Seeing Creative

Cool Links Friday

2012-05-25T05:08:00.000-06:00

©Stina Lindenblatt

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
Walt Disney

Do you have the courage (and drive) to pursue your dreams?

<<<3

Emotions

Angela Ackerman talked about avoiding melodrama. Need some help with your visceral reactions in your stories? Then don’t forget to check out the new The Emotion Thesaurus from The Bookshelf Muse. I love the book.

Plotting

Janice Hardy had two great (and simple) tips to make plotting easier.

Becca Puglisi shared some suggestions on editing your subplots.

Caroline Starr Rose shared her nine tips on plotting a novel in verse.

Larry Brooks has been breaking down the story structure of The Hunger Games is this series of posts:

Deconstructing The Hunger Games part one

Deconstructing The Hunger Games part two

The beat sheet

The slippery first plot point

From concept to compulsion

Examining the part one of set up scenes

The stealth power of sequencing

Openings

What is the opening image for your story like?

Antagonists

Andrea Mack had some pointers for creating villains and bad guys. While the post was written with middle grade books in mind, everything is applicable to books for other age groups too.

Great Writing

Are you abusing filter words? These are the words that push your reader one step away from the protagonist by telling instead of letting the reader feel the moment.

Mysteries

Interested in adding a little mystery to your ~~life~~ book? Check out these tips from Elizabeth S Craig.

Contracts

Are you as clueless about publishing contracts as I am? Then you might want to check out this post.

Social Networking

How much interaction should authors have with readers?

Conferences

If you’re attending a writing conference over the next few months (me included), check out this etiquette post by Agent Vickie Motter.

Have a great weekend!

XOX

On My Writerly Bookshelf: Editing

2012-05-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

As some of you know, I’m addicted to craft books on writing fiction. Because I’m about to tackle the revisions on the first draft of my YA horror novel, I couldn’t resist buying Revision & Self-Editing: Techniques for transforming your first draft into a finished novel by James Scott Bell.

First off, I already own several great books on editing (see list below). Each book offers writers something the others don’t. Revision & Self-Editing is no exception. The commonality between them is the multitude of exercises and checklists to help you identify your novel’s problem areas. If you’re a left-brainer (analytical thinker) or whole-brainer (like me), you’ll thrive on this aspect of the book. For the right-brainer (the creative thinker), the book will help you make your manuscript stronger. You just need to have an open mind to being analytical.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive book on writing fiction, this book isn’t for you. James covers all the important elements of fiction (characterization, plot & structure, point of view, dialogue, description, etc), but the chapters are more like summaries. For more in-depth information, you need to check out other resources (e.g. Plot & Structure). There is, though, tons of information you might not know or have forgotten. He hits the key points of each element, and he does it well.

What I found great about the book was that it is a quick read. I had a hard time putting it down (crazy, huh?) because the chapters are short. It was easy to read “just one more chapter” and then keep on reading. This made for an even quicker read. It means you’re not wasting time reading the book when what you really want to do is edit your novel. Overall, I highly recommend the book no matter what your skill level.

Do you have a favorite book you use for editing your manuscript?

Other recommended books:

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass

Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

2012-05-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

©Stina Lindenblatt

It’s Victoria Day in Canada, so I’m spending it with my family.

Have an awesome Monday.

XOX

Cool Links Friday

2012-05-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

After a few bloggers swooned at the picture on my Wednesday post, I decided to bring Ian back for an encore.

But if he’s not your type, here’s something else that’s also cute (just not as hot!) . . . .

I learned something important this morning. If you accidentally hit 'publish' while writing your post, it won't go up when you've scheduled it. So no one actually sees it when it does go up (unless they subscribe to it). :(

<<<3

Characterizations

Your character’s mood matters when it comes to writing a scene. The mood you select can change the dynamics and outcome.

Plotting

Struggling to figure out your plot? Check out Tere Kirkland’s post on the fine points of plotting.

Does your scene need jump starting? Janice Hardy has some advice for you.

POV

Unless you want people to think you’re an amateur, follow Jody Hedlund’s advice to avoid ‘Point of View’ death.

Writing a Series

Here are seven ways to write a standalone book with the potential of becoming a series.

Agent Jennifer Laughran weighs in on writing a series.

Great Writing

Fresh writing is always in style. Here are some tips from Write It Sideways on how to get it.

Do you know the secondary meanings of the words you’re writing?

This week I combed through my WIP, trying to eliminate as many crutch words as possible. If you’re planning to do the same soon, you might want to check out Janice Hardy’s advice first.

Thrillers

Here are the ten commandments to writing a thriller.

Picture Books

Susanna Hill answers the age old question: are there taboo subjects in picture books?

Book Trailers

If you’re looking at making your own book trailer, you might want to check out this post.

Social Media

Did you know you can find out who your blog subscribers are? I didn’t until I read this post by Martha Ramirez. She even tells you how to do it. Of course this doesn’t mean you should use it to spam your followers. That would be a HUGE mistake.

