Check it out here.

What’s nice about the public domain?  You can freely create derivative works without fear of infringing on someone’s copyright.   That’s right, if you want to use the ghosts of Romeo and Juliet, you do not need to seek out permission from his descendants.

That’s part of the reason that so many movies remake classic stories, or why the author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has not been sued by Jane Austen’s descendants.

What is your favorite story in the public domain?  Have you written a derivative work based on a classic?  What do you think?

The meetings are described as an “informal gathering where writers can meet and talk about current projects, story ideas, or any other writing-related topics.”

If you’re looking to organize Writer’s Night Out events in your area, there are a few things I’ve found to help them be more successful:

1.  Stay “relaxed” and “informal”

We meet at a local coffee shop to take advantage of their casual atmosphere.  Even though there’s no formal agenda, I often have several topic ideas in mind.  A few that are always sure to provoke debate are:

• self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
• whether writers should start out writing a novel or write smaller articles for newspapers first
• when is the best time to write?

When the conversation lags, I toss out questions that center around debatable points, and let the opinions of others unfold.

Keeping the conversation informal is important.  When people are relaxed, ideas flow more freely.  They’re also more likely to come because they believe they may get something out of it.

2.  Talk about opportunities

In our area, there are several monthly meetings hosted by different writing groups, and other opportunities (like writing conferences and festivals) that people can attend.  I make sure to mention these at each informal meeting, especially if there’s a new member who shows up.

Other opportunities might include:

• Topics that need coverage in a local newspaper
• Freelance opportunities (I’ve gotten a few jobs this way)
• How to find story ideas
• Contests
• Agents/publishers seeking particular types of work

3.  Be willing to listen

There are many times where I let others take control of the conversation.  Since this is informal, there’s no meeting moderator, though I often serve that role to keep the conversation flowing.

If you get a good mix of writers, there are going to be other talented folks who deserve your attention.  Pay attention to their experiences.  No matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.

4.  Thank everyone for coming

Regardless of how the night flows, always be sure to thank everyone for coming.  They took time out of their hectic schedule to come and feed off the energy of other writers.  Let them know you appreciate their time.

Have you gone to a writer’s night out?  Are you interested in finding one in your area?  Do you host one?  What have you found successful?  What do you like to get out of a writer’s night out?  Let us know in the comments!

1.  Don’t sit down to write 2000 words at once.

I’ve found a lot more success when I focus on writing a scene or much smaller goal, like 100 words.  I can write 100 words in 3-5 minutes.  At that pace, it will take 1-2 hours to write 2000 words.  However, blocking aside 1-2 hours seems hard, while blocking a few 30-minute chunks makes it a lot easier.  With 30 minutes at lunch, 30 minutes before dinner, and 30 minutes before bed, there are one-and-a-half hours right there.  I can usually find the extra time somewhere else (generally a little longer at night).

2.  Focus on scenes, not word counts

Each of my scenes tends to run from 1000-3000 words.  By focusing on completing a scene, I take the pressure off just filling out my word counts, and can focus on completing scenes.  The word counts tend to flow after that.

That being said, if I’m stuck, I’ll fall back to just trying to write 100 words.  Small goals are easy to achieve.

3.  Find a writing buddy

Each week, I submit my work to a group of like-minded writers who want to focus on increasing word counts without sacrificing quality.  By critiquing each other’s work, we also sharpen our skill by catching each other’s errors.

One of the things I’ve noticed is that I now hear the other writer’s voices in my head as I write.  They’ll encourage me to focus on bringing out a character quirk, or adding that extra little twist of detail.  Each week, I find that my writing is just a little bit stronger.

4.  Don’t edit

Don’t revise your work at first.  Turning off the internal filter is one of the challenges writers face.  When I hear the voices of my critique partners, they’re encouraging me to bring out other aspects of my characters, scene, or plot.  I’m ignoring all the advice they give me about not repeating words, avoiding passive voice, or other grammatical quirks.

Editing comes later, once your first draft is ready.  In my case, I’m working on a novel, so I’ll be changing focus soon revisions, and away from simply adding words.

