. And the language you use to convey that story needs to be clean, precise, specific, and clear.

Editing a full novel is hard work. And there will always be more editing to do. At some point, you do have to let go and start sending the manuscript out to editors and agents. But before taking this leap, making your book as clean and sparkly as you possibly can will mark you as a writer to pay attention to, one not easy to reject. And the harder you make it on editors and agents to reject you, the better chance you have of achieving your dreams. Good luck!♥



TOMORROW:    Join Isabo again as she answers the question...."So what exactly do you look for when editing?"   


Isabo Kelly mostly builds fantasy, science-fiction and paranormal romance worlds in her fiction, with the occasional foray into something completely different. Her latest release is a contemporary set paranormal romance, CHRISTMAS PRESENT, which is Isabo’s small ode to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. For more about Isabo and her books, visit her at www.isabokelly.com, follow her on Twitter @IsaboKelly or friend her on Facebook www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly.

SETTING GOALS: DREAMS TO REALITY

by Anne Mohr

Someone once told me that you should never set goals too high and risk failure. I looked at him like he had three heads. Where would the world be if people didn’t shoot for the stars and take chances? What books would we have to read if no author took that first step toward publishing their work?

The way I see it, a goal starts off as a dream. And, dreams can and should be as big as you want them to be. The dream becomes a goal when you decide to turn that dream into a reality. How high the bar is set and how much work a person is willing to put into it is up to each individual. For example, for years I’ve been saying that I plan on getting an Oscar for best screenplay. It’s been a dream that I’ve spoken about to people that know me and people that I’ve just met. It became a goal when I finally started writing a screenplay a few months ago. Will I achieve this goal, make my dream come true? Who knows, but I’m working on it. Furthermore, if I don’t make it happen this lifetime, I conveniently believe in reincarnation and plan to keep working on it in the next lifetime if necessary.

A goal is personal and can and should be set based on ones individual needs. In other words, lay out your goals in a manner that best suits you. This is your very own map. You decide the route you need to take and how much work as well as how much time you’re willing to put into it to achieve your goal. Also, you can have more than one goal and goals can be multi-layered. For instance, a person says, “I want to be a published writer.” The question then becomes is the goal to see your name in print, say on one article in a magazine? Do you stop there? Or is the goal to see the bookshelves loaded with books with your name on them?

Another point is that since goals are personal, they can be changed and tweaked at any time, as needed. Furthermore, you should aim as high as you want. Don’t sit around contemplating failure or questioning if you’re being realistic. There are plenty of people around you that will do that for you. I found this quote by Michelangelo, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”

Focus on where you want to go and what you have to do to get there. Decide how high the ladder, what must be done to climb it, how fast to climb and what to do once you’re there. And, “if you find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, chew anyway.”♥



Anne Mohr has been a member of RWA/NYC since 1993. She writes as Jacqueline Stewart, Helen St. James and Max St. James, and is published in short fiction (magazines.) At the forefront of several writing projects, she is currently writing a screenplay.  (Reprint, Keynotes, December 2010)

SPINNING STRAW INTO GOLD: 12-DAY SELF-EDITING BOOTCAMP

  
  

NaNoWriMo is over. Next phase: editing. Now this is when and where your inner editor shines!

The difference between a professional writer and a hobbyist is a well-polished manuscript. But with holiday travels, vacations, distractions, commitments, obligations, etc., constantly interfering, it leaves us very little time to write, much less revise a 50,000 word manuscript. And yet it can’t be avoided. But then, if we can write a novel in 30 days, we can edit in half that time.

The best way to spin straw into gold? One straw at a time, of course. Here’s a 12-day process to turn a dull, weak manuscript into submission-ready gold:


Day 1: Full read. Read over your manuscript for sense and consistency. Don’t stop to make any changes. Just read through and flag any inconsistencies or major changes that will need to be addressed, i.e. changes in scenes, adding something that will be essential to the story, doing more showing vs. telling, etc. Notate where these critical changes should be made as you read through. This can be done on either the computer or hardcopy. I recommend using the computer for the first 9 days of revisions as it will make tracking and implementing your changes easier.

Day 2-4: Make changes. Fill any plot-holes, correct any timelines inconsistencies, make scenes more active. This round will take some time and will require energy and focus so be sure to be thorough. It helps to incorporate the changes chapter by chapter to help keep the consistency going but if you’re a jumper (like me) do what’s comfortable to you.

Day 5: Smooth out POV. Be sure that there are no head-hopping happening and that it’s clear to the reader whose “mind” we’re in. Also, be sure the character is not describing something that they would not have the ability to describe, e.g. Roy stalked back to his office, his agitation evident from the tension in his shoulders. Since this is in his POV, he wouldn’t know what his shoulders looked like.

Day 6: Beware of “Author Intrusion”. This is when words like “meant”, “knew”, “felt”, “saw”, “sensed”, “heard”, etc. reveal that someone else besides the character is telling the story. Do a search of these words and remove them whenever it’s stating this is what the character is doing. This will help strengthen POV. For example: She saw the muscle in his jaw tighten. vs. The muscle in his jaw tightened.

