Writing Update for April 2018

I know, I've been absent for a long time.

I think everyone reaches a stage as a blogger when you feel like you're only rehashing your own thoughts or the thoughts of others. The main purpose of this blog is to share my discoveries as I aim to be a better writer in the hope that it helps others miss some of my mistakes or gets a lift in the right direction faster than I did.

So what have I learned lately? To chill out mostly, especially when it comes to writing. There are going to be good and bad days, entire chunks of time agonizing because of writer's block, or real life gets in the way of writing. I imagine it's much harder for people who are under contract to get their books done by a certain deadline. I don't want to imagine how stressed I'd be if I had to submit to a deadline like that! I do set my own goals and deadlines, but I've learned that's its okay if I don't meet them exactly - as long as I tried my best to meet them in the first place.

Book 2 has taken longer to put out than I originally planned. Firstly because I was burned out after publishing Book 1. I strained my eyes badly in the editing process, and when it was all over, I didn't even want to write. It wasn't enjoyable. Plus, I couldn't shake editor mode for the longest time. I hated it, because I had a goal, but I had to have a year off. Then slowly, I got back into writing again. I'm making great progress now. Book 2 is in the final deep revisions stage before heading into those tweaking and copy editing drafts. This time I won't blow my eyes out by staring at a screen too long.

And to support that, I won't announce the release of Book 2 until after copy edits are over. I'm all for a more laid-back release this time. Book 2 is garnering more excitement from critique partners than Book 1 did, which is saying a lot. Mostly, that I have chilled out and am enjoying the writing process, and secondly, I'm a better writer than before. It's progress, and I'm glad.

Along with ramping up my enthusiasm and time on Book 2, big changes have been going on for me in the social side of writing. I created a group for speculative fiction writers on Agent Query Connect a decade ago, and now we've branched out into our own private forum. It took some time to get the new site figured out and to make the move. I have two wonderful co-moderators helping me run things and a loyal core group of writers who wanted to stick together. I expect there will be lots of tweaking for awhile before we get into a strong rhythm. I look forward to continuing the process of improving my writing skills and helping others do the same on the new site.

What words of wisdom or advice can I offer with this post? Have goals and be realistic with them. Know your limits. Writing a story should be an enjoyable process in the long-run. And I still say it's best to take your time to write the best story possible than to rush in order to meet someone else's deadline or try to make a bestseller list. A lot of those best selling books do fade away in time. Books that endure have a better quality to them than meeting a trend. They have something to say or to show. It really depends on what your motivation to write is. Knowing that, can help you with the rest of the picture and knowing what to expect.

Utilizing Setting

Here's another writing skill I've learned as I go: using your setting well, especially when a setting is visited more than once.

Have you ever made up a list of your settings and taken note of how many times you use them? No? I don't normally either, but I did this time and the data revealed a wealth of information. It made me think about how I distributed details describing that setting and how I was using my setting to set the tone or as an active story element. I understood the initial theory of the latter already. It was time to try it out.

So I combed through my scene profiles and made up a list of settings, noted when they were used, and what details were used. As I came to settings used more than once, I especially wanted to know what details would be different each time the setting was visited. That lead me to consider what the atmosphere or mood of the scene was.

For instance, the first time a character visited a dining room, it could be full of people, lively chatter, the clank and clatter of dishes, the smells of freshly made food. Those kinds of details the character would notice right off. If the character was looking for someone in the scene, they would focus on people more than anything else, and if their mood was hopeful or happy, they might find the sunshine coming through the windows adds to their mood. But say the same character visits the same setting later on and the mood and setting has altered. The character is sad and the room is empty. There are no people, the smells are old and stale, it's quiet. The sun may still be shining outside, but it feels hot and stuffy and oppressive to the character. Or perhaps it's now raining and the wind can be heard whipping around the corners of the building. Maybe the circumstances are familiar to before with lots of people and action going on, but this time the character doesn't look at anyone. They scurry to a corner table or seat and play with their food. The food served this time they hate, and the time seems to tick by slowly - illustrated by the grandfather clock in the corner. So many options!