Jody Hedlund had eight reasons why you shouldn’t quit social media when you’re burned out. She also lists her ten social media pet peeves. I think next time someone sends me a DM on Twitter thanking me for following them and tells me to please “buy my book” or “check out my website,” I’m going to reply to them with the link to this post. And then I’m unfollowing them.

Self Publishing

Are you planning to do your own formatting? Then you might want to check out this Q&A on formatting your book over at The Bookshelf Muse.

Are you trying to figure out the difference between Amazon KDP and Smashwords? This post might help clarify things for you.

Miscellaneous

Here are five great things writers can learn from Taylor Swift. Read and learn.

Before I go, I have one more announcement to make . . . .

Today I'm celebrating the release of Jessica Bell's new poetry collection, Fabric ... Wait! Please don't close the tab at the the mention of poetry! Trust me, just read a little note from the author herself before deciding to disappear ...

Jessica says:
My poetry will not baffle you with phrasing that scholars award for academic genius and that can only be understood by those who wrote it. My poetry is for the everyday reader. In fact, it is even for those who don’t like to read poetry at all. Because it is real, stark and simple.

The poems in Fabric are no different. They explore specific moments in different people’s lives that are significant to whom they have become, the choices they’ve made. It’s about how they perceive the world around them, and how each and every one of their thoughts and actions contributes to the fabric of society. Perhaps you will even learn something new about yourself.

So, even if you do not usually read poetry, I urge you to give this one a go. Not because I want sales (though, they are fun!), but because I want more people to understand that not all poetry is scary and complex. Not all poetry is going to take you back to high school English, and not all poetry is going make you feel “stupid”.

You can still say to people that you don’t read poetry … I really don’t mind. Because if you read Fabric, you’re not reading poetry, you’re reading about people. And that’s what reading is about, yes? Living the lives of others?

Are you still here? I hope so!

Please support the life of poetry today by spreading the news about Fabric. Hey, perhaps you might even like to purchase a copy for yourself? The e-book is only $1.99 and the paperback $5.50.

Here are the links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads

Let's keep poetry alive! Because not all poetry is "dead" boring ...

About Jessica Bell:

If Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she’d give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics. And not because she currently lives in Greece, either. The Australian-native author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist has her roots firmly planted in music, and admits inspiration often stems from lyrics she’s written.

She is the Co-Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and co-hosts the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek Isle of Ithaca, with Chuck Sambuchino of Writer’s Digest.

For more information about Jessica Bell, please visit:

Website:

String Bridge (a novel)
Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop
Blog
Vine Leaves
Facebook
Twitter

Those Wise Characters

2012-05-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

How many of you find your characters tell you how you should be writing a scene you’re working on?

In my YA horror novel, the potential love interest wasn’t supposed to kiss the main character until three-quarters of the way into the book. He totally disagreed with me and kissed her at the quarter mark. And you know what? He was right (just don’t tell him that!). By kissing her earlier than I had planned, it introduced the conflict I needed.

With my YA suspense, a secondary character decided he wanted a more important role. He gave himself a promotion. Now he’s the almost-best-friend-who’s-a-boy to the female protagonist. While he still doesn’t appear in a huge amount of scenes, he was able to worm his way into a few more during the rewrites. I did, though, duct tape his mouth shut when I read through the manuscript again; otherwise, I knew he would have nudged his way into a few more.

Should we listen to our characters when they tell us we’ve got it all wrong? Hell yes! It’s not really your characters who are talking. It’s your subconscious telling you what deep down you already know. Of course, if your character’s suggestions look like they are going to derail your novel, you might want to ignore them. But like with any feedback, at least give their suggestions the consideration they deserve. You might be thrilled with the outcome.

Has this happen to you? Has one of your characters (especially a secondary character) tried to steer you in a different direction? Did you let them?

Random Act of Kindness BLITZ!

2012-05-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community.

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

I am picking Laura Pauling for so many reasons:

Laura has an amazing blog. My favorite posts are when she analyzes books and movies using Save the Cat by Blake Synder.

She’s a great beta reader. When she suggested a better way to restructure my WIP, I had one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” moments. And then she offered to reread it.

She loves to help other writers.

She has answered my questions about self publishing, and continues to support the self-publishing community.

Laura, my RAOK gift to you is a Amazon gift card. I know you will use it well.

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness? Let me know in the comments!

Reputation Matters

2012-05-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

Remember in high school when your reputation meant everything? Maybe you had a reputation you didn’t know about or one you didn’t deserve. Like the teen everyone is calling a slut, because some guy spread a rumor that she’s easy (How can you tell I read Anna and the French Kiss this weekend???)

In high school, I was incredibly shy. If a guy spoke to me, I’d come close to fainting (sad, huh?). It wasn’t until I was in university that I discovered people thought I was cold and self-absorbed in high school (I think that’s what the guy told me, right before he ask me out on a date!!!!).