5.  Turn off the Internet and TV

Seriously, you have to turn it off.  In the age of Twitter, blogging, constant bombardment from news, etc., there are too many distractions to keep you from focusing on writing.

I used to write while playing a movie for “background noise”, but often found myself turning to watch whatever was on.  After I turned the TV off, I found myself checking email or Twitter every five or ten minutes.

Finally, I decided to simply disconnect the Internet while I’m writing.  At first I wanted to turn it on every few minutes, but by making that a conscious decision, I’m able to go longer between checking my email.  Instead, I’m focused on writing.

6.  When you finish one section, outline the next

It’s nearly impossible to keep an entire book in your mind at the same time.  However, it’s completely possible to hold one scene in focus.  I tend to sketch out the skeleton of the next scene when I’ve finished working on my current one.  This helps me to keep focused, and to understand my mindset the next time I sit down to write.

How many words a day do you write?  How do you do it?

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

What do you think of what Ira has to say? What other videos should every writer watch? Share in the comments below!

Even worse, it has the effect of lessening the importance of something you intended to emphasize.

For example, instead of saying something was “very important”, say it was “of the utmost importance.”  Instead of saying a meal was “very good,” say it was a “delight”.

Why is “very” ineffective?  When used like I have above, the word “very” doesn’t give any extra information, except for a vague understanding of degree.  As readers, people understand that “very handsome” means “more handsome than most,” but your readers don’t understand how he looks.  There’s a big difference in connotation between: “his smile dazzled me” and “his rock-hard abs sent my heart aflutter”.

Think about what you’re really trying to say.  What is it about the detail that you’re trying to describe that makes it “very” <something>?  Say that instead.

However, there are a couple of cases where “very” is correct and useful:

• When you’re talking about a particular item: “There it was, the very item we’d been searching for: the golden medallion.”
• When you’re talking about the mere mention of something:  “The very thought of going to the dance with him made me shudder.”

For the most part, it’s safe to simply remove the word “very” from your sentences.  That will ensure your words have the very impact you intend.

What do you think?  Is it better to never use “very” at all?  Or are there other cases I missed where it’s okay?

It’s kind of like brushing your teeth.  Once you’ve gotten in the habit, it’s relatively painless to do every day.  However, if you skip a day or two, it’s easier to stop.

Writing every day helps you get past this problem. I spend at least 15-30 minutes writing every day, even when I’m at my busiest.

Here are three articles that all writers should read:

• http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-reasons-you-should-write-something-each-day.html
• http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-write-every-day-and-why-you-should/
• http://www.writing-world.com/life/everyday.shtml

What articles or tips do you have to help yourself write every day?  Do you think every day is too much?  If so, how often do you think writers should write?

The WriteWords Phrase Frequency Counter is designed to help writers identify their most frequently used phrases.  This way, you can look at each use to ensure you’re not overusing the phrase.

In my manuscript, I found that I used the phrase “for a moment” 45 times–almost once every four manuscript pages!  By understanding the phrases I overuse, I can change them to alternatives so that I don’t bore my readers.

The tool defaults to using two word phrases.  I think that’s too short, so I used a minimum of three words as my boundary.  This returned much more useful results.

What other tools do you use?  Do you find that you overuse certain phrases?  How do you avoid doing so?

Done poorly, they’ll distract, bore, or confuse your reader.

Flashbacks require special scrutiny.  Many stories and television shows use them, but writers should consider whether they’re really needed.

I generally recommend that you use as few flashbacks as possible within your story because they slow down the action, can confuse your readers, and may be better shown when it actually happens in the story.

Reasons to use a flashback:

• There’s something vital related to the next event
• To replace conversing about a memory for too long
• When the benefits outweigh slowing down the current story
• To give depth to a character (only when relevant)

Reasons *not* to use a flashback:

• There’s something you’d like your readers to know that isn’t vital.  Instead, use an alternative method (like reordering your story) or cut it out.
• To explain how a piece of technology works (usually–there are exceptions here, but they’re rare)
• You’re already in a flashback.  Flashbacks within flashbacks rarely ever work.