Differentiating details help set the tone of a scene. And no one notices everything about a setting when they go into it - unless they're a detective looking for clues. Think about when you walk into a room or a park even. What details do you notice, depending on your mood and the circumstances that brought you to that place? The next time you go to the same place, I'll bet you, like me, notice different things, or changes in the same things you noticed before.

A setting can act as an antagonist. It doesn't necessarily have to be a haunted house or the lair of a killer with obvious danger signs. The setting might have been once a favorite place, now tainted by plot elements that has soured the memories. Or there may be a hidden danger or trigger in the setting. A fire breaking out would make a setting a definite threat. A setting can also be a refuge or sanctuary, a resting place where a character can strengthen themselves for the battles to come.

I've learned to consider these things, in conjunction with utilizing the five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch) to describe settings, filtering the description through the narrative, not lumping it all together. I feel it's made me a better writer and I notice even more depth and subtlety to my story because of it. Showing these kinds of details at the right time, in the right place, in the right way makes a lot of difference.

My challenge for you is to try analyzing your scenes and checking to make sure you are using them to the best of your ability. If you do, tell me about what you discovered. If you're an old hand at this sort of thing, do you have any further advice for me and my readers on utilizing and differentiating setting visits?

Writing Update for November

Did any of you try out scene profiles after reading my last post? I'd love to hear about it.

I'm pleased to say that I've completed a lot on Trefury: The Secrets of Callorin in the past couple of months. There has been chopping out, and adding in, exploration into side stories in order to make scenes richer, and character twists and quirks which have surprised me as they've come to light. Writing a sequel is challenging at the best of times, only in this case, I'm writing a continuation of Trefury: Mendi's Curse. The original book was cut in two. So this half will be high-powered and darker than the first, in preparation for the big revelations that come with book three.

There are moments when I'd love to put this story aside and work on something else entirely. For a long time I was blocked, not for lack of plot or character development, but in trying to figure out what should be shown and how to show it. I broke that block last week thanks to scene profiles. You can imagine my happy dance when that happened. That block had prevented me from being on deadline by several months. Now I'm bursting ahead to catch up.

Have you ever had a bad block before? How did you get past it? How did you feel afterwards?

I'm grateful I got past mine. I'm grateful for the support of family and friends with my writing endeavors. I'm grateful to be able to develop my writing skills further. And I'm grateful for those who have read Trefury: Mendi's Curse and have shared their reactions with me.

Cut-to's and Scene Profiles: A Second Draft Life Saver

You've written your novel. The creative juices were flowing, you hit a few blocks and snags, but you got past them, and it feels so great to have reached the end.

And now you have the second draft to deal with.

The drafts that follow that magical first one can be magical too, except this kind of magic comes with a price, that of lots of toil, pressure, overcoming self-doubt or self-delusion, sweat, and more dark valleys than bright mountain peaks. It's worth it; trust me; you don't want to put that first draft in a safe and leave it as is. Your baby has to grow up.

There are lots of ways to tackle subsequent drafts. I've tried many of them. I still use many of them. My favorite is quickly becoming the art of the scene profile and cut-to. Screenwriters use this technique and so can you. It's like rewriting your novel before you actually rewrite it and it'll save you having to do lots of other rewrites.

For example, have you ever started a rewrite - even with an outline - and at a certain point you realize that the whole things isn't going to work? Or maybe the story's been derailed or sidelined. Outlines are great to help prevent this, but outlines aren't written in stone and can easily be overturned or go astray. Outlines are pretty distant too, even the in-depth ones, giving you a panoramic big picture view of your story and where you expect it to go. The problem is when you settle in to write and all the little things start accumulating, you find that that big picture wasn't so accurate or that you're in a tussle to try to make the little things tow the line and keep to the outline.

By all means, use outlines as tools. I do. But after you've had your panoramic glimpse of the big picture, may I suggest using scene profiles and cut-to's before you start rewriting in order to keep the big and little things from creating an epic battle that will threaten your sanity and eat up extra time as you try over and over again to make them agree with each other.

What are scene profiles and cut-to's? How do you use them?