These days our reputation means everything to us writers. Thanks to social networking, you do something and the news of it spreads faster than a grass fire in a strong wind. And like what happened to me in high school, you might not even be aware your reputation is tanking. Last year I wrote a post about a nameless individual. It was amazing how many people knew who I was talking about. Not good news for that individual.

I’m currently in an online writing course that was the inspiration for my post on broken promises last week. Turns out, even beyond the class, the instructor has a bad reputation. Wish I had known about that. After what happened in her first course, I gave her a second chance. I thought she was going to improve. *tattoos naïve on forehead* She didn’t.

While some people don’t seem to give a damn about their reputation (or don’t try to do anything to improve it), there are some writers who do what they can to make the world a shiny place. They don’t do things to benefit themselves. They do it to benefit charities, teens, kids, or other writers. They love to pay it forward.

So, what can you do about your reputation? Now’s the time to determine how you want people to perceive you, then make sure you do what you need to do to gain (or maintain) that reputation. It’s a lot easier to build a good reputation than it is to repair a damaged one. Just ask Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Lindsay Lohan.

Which kind of reputation do you want? Have you given much thought to how other people perceive you?

(I wanted to list all the wonderful writers/authors/bloggers that deserved their awesome reputation, but that made for one very long post, I’m happy to say. But if you know someone you would love to mention, please do so in the comments). :)

A Spy Like Me???

2012-05-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, at one point I did want to be a spy (but way cooler than 007). I even came close to working part-time in intelligence with the Canadian Forces when I was in grad school (I just had to go through basic training first). In the end, I decided to pursue a different career path and became a drug rep (until I left the industry). That doesn't mean the love of all things spy-related vanished with my previous dream. And now you know why I'm excited to be a small part of the celebration for the official release of A Spy Like Me.

Laura Pauling is hosting a three-week blog series you don't want to miss (especially if you have an inner spy, like me, inside you): A Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. Woot! Woot!

Authors galore, guest posts and book giveaways almost every day!

Gemma Halliday, Cindy M. Hogan, Elizabeth Spann Craig, Nova Ren Suma, Elisa Ludwig, and Anne R. Allen....Just to name a few!

And here's why she's celebrating!

Stripping your date down to his underwear has never been so dangerous.

After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must sneak, deceive and spy to save her family and friends and figure out if Malcolm is one of the bad guys before she completely falls for him.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

Head on over to Laura’s blog for the start of the Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. You won’t want to miss this sizzling series as we head into summer. Stock up on some great thrilling reads! If you dare…

Cool Links Friday

2012-05-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

You know you’re having a bad day when . . . .

source

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Characterization

Here are three cool tricks for showing character relationships.

Hooking the reader

What to keep your reader turning the pages? Jody Hedlund has four suggestions you should mostly definitely heed.

World building

Misha Gericke has some great tips for world building.

Symbolism

I love this post on symbolism by my super awesome CP, Christine Lee.

Editing

No one enjoys reading books with boring parts (just ask any high school student who’s taking English Lit). Misha has some pointers to make sure no goes comatose while reading your stories. Always a bonus.

Ideas

You’ve got a great idea for a story. Good for you! Rachna Chhabria has some questions for you to make sure your idea doesn’t fizzle after the first few pages or chapters.

Write or read YA? Interested to see what YA authors are doing with Pinterest? Then check out the list of who’s pinteresting (it’s totally a word!) over at YA Highway.

Marketing

Here’s how to market your novel without annoying anyone.

Here’s why you might want to consider Pinterest if you’re an author.

And here’s how to promote your writing on Pinterest (thanks Sheri Larsen for the link). And no, I haven’t jumped onto the bandwagon. Yet. But it’s starting to tempt me since I love photography. I just don’t have time for it. Maybe if I cut my blogging to two days a week. Hmmm.

If you have no idea how to writing a press release (which I’m guessing is most people who follow this blog), then check out this post by Ash Krafton.

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Hopefully you don’t feel like the bear this weekend. Have a great one!

XOX

Power Words Save the Day

2012-05-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

Weak writing fails to make an impact. Powerful writing grabs your reader’s attention and keeps them reading.

You don’t have to be a super hero to write power words. You just need to know a few tricks.

1. Never use two words when one word is better. Typically, the two-word issue arises when you abuse adverbs. Dash, bolt, sprint are power-loaded words. ‘Runs quickly’ is for wimps.

2. Use words in an unexpected way to add power to the sentence. These are typically your theme words or scene-related words. (e.g. if your scene deals with death, your power words would be related to death).

Example: . . . he watched the light bleed slowly out of day . . . . (Whispers by Dean Koontz)

3. Use words to show a shift in the emotion and mood of the scene.

Example: skip, sunshine, rose-scented, trudge, stench of rotting corpses, spiraling down

4. For the most impact, put your power words at the end of the sentence or paragraph. It’s not always possible, but sometimes all you need to do is rework the sentence.

Before: I’m the one who came home to witness the body bag being wheeled out of the front door, Nate covered in blood, and the flashing of emergency lights lighting up the afternoon sky.