What do you think?  What flashbacks do you find gratuitous?  What strategies do you use to ensure that your flashbacks are relevant?

A mean pen simply means that the person critiquing your work takes a no-holds-barred approach to finding problems in your work.  This will sometimes involve challenging the content (*GASP*, could there be a problem with an argument I’m using?).  Other times this will mean identifying areas that made the reader pause, reread, or question the writer’s meaning (or sanity).

In the conversation above, we were talking about why there remains a negative connotation with self-published works.  We decided the biggest problem with most self-pubbed pieces simply haven’t experienced a mean enough pen yet.  If more people had their work professionally edited, then self-publishing would become a much greater power in the world today.

As a freelance editor, I take a mean pen to every piece that crosses my desk.  I cross out anything I feel is unnecessary, often cutting out hundreds or thousands of words. I’ll point out ill-conceived and unconvincing arguments, or mistakes that a writer seems to make consistently (such as “then” and “than” confusion).

Other times, I’ll find that there are some gaps in the work.  Often this is because the writer assumed the reader had some knowledge.  It’s often a simple matter for the writer to fill the hole.  However, without someone with a mean pen that can identify these leaps, the writer may be embarrassed by a barrage of criticism after releasing work to the world before it was ready.

My goal as an editor is not only to improve a work, but to improve the writer as well.  It gets boring to correct the same old mistakes–I’d rather a writer was always making new ones!

Editing with a mean pen cannot guarantee that you’ll find every error.  The author ultimately has to choose whether he or she is going to act on the criticism.  There’s also no guarantee that someone editing with a mean pen will find every error.

What editing with a mean pen can do, however, uncover some of the larger problems within a work, and give the writer a hint of what needs more work.  That’s how a writer grows.

What do you think?  How do you find problems in your work?  What can writers do to help themselves develop a “mean pen”?

A data dump occurs when you give a lot of information to the reader at once in a clunky or obvious manner.  Below are a few ways to detect when you’re dumping information on the reader.

The Laundry List

I often see this when we’re seeing a character for the first time.  Here’s an example (this and all others in this article are completely made up):

Bob Jones took off his wire-rimmed glasses.  He was 5′ 6″, and wore tan slacks with his blue button-down shirt.  His hands were old and gnarly, and age spots showed under the edge of his sleeve.  His shoes were brown.  His eyes were green, but one of the pupils seemed to be turning milky-white from cataracts.  His thin frame belied a desperate, inner strength.

While the description is nice, and you likely have a firm image of him in your mind, we have no idea why we should care about him.  Here’s a recommended edit of the above paragraph:

Bob Jones took off his wire-rimmed glasses.

It’s really all you need to know.  The other details can be sprinkled throughout the story elsewhere, or not at all (hint:  eye color rarely matters).

“As You Already Know…”

This is when one character tells other characters something they already know.  If you see this tag in your dialogue, consider eliminating it.

For example, if you see something like this:

“As you already know, we’re under attack from the vicious Culverians.  They’re our sworn enemies for millennia, and we need to kill them.”

It’s probably a data dump.  A revised version might look something like this:

“We’re under attack!  Man battle stations.  Let’s kill them all.”

Note how the second version appears much more active.  The reader doesn’t know all of the detail, but they don’t need to.  They know they’re reading about a battle, and that’s probably good enough for now.  Later, after the battle, you can reveal how they’ve been at war for millennia.

The Ambler

This one’s a little more subtle than the others.  Essentially, you’re trying to do too much in a single sentence or paragraph.

John slowly brought the fork to his mouth as he watched his wife, who he suspected was cheating on him, chat with a man across the street.

When you see a sentence that tries to describe two people doing different things, you should check it carefully.  When you toss in background information as well, you’re probably letting your focus wander.  You may also be dumping information on your reader.

A revised version:

John slowly brought the fork to his mouth as he gazed out the window.  His wife was chatting with a man across the street. 

She’s cheating on me, he thought.  I know it.

Look for these three symptoms to identify data dump in your writing.

What other ways do you detect data dump?  Are there other symptoms we’re not mentioning here?