A cut-to is an overview of a scene, like a close-up glance, or play by play of the action.

A scene profile is where you've gathered your pertinent information on the scene and the characters in it.

Together the scene profile and the cut-to list makes rewriting your scenes easy and efficient. They'll help you spot inconsistencies, plot-holes, will help you decide if you need minor tweaks or an overhaul, or let you know if a scene needs to be dropped because it has no purpose. While these sound like extra effort and work, they actually save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Here's an example of what I do:

1. Create a list of scenes that are in the novel or that I know need to be in the novel.

2. Working one scene at a time, plug in the information about the scene (whether directly from my first draft or the outline or both) into the scene profile.

3. Create the cut-to list for each scene.

I have a template I build off of for each scene:

Scene name or number: I'm a big proponent of naming scenes because it encapsulates the purpose of the scene and makes it easier to keep them straight rather than using numbers.

1. Date: This refers to the date in your story. Is this scene during Day 45 or on the 27th of March. It seems like a little, unimportant thing, but it's not. Knowing the date helps set your chronology and makes you step back and think about how realistic your time frames are in the narrative.

2. Time of Day: This affects your characters and your setting. What if your main character is a morning person and this scene takes place in the evening? They are more apt to be tired and cranky. Didn't think of that the first time you wrote this scene did you? Or what if it's night time and your characters are at a university? What are they doing there at night? Little details like this enhance your narrative and pique reader curiosity.

3. Weather: Yes, what is the weather like during this scene? Did your first draft read like a perpetual summer's day? How might knowing the weather affect your characters, the setting, or the plot?

4. Setting: This is where you plug in the details of your setting. And I do stress details. You should write it all down in a separate file, envision it. And then be prepared to pull what you need from it and let the rest go, or bring out some details in this scene and other details later on when revisiting this same place. Make a note here of the details you've chosen to reveal.

5. Objects: Good novels have objects. Memorable characters are associated with objects, like Snow White and the apple or the Beast and his enchanted castle. Objects are symbolic of what is happening in the plot or to the characters. What objects are noticed, sought after, obtained, or lost in this scene?
6. Characters: Write down which characters are actively in this scene. This is also the place to mention if there is something new, off, or otherwise different about any of the characters. If you're introducing or exiting a character, you can make a note of that as well.

7. Scene cut-to's: A list of play-by-play action that goes on in the scene. This is where you very briefly and succinctly write the scene before actually writing it with fleshed out details. For example: 
     i. Main character walks into the room with a book.
     ii. Side characters B & C stop talking about Main character and look guilty.
     iii. Main character asks them what is going on.
     iv. Character C pulls out a letter from their coat pocket and hands it to MC
     v. MC opens the letter and starts to read.
     vi. Character B makes an excuse to leave the room.
     vii. Character C tells B they can't go yet.
     viii. MC reads that their teenage child has run away from boarding school.
     ix. Character C tells MC that they aren't surprised, launches into a tirade about MC neglecting their child.
     x. MC slams the book down on a table.
     xi. Character B makes a hasty exit through an outside door.
     xii. MC laughs and Character C is shocked.
     xiii. MC tells C that they helped their teenager escape.
     xiv. Character C reaches for their phone.
     xv. MC twists C's arm behind their back.
     xvi. Character C drops the phone in the pool.
    xvii. MC whispers in C's ear that they know C was the reason the teen was sent to the boarding school to begin with.
    xviii. Character C asks what the MC intends to do.
    xix. MC lets C go and walks toward the door.
    xx. C repeats the question with greater agitation.
    xxi. MC tells C that they won't hear from MC or their teen again.

8. Flashbacks or backstory reveals: Here's where you plug in your backstory material that has any relevancy to what is happening in this scene. It can be pages long or a quick sentence. Not all scenes should have flashbacks or backstory reveals, but you as a writer need to know where these things are simmering in the subtext.

9. Foreshadowing: This is the place where you have your big picture outlook come down to manageable size. Not all scenes have foreshadowing, but good ones do. It may be a simple remark a character makes, an event, an object, or a decision that will have big consequences later. Stop and think about this scene and your book at large and make this scene stronger by adding an element of foreshadowing.