After: I’m the one who came home to witness the flashing of emergency lights lighting up the afternoon sky, the body bag being wheeled out the front door, and Nate covered in blood. (WIP)

Noticed the difference in how I ordered the phrases between the two sentences. In the second one, they go from least important to the one with most impact (Nate covered in blood).

This is also a great trick for emphasising something or hiding information. If you want to emphasize it, place it at the end of the paragraph. If you want the reader to find out about the information, but not realize it’s important, then bury it in the middle of the paragraph. It’s foreshadowing without screaming foreshadowing. Cool, huh?

Do you use consciously use power words in your writing? Do you have any other suggestions?

Promises Promises Promises

2012-04-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

©Stina Lindenblatt

Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise. Author Unknown

Nothing is more frustrating than being the recipient of empty promises. Especially when they come from the same person. Again and again and again. When you make a promise and you know at the time it’ll be impossible keep, it’s no longer a promise. It’s a lie. Make too many of them, and you lose credibility, and no one wants that, right?

Right.

In writing, broken promises can be both good and bad. When you write a query or synopsis, you’re making a promise to the agent or editor. If you’re promising a book filled with mystery and intrigue, your book better live up to that promise.

©Stina Lindenblatt

Thou ought to be nice, even to superstition, in keeping thy promises, and therefore equally cautious in making them. ~Thomas Fuller

The dreaded first chapter is the king of promises. If your first pages are filled with grammatical errors, awkward sentences, and typos, guess what you’re promising the rest of the book will be like? If your main character is flat, then the agent expects he won’t improve much beyond the first chapter. These are two promises you want to break. Unfortunately, agents won't stick around to find out if you do.

If the beginning is humorous, the reader expects this tone to continue throughout the story. If your first chapter is kickass great, you’ve promised the rest of the book is the same. Professional critiques from conferences and workshops are wonderful, but you need to make sure what was said in those pages carries through to the end of the book. These two promises are ones you don't want to break.

©Stina Lindenblatt

What do promises and hearts have in common? They're meant to be kept but always end up broken. Author Unknown

Broken promises in your story can add conflict, and this is when broken promises rock. If your character’s boyfriend keeps making promises he doesn’t keep, this will ultimately shape the story and affect her character arc. If a character’s dad always made promises he didn’t keep when she was a kid, that will shape who she is at the beginning of the story, and how she acts in given situations. Because of her dad’s empty promises, she doesn’t trust men. Think of all the story possibilities waiting for you given that scenario, especially if your book is a romance.

How do broken promises make you feel? Do you use them in your stories?

Cool Links Friday

2012-04-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

Source

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Voice

We know voice can be the kiss of death when it comes to readers falling in love with our stories. If they don’t like your voice, they won’t read on. Here are some tips for writing narrative voice.

POV

I love this post by Mooderino on ‘whose story is it?’

If you write YA stories, you’ll want to check out this interview with several teens on Literary Rambles. Their comments echo ones I’ve read in countless other teen interviews.

Critiques/Feedback/Revisions

Jody Hedlund shared two tests to help you sort through your feedback.

If you’re in revision mode, you might want to check out The YA Muses’ revision checklist.

Titles

Titles are extremely important. They can mean the difference between someone picking up your book or walking past it. If you struggle to come up with titles, check out this post on Write It Sideways.

Marketing

Have you jumped onto the Pinterest bandwagon? Here’s what it has to offer writers and how to get more blog traffic throughthe power of photos. (Question: who here is on Pinterest?)

If you’re looking to promote you story on a shoestring budget, check out these fourteen tips.

Looking for ways to build your blog following? Jen Daiker has several helpful pointers.

Humor

Here are ten ways to know if you’re a writer. Yay, I’m a writer!!!!

Conference News

If you are in Anaheim on July 25, the YARWA is having a one day workshop (right before the RWA nationals start). You don’t have to be a member to attend, nor do you have to be attending the national conference. For more info on the workshop, check out the YARWA website.

Have a great weekend everyone!

source

Getting it Right the First Time?

2012-04-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my porch. Isn’t it a beauty? This is what happens when poor craftsmanship and the wrong materials meet Canadian winters.

The same disaster can happen to your story if you don’t take time to do things properly, and if you don’t bother to learn the skills of the trade. There’s no point querying a story that would be better off lining your hamster cage. You’re only setting yourself up for frustration. If the structure is weak, the characterizations lacking, and the protagonist’s emotions don’t create any stirrings in the reader, it doesn’t matter how pretty your words are, the story will fall apart.

Fortunately, unlike my porch, the cost to make your project beautiful both inside and out is not expensive. Workshops, craft books, and awesome critique partners and beta readers will help you make your story strong. Maybe, like my porch, the story needs to be demolished and rebuilt. Maybe you need to send it on a world cruise and tackle it again in the future, once you’ve gained new skills.