Day 7: Strengthen your verbs and adverbs. Do a word search on common boring verbs, i.e. “said”, “was”, “walk”, etc., and replace them with stronger verbs. Then do a word search for all adverbs, i.e. all words ending with “-ly”, and either delete them or replace them with action verbs. Some adverbs are okay but use sparingly.

Day 8: Identify your “Writing Tics”. This could be a phrase, word, or action that is overused in your story. For example, for me, almost every dialogue for any character begins with “Well” or “Okay”. Simply do a word search for these tics and replace or delete them.

Day 9: Read dialogue out loud. This will allow you to hear for stilted or unnatural conversations between your characters. Make any necessary dialogue revisions, adding action tags where appropriate, e.g. Jack slammed the door shut behind them. “Where the hell have you been?”

Day 10-11: Read a printed copy of your manuscript. This is a final read to allow you to find and work out any kinks from the story and correct any grammatical and/or punctuation errors.

Day 12: Final once-over. You’ve made it to the last round! Incorporate any final changes from your printed copy but try to avoid making major revisions at this point, unless absolutely necessary. You don’t want to be trapped in an endless cycle of editing, which can happen!


Now breathe. Your gem is finally ready for submission. If you find this schedule too rigorous, just adjust it based on the length of your novel. And remember to take it one “straw” at a time.♥

Lena Hart is currently working on several literary projects, while obtaining her MA in English Language & Literacy. Her debut novella, BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME, is currently available through Secret Cravings Publishing. To learn more about Lena and her work, visit www.LenaHartSite.com.

No Brown Paper Wrapper Needed

by Lise Horton

The other day I got the call. My novel made the cut at Carina Press and so I have officially “sold” my contemporary erotic romance.

My first call was to my Mother. She’s been a supporter, cheerleader, critic, beta reader and grammar source since I began to seriously pursue my writing.

My second call would have been to my friend Milton Burton. A writer, an incredible mind, and my biggest fan, I can hear in my mind the big booming voice of congratulations. Sadly, Milton passed away a year ago today, and after nearly five years of support, missed my first publication, and the sale of my first novel.

The third person I told was an attorney at the entertainment law firm where I work. That may sound odd – I told her before I announced it to my RWA NYC chapter mates, or my cohorts on my Yahoo erotic writers’ loop, Let Me Get You Hot & Bothered – but it really is not.

This lady, a wonderful, creative talent in her own right as well as a brilliant attorney, is a member of a select group I came to call My Benefactors. A few years back, she and four other attorneys I worked for pooled their gift one Christmas and gave me a laptop. One of them scoped out the best model, based on what I’d mentioned I was looking for. It was a teary moment and one that I will never forget, because they were all exhibiting their full support for what I was attempting.

That attorney had produced and directed her own documentary while at film school, before law school. Another of the bunch was a stand-up comedian when he wasn’t parsing legal contracts. A third was a screenwriter hawking his own work to Hollywood connections. So they, more than some, perhaps, got me, got my dream and showed me the ultimate in support.

When I gave her the news, she started whooping, yelling, and dragged me out of her office into another attorney’s office to share the news. A third attorney heard the ruckus and came running in, also hugging me in congratulations.

Every single one of the attorneys I work for gave me heartfelt congratulations. Even my one boss who looked askance and asked if I’d gotten a big advance. I have a feeling he was nervous I’d get an E L James deal and leave him high and dry, assistant-wise. It was a delightful way to spend the afternoon.

No one even objected when I was less than functional that day.

Then came the surprise party we were throwing for a paralegal who was off to have her baby. There was cake and cheers, and lots of frivolity.

Suddenly my boss pulled out a bottle of champagne, and they filled glasses and passed them around to the entire department of attorneys and staff, and everyone toasted my book sale.

I hear often of authors, particularly those who write steamy or erotic romance, who have to keep their passion and work secret from employers. Here at my home away from home? Not only have they supported me all along, not only have they cheered my successes as they rolled in, from contests, to completing manuscripts, to sales, but they have told their spouses, who’ve also called to congratulate me. One has offered her husband’s photographic services for my author photo. The attorney who specializes in publishing has offered his help. The Marketing Director posted my news on the Firm’s Intranet calling my book “erotic romance”. My boss also tells everyone that I’m not the first assistant to “make good”, publishing-wise. Because many years ago another secretary stayed late at night to type her book.

She’s a client now: A NY Times Best Seller, with numerous films made of her books starring the crème de la crème of Hollywood talent.

And here at my job, the attorneys for whom I work, and others in the office, all insist they’ll be buying my book the moment it is released, even though they know full well that they’ll be needing those asbestos gloves when they do.

I’m very fortunate that my endeavors need not be hidden. And more fortunate indeed, that my employers are cheering me on.

With good luck, perhaps the success of our genre will make it a respectable pursuit and fewer and fewer authors will have to hide the fruits of their passionate labors from co-workers, friends and family.

For now, I simply thank my lucky stars that I’m already there.

Lise Horton is the 2012 President of the Board of RWA/NYC. The call she received from Angela James at Carina Press represents her the sale of her first novel, Words of Love. She's a veteran employee at the law firm of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, and thanks them for years of support. She's now poised to start the next leg of the journey: Edits. Wish her luck! And visit her at www.lisehorton.com to keep up with her as she does.