10. Notes: Here is where you jot down any additional notes you have, like psychological development of the characters, things to watch out for, research data that you've collected that will have a bearing on this particular scene, etc.

See what I mean about writing the rewrite before actually writing it? By putting together this information you get to know your scene, its purpose and place in the novel without expending the time and sweat writing it. And it's much easier to tweak, change, or discard as you build your other scene profiles than going back and rewriting pages of prose.

Once you've made up all of your scene profiles and cut-to's and everything is fitting into place and all your insights, twists, and details match up as they should, then comes the fun part - rewriting your novel. And the best part is that it will be quick because you have everything thought out and jotted down, everything.

Give it a try and tell me what you think. I know I've avoided repeating details too much, found plot-holes, and developed stronger subtext by employing this method. I've also been able to chuck scenes that don't really do anything for the story. Sentimentality is avoided when working in a scene profile and with cut-to's. And usually, a writer's sentimentality is the biggest stumbling block of all to overcome.

Writing Update for March

There comes a time, I think in every manuscript, where the writing grows sluggish. It's not that I've grown less enthusiastic about the story or have hit a block, the ability to write just isn't there. I hate those moments. The mental torture is excruciating as one part of my brain is still churning out ideas and tweaks, and the other side is stubbornly resisting all attempts to write even a sentence. Burn out phase? Maybe. It's always good to take a break. I had gotten a lot of writing done in December and January and a fair bit in February before this not-so-pleasant writing phenomenon took place.

That's not to say there hasn't been progress. There are days when I make myself sit down and work. The going is slow and laborious, but internally I'm happy because I'm doing something.

I finished up Part 1 and went to start on Part 2 and realized I needed to trim and streamline events to keep from getting redundant in sections. Whenever you can combine events, characters, story revelations, etc. it's always best to do so. Drawing things out to highlight each neat idea also draws out the pacing and often gets repetitive, much to the story's detriment. I blew apart Part 2, did a lot of combining, threw out some material and added in new material ideas. I love where it's going now. I know if I'm not bored with the story lines there's a good chance readers won't be either.

My time has become much more constrictive than it was two months ago, but at least when I sit down to write I'm no longer struggling to write a paragraph. It's become easier to let go of my surroundings and get into the zone of the story. The funny thing is I'm always positive that I'm writing a lot of drivel that will need massive edits once I come out of the zone. Yet when I go back and read what I put down I find the writing is better than when I'm not in the zone. That's kind of cool when you think about it.

So things are taking a darker turn in Trefury #2. I thought I'd get bogged down in large-scale, outside events rather than things closest to the characters, but so far I haven't. I suppose I could go back and write a ton of short stories or off-shoot novels dealing with those other things. Maybe I will sometime. The neat thing about detailed world-building is there is no limit to the stories you can tell, the scenarios you can explore, and the characters you can develop.

Secrets to Keeping Things Straight in Big, Complex, Epic Novels

I've been asked a time or three how I'm able to keep facts and events straight when I write a big, complex novel. First off, kudos to the querier because they recognize there is more work involved in such a novel. Secondly, everyone who tackles these types of novels will have their own system. Here are some hints from mine.

1. Write things down.
I have multiple files that are generally categorized as Notes and Structure. When I get an idea or a snippet of conversation in my head, I write it down. Don't leave these precious tidbits floating around in your head until you get to writing that part of the story. You'll most likely forget them by that time.

I don't always write the story chronologically or linearly. I certainly don't edit that way either. That means I have to have written notes as a backup. Granted, I have a pretty good memory for just about everything I write, but why leave it to chance?

I have backstory notes files as well. I find that the more of these I have, the richer the story becomes. Some complex novels stay within one person's POV, but not usually. Most deal in multiple POVs, and that means you need distinguishable backstories, vernacular, personalities, and quirks for each POV character. And then you have all the side characters.