Do you have a story you’ve temporarily shelved that you plan to eventually revisit? If you’ve written several stories, do you find your skills have been improving over time, and you can’t believe you once thought your first project was ready for the world?

Through the Eyes of the Beholder

2012-04-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

©Stina Lindenblatt

When reading a book, the reader wants to connect with your character. If this doesn’t happen, she’ll probably quit reading.

In addition to inner thoughts, which I covered last week, one of the best ways to help the reader connect with your character is to make sure everything is witnessed through the character’s “eyes”. It doesn’t matter if the story is in first or third person, everything seen, touched, tasted, smelled, and heard needs to be described from that scene character’s point of view.

That doesn’t mean her best friend can’t point out that the liver pâté tastes like road kill that had been plastered on the highway for two weeks before it was “harvested”. It just means if your point of view character doesn’t think like this, she shouldn’t be using these words in her inner thoughts. It’s not her voice; it’s the best friend’s.

The closer the reader feels to the character, the more she’ll be able to connect with her. To do this, you need to cut as many filter words as possible (e.g. felt, heard, saw). This way the reader feels like she’s living vicariously through the character, which makes the story come alive. With filter words, you force the reader to feel like an observer, not a participant.

See the difference:

Mathew heard the bell on the diner’s front door as it opened.
The bell on the diner’s front door rang as the door opened.

Mathew smelled the stench of rotting corpses.
The stench of rotting corpses choked the air.

The bark felt rough.
Brianne traced her fingers across the rough bark.

Remember, by showing things from the character’s point of view, you reveal characterization and her voice will come to life.

Do you have any tricks to help a reader connect with a character?

<<<3

Author Janice Hardy is giving away TWO awesome 1000-word crits this week. You DO NOT what to miss out on this. Trust me! You have until April 29th to enter. Run!!!!

Cool Links Friday

2012-04-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

The ever popular Michael Hauge (author of Writing Screenplays that Sell) will be presenting his Story Mastery Seminar May 12^th in Calgary. For more info, please check out the CaRWA’s website or contact me. His workshops are always standing room only at the RWA nationals.

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Characterization

Christina Lee shows how you can make your protagonist more compelling by making the bad guy badder.

Story Structure

I always thought the inciting incident HAD TO BE in the first chapter. Apparently it doesn’t. Check out KM Weiland’s post to find out where it does have to be located.

And what’s controversy without Alexandra Sokoloff giving you the opposite advice.

POV

If you’re writing from a male pov and you’re most definitely not that gender, here’s some advice that will have your males sounding like, well, males.

Dialogue

These dialogue tips by Jody Hedlund will help tighten your story.

Believability

Cynthia Willis shares some hints on making your characters believable. It’s a great post.

Editing

If you’re like me, you’ve recently finished your first draft of your new WIP. Now what? Janice Hardy tells you what to do to help give your ms a fighting chance.

Middle Grade

If you’re interested in writing middle grade books, Editor Molly O’Neil and agent Michael Bourret explained everything you want to know about writing for the age group.

Covers

If you’re looking to self publish your story (or non-fiction book), The Bookshelf Muse asked their cover designer some questions about the process. It’s a great interview with tons of helpful information. Part one is here and part two is here.

Rachel Morgan and CK Bryant gave practical how-to advice on how they created their covers. The covers are very different and both posts are worth the visit if you’re looking at creating your own cover.

Marketing

Elana Johnson gave advice on how to market smarter not harder. If you do it right, you’ll have time to write your next story. :)

Have a great weekend!

XOX

Rockin’ Revision Requests

2012-04-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

You’ve been querying agents and you landed a revision request. Now what?

First, celebrate. A revision request means the agent saw something in your writing (i.e. it doesn’t suck like you had originally feared), and she wants to see if you can make the story stronger. She also wants to see if the two of you will mesh well as a team.

Take the time to make sure you understand what she is looking for, and that you both share the same vision for your story. Once you’ve finished the edits, have beta readers go through it and edit it if need be. Don’t rush to send it out and skip this step in your haste to get it back to the agent. You don’t want to blow this one chance she’s given you.

If you land a revision request, consider pulling your material from agents who have requested it, and explain why. Let them know you would love to resent it to them once you’ve finished the revisions. I did that for two agents, and received emails saying they would love to see it when it’s ready. My friend did the same and got a similar response. The agents appreciated that we didn’t waste their time with a manuscript we felt could be stronger, thanks to the professional feedback we had received. Of course, having another agent interested enough to offer a revision request no doubt helped, too.

In my case, I knew it would take a while to do the edits, which is why I contacted the agents. If you don’t contact them first, you can try sending the revised manuscript to them when it’s ready, assuming they haven’t gotten back to you in the meantime. (For more info on that, check out this post.)

And remember, just because an agent sent you a revision request, it doesn’t mean she’ll end up loving your book. More often than not, writers put in all the extra work only to land a rejection. But on the bright side, you now have a stronger manuscript for when you start querying again.

Have you had a revision request before? Do you have any suggestions?

(I know the cartoon had nothing to do with the post, but I couldn’t resist it. *grins*)

Character Connection

2012-04-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

One of the most common reasons for rejecting a manuscript is when the agent or editor can’t connect with the main character. Sometimes this is subjective; other times it’s not.

First you need a multi-dimensional, sympathetic character. Next you need to examine your Motivation Reaction Units (MRU)*. A Motivation can be an action, dialogue, or description that leads your character to react. For example, if you are walking toward your house and it explodes, the exploding house is the Motivation. The Reaction is what YOU do in response.

The intensity of Reaction needs to match the intensity of the Motivation. If your house explodes, you’ll likely react with more than a mere shrug. If the Motivation is small and the Reaction is over the top, then you’ve got an issue with melodrama.

Reaction can be action, dialogue, visceral reactions (e.g. heart rate), and/or inner dialogue. Visceral reactions (the body’s response that you can’t control) ALWAYS come first. The rest is up to you and your genre. But if you’re finding you are getting rejections because agents aren’t connecting with your character, you might want to examine your inner dialogue. It might not be enough. Remember, though, it needs to move the plot forward, not force it to sit still while your character contemplates the non-relevant.

Read the following three version of the opening from City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare:

Version with no inner thoughts

“Just coffee, please.” (Reaction: the waitress had presumably asked Simon what he wanted to order before the opening of the book)

The waitress raised her penciled eyebrows. “You don’t want anything to eat?” she asked. Her accent was thick, her attitude disappointed. (Motivation)

“Just the coffee.” (Reaction)

With a shrug the waitress took his laminated menu and went to put his order in. (Motivation)

Version with most of the inner thoughts deleted

“Just coffee, please.” (Reaction)

The waitress raised her penciled eyebrows. “You don’t want anything to eat?” she asked. Her accent was thick, her attitude disappointed. (Motivation)

Simon Lewis couldn’t blame her; she’d probably been hoping for a better tip than the one she was going to get on a single cup of coffee. “Just the coffee.” (Reaction)

With a shrug the waitress took his laminated menu and went to put his order in. (Motivation)

Version from the novel

“Just coffee, please.” (Reaction)

The waitress raised her penciled eyebrows. “You don’t want anything to eat?” she asked. Her accent was thick, her attitude disappointed. (Motivation)

Simon Lewis couldn’t blame her; she’d probably been hoping for a better tip than the one she was going to get on a single cup of coffee. But it wasn’t his fault vampires didn’t eat. Sometimes, in restaurants, he ordered food anyway, just to preserve the appearance of normalcy, but late Tuesday night, when Veselka was almost empty of other customers, it didn’t seem worth the bother. “Just the coffee.” (Reaction)

With a shrug the waitress took his laminated menu and went to put his order in. (Motivation)

Do you see the difference? Which gives you a better feel for who Simon is?

HOMEWORK

Copy a scene from a story in the genre you write (preferably a book you love/admire) and highlight the inner thoughts. Do they move the story forward? Do they give you insight into the character and her goals? What do you like about them? What don’t you like? Compare them to your writing.

Take a scene from your story and analyze each Motivation and subsequent Reaction. Is the reaction enough? Can you expand on it by combining more than one element (e.g. action and inner thought)? What is your character thinking after the Motivation? Would it help your reader connect with your character if you wrote it down? (Write it down. You can go back later and trim if need be.) You’ll be surprise just how much you can strengthen the characterization by doing this exercise. Better yet, do it for the entire novel. Yes, it takes time, but it’s worth it if readers are struggling to connect with your character.

* For more info, check out Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

Cool Links Friday

2012-04-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

As writers, we know the value of social networking. Check out this hilarious video my son found (when he was SUPPOSED to be doing his homework) that shows you the dangers of using it incorrectly.

The Bookshelf Muse will be launching the book The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression on May 14^th. It’s an awesome resource (I know because I’ve beta tested it), which I already can’t live without. If you want to be involved in the launch (yes, you want to be involved. It’s going to be epic!), check out this post.

<<<3

Characterization

Janice Hardy talked about character goals and how to use to them to develop conflict between characters.

Are your characters making misleading assumptions? (another awesome post from Janice).

In addition to all of Janice’s great posts on writing, she offers real life diagnostics. This is a chance for you to send in 250 words of your manuscript (it doesn’t have to be the beginning) and ask her a question about it (for example, am I showing or telling?). I recently won a 1,000 word critique from her. Janice’s advice was amazing and dead on. Check out her blog for more information.

Emotions

Susan Kaye Quinn talked about creating the emotional arc in your novel.

Great Writing

You’ll want to read this post on the neuroscience of your brain on fiction. It’ll change the way you write. (Thanks, Jenni, for sharing this with me!)

Donald Maass asked if your premise is as fully developed as it needs to be.

Here are some exercises by Write It Sideways to shape up flabby writing.

Setting

Jody Hedlund had some tips on writing a strong setting beyond the opening of your scene.

Backstory

Are you struggling with backstory in your novel? Check out Janice Hardy’s advice.

Research

If you are writing a story that requires an understanding of forensics, you’ll want to check out the Writer’s Forensics Blog.

Romance

It’s not enough for your characters to claim they love each other. Lydia Sharp wrote a brilliant post on how to make your characters’ love feel genuine. She wrote it with YA writers in mind, but it applies to adult romances too.

Marketing

I love Jody Hedlund’s marketing posts, and this one on how writers can stay visible is no exception.

Elana Johnson explained the ABCs of usingFacebook and Goodreads when marketing your book.

Amy Atwell explained how authors can make the most of Amazon when it comes to increasing their sales.

If you haven’t jumped on the Pinterest or Tumblr bandwagons yet, click on the social network links for tips on how to use each from a writer’s point of view.

Have a great weekend everyone!

XOX

Choosing the Publication Pathway

2012-04-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

More and more fiction writers are joining the growing trend of self publishing. Some have delusions of becoming the next Amanda Hockings (seriously, who wouldn’t want to be her?). Others have realistic expectations and know what it takes to produce an excellent product that will be noticed. These individuals also know that it will take a while to grow their career, just like for most traditional authors. They do their research, and they based their decision to join the ranks because it fits their goals.

With YA, things aren’t as clear cut as for other genres. There are two types of readers who read YA stories: teens and adults. As we know, teens are not adults. When it comes to adoption of eReaders, nothing is truer. Teens haven’t jumped onto the ebook train like adults have. This, though, is slowly changing.

When it comes buying books, again, both groups are very different. Teens have less disposable income and most don’t have credit cards. They tend to borrow books from friends and libraries (although there are a lot of teens who do buy books instead of borrowing them). The majority of the YA books sold are being bought by adults. Some are giving them to their kids as gifts. Many are being read by adults who love YA stories.

So what does this have to do with self publishing? Plenty when it comes to your goals. If you don’t care who reads your books, just as long as someone buys them, then self publishing is a viable option for you. Currently, there are about a dozen self-published YA books that have made it to the top 125 selling children’s chapter books on Amazon. The majority of the books in the top 125 are YA novels.

However, if you hope teens will read your books because you deal with issues that are important to them (think Speak and Thirteen Reasons Why), then you might want to focus on traditional publishing—for now. With traditional publishing, your books have a greater chance of ending up in public and school libraries (unless they are banned, but that’s a discussion for another day). This means they have a greater chance of being read by teens.

What YA genres do well self published? Paranormals and science fiction. This could be because they tend to be part of a series, and this is a great way to develop a fan base. These genres do much better than YA contemporary books. The contemporary novels that did well on the list were all through traditional publishers, most notable the big six.

If you’re interested in self publishing, but you would love teens to read your books, don’t fret. You can take this chance to build your list. That way, you’ll have a solid base when the teens take over as buyers of YA ebooks.

For more info on YA ebooks, check out the following links:

Breakdown of YA book sales according to format

Are teens embracing ebooks?

Teens on ebooks

YA Confidential (scroll down for the ebook question)

Have you figure out what your publication goals are? Have they determined which path you want to take?

(You don’t have to pick only one route. It’s fine to pursue both paths. It just depends on your goals.)

<<<3

YARWA is offering the workshop “author branding in YA.” It will be held online May 14 to 25. For more info, check out this link. You don’t have to be a member to register.

Understanding Human Nature

2012-04-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

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As writers, we spend a lot of time getting to know our characters. We know their traits, their interests, their fears, their backstories. But while we’re doing this, we’re developing a deeper understanding of human nature (especially if you’re not a psychologist).

Several weeks ago, I had to deal with a mother at my kids’ bus stop who went postal (without a gun) on me. This was right after she came close to hitting a kid with her SUV as she tried to park at the stop. Literally at the stop. She forces the bus to park further away because she is determined to be the one to park next to the only stretch of sidewalk (much to the parents’ and bus driver’s chagrin). It happened on the Monday, and then again on the Wednesday.

On the Wednesday, she wanted to talk to me after the kids got on the bus. But she was already agitated and there was no way in hell I was staying around for round two. This is when she started screaming and acting irrational in front of another parent, a toddler, and nine elementary school kids.

I ended up reporting her to the police. It was obvious the woman is dealing with issues and she needed a wake-up call to get help (although it’s highly unlikely she saw it the same way). Her son isn’t liked in school (as my kids have been pointing out for months), and her behavior made things worse for him. But it gave me an opportunity to explain to my kids that they shouldn’t judge him. It’s obvious he’s dealing with a lot in his life right now. His actions are guided by things they don’t know about, including his backstory.

Have you found that being a writer has helped you understand people and their actions better? When you’re in a fight or flight situation (or any highly emotional situation), do you mentally catalogue your body’s visceral reactions for use in a future story? (Yes, I did actually do that!)

Chasing the Bunny!

2012-04-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

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Have a happy holiday weekend!

(comments have been turned off)

The Power of Theme

2012-04-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

Whether you’re shooting photos or writing, theme can make the difference between okay and great.

Photography

When on vacation, come up with several themes and take photos that fit within them. This will help stretch your creativity and give you some powerful images.

(The photos in this post were taken during my recent vacation in San Francisco.)

Writing

When possible, you want to choose words that make the scene more powerful. One way to do this is to list your theme(s) and find words that go will work alone those lines.

Example (Whispers by Dean Koontz):

Day seemed to be changing into night much too rapidly, and, as a sudden cold wind rattled the windowpanes, it also seemed to Joshua that autumn was giving way to winter with the same unnatural haste.

The story is about a serial killer who is killed but apparently comes back to life. ‘Unnatural’ fit perfectly with the theme.

Do you consider theme when taking photos or when selecting an appropriate word for your story (this works for nonfiction, too)?

(Speaking of serial killers and theme, the last two photos were taken in Alcatraz.)

Be Back Soon!

2012-04-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

I’m back from vacation, but I have a lot of blog comments and emails to catch up on from when I was away.

I’ll see you again on Wednesday!

XOX

Worse Than a Prologue?

2012-03-21T05:00:00.011-06:00

We’ve all heard that agents and editors don’t like prologues. This is because the majority are nothing but backstory, and most of it is unnecessary to understand the characters and the story. A wise writer will weave the vital information where needed (and avoid the prologue if it's not essential), which heightens the suspense and keeps the reader turning the pages. I don’t mind them, but that’s because the bad ones don’t make it into traditionally published books. The book either doesn’t get published, or the editor (or agent) tactfully breaks the news to the writer and she cuts it.

It’s not prologues that irritate me. It’s the preface some writers include, because they think it’s essential to the story, that often turns me off a book. They usually involve a page or two of the climax (or something like that), and hint at what’s to come. Except, I don’t know the characters at that point to care enough about what happens to them. Isn’t that why we’re told not to start the first chapter in the middle of the action? The reader doesn’t care enough about the main character at that point to want to keep reading. And when you start with a preface, it’s like a (false) warning:

Dear Reader,

I know the beginning of my novel is dull, but as you can see by the preface, the climax is very exciting. Please buy my book and you won’t be sorry.

Sincerely,

The Author

Do you like prefaces or do you tend to skip over them? If you see one in a book, do you keep reading or do you pick up a different book?

(No, The Hunger Games doesn’t have a preface (or prologue). I just can’t wait for the movie and had to include an image from it to tie me over until I can see it.)

<<<3

Due to spring break, I’m going unplugged from March 23^rd to April 2^nd. I can’t wait to catch up on everyone’s great news when I get back. *waves bye*

Writing Steamy in YA

2012-03-19T05:00:00.014-06:00

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Last week, Heather Howland (managing editor from Entangled Publishing) conducted an amazing online workshop. Here are some key points she stressed when writing kissing or sex scenes in YA stories:

Avoid the cliches we are now seeing A LOT in YA stories. For example, the tugging of the lower lip during the kiss. Many of these things are found in adult novels and are not true to the teen experience. Heather rolls her eyes whenever she reads them in manuscripts. She’s probably not the only one.

It’s all about the emotions. With adult novels, there’s more emphasis on the mechanics of the kiss or sex or everything in between. Not so with the teen experience. Make sure you have the visceral reactions (no clichés please) and lots of introspection. The focus should be on the introspection (something I still need to work on) and not on the choreography.

Avoid being graphic with the naming of body parts (I can’t list them here because this is a PG-rated blog, but you get the idea). There are incidences when it’s okay, but this is when the character is viewing the act in a clinical sense. Most of the time, you want to avoid this. Examples used were Forget Me by Jennifer Ecols and The Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky.

Write for teens. Don’t write steamy to make adult readers happy. Remember, the teen experience varies when it comes to sex. Someone who has never gone that far might be uncomfortable if you get too descriptive.

Study how other authors do it (well). Below are a few of the books Heather used excerpts from to demonstrate her points. In the lecture (which I can’t do here), she explained why each excerpt worked.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (this is the third book in the Vampire Academy series)

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Divergent by Veronica Roth (the class wasn’t all about sex)

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

If you have a chance to take a workshop from Heather (like Sex in YA), I highly recommend it. She’s a great instructor. Someone had a question about rape in YA, and Heather delayed her originally scheduled lesson to post on the topic. She also accepted anonymous excerpts from our WIPs and gave feedback on them. That alone made the course worth it. We all learned a lot from reading her explanations on why things worked and why they didn’t.

What cliches are you tired of seeing in YA or romance?

(This workshop was offered through YARWA, the YA chapter of the RWA).

(Geez, I’m dreading to see what google search words bring people to my blog now!)

<<<3

Update on the course I mentioned last week: Students will be refunded since the instructor is unable to finish the course due to health issues. Hopefully she gets better soon.