I have note files and picture files sometimes to help me with my world building. It's been so handy to reach a part of the story and just pull up the description of the setting to pull from rather than try to remember or create it on the spot. Especially when you don't want to present the setting the same way each time it's shown. Setting, as I've said before, acts like a character or mood setter for the scene.

Writing things down also helps you remember them better. The act of writing, literally writing not typing, has a peculiar effect on memory in the brain. I tend to jot things down by hand and then transcribe into digital files afterwards.

My notes files tend to be twice as large as the novel by the time I'm through.

2. Chunking and Recall
Chunking is a great term I learned last January when I took a course on the human brain and how to utilize it better in order to learn. In regards to writing, chunking would be taking an element of the story and associating it with other things in order to have better recall.

For example: When I bring up the word "red," based on the series I'm currently writing and publishing, I automatically think of one of my main characters, Thssk. I also think of blood, lava, anger, fire, dominating personalities, and power struggles. These next tier words lead me to specific scenes, character development, and backstory events - most of which revolve around Thssk, but also lead and connect to other characters and their story lines.

By chunking, or associating elements of the story to other elements, it just takes one word or phrase to recall much more information at once.

3. Make lists.
This one might go up under the Writing Things Down category, but I like to treat it differently. Lists are more compact, easier to read information, the overviews of the story.

In a complex novel I will use lists for:
i. Characters
I list characters by whether they are main characters, significant level B characters, C, and so on. Writing down everyone who has a name and assigning them their role in the story lets you see if your cast is too big and if you can't combine characters to have fewer people doing more in the novel. The danger with big, complex, multiple POV novels is making it difficult for the reader to remember who is who.
ii. Places and Settings
Listing your settings down gives you a great overview of what the story is doing. Do you use the same settings over and over again? Is there variety in your settings? Do you have too many settings? How can you reuse the same setting and portray it differently to help the mood of the story?
iii. Chronological order of events
Not all stories are told linearly, in fact, many really good ones aren't. Yet, it's important to know the chronological order of events as the author to avoid discrepancies in your writing. You don't want to use the scene where character A discovers the bad guy is really character Y before the scene where character Y declares they are in love with character A.
iv. Chapter and scene orders, including a list of POV characters for each
In a multiple POV novel, this list is vital, particularly for keeping track of how well mixed those POVs are. It lets me know if I've gone on too long with one story line at the expense of another.
v. Language and dialect
This has been valuable when I'm making up the words and phrases. I'm able to keep them straight, including their spellings and meanings.
vi. Historical events
A chronological list of historical or backstory events goes hand in hand with your story chronology. Backstory fuels character motivation and plot lines. Know what happened before the story and keep it straight with a simple timeline.
vii. Nodes of conjunction
This isn't one everyone uses but I have to. Nodes of conjunction are where story lines or characters connect. Say information about character D is discussed between characters X and W that will lead the reader to understand character D's actions in the next chapter. Or, characters F and G are going to finally collide with each other, when and where does this happen and how does it change the story? By using Nodes of conjunction in both a list and in my notes, I've found my stories get fuller faster and have more vitality in character development. 
viii. What still needs to be written
I'm a to-do list sort of person sometimes, and with big, complex novels, it helps me feel like I'm making a dent in the writing if I have a checklist of what needs to be done. Completely changeable as the story develops, this checklist works hand in hand with my outline and if I get stuck, I make a note about it and move on to the next item.
ix. Inconsistencies and places that need further research and development
All writers end up with inconsistencies in their stories, especially in the early stages. When I find one, I'm usually engrossed in working on something else. It helps to make a list of what the inconsistency is and where it is so that I can go back and revisit the issue.
x. How one scene or chapter segues into the next
Another list others may not use, but I like to. When moving from one POV character to another or one story line to another, I may have a cliffhanger, but something in the scene or chapter preceding the next needs to have a segue. It can be an object, mentioning the conflict or the next POV character, or even a theme. This list has been crucial in helping set chapter order.

4. "Put it together and what have you got?"
I've made mention before on this blog about creating a Story Bible. In essence, once you've created all of the things I've listed, you have made a Story Bible. The essential ingredient to successful orchestration of a complex novel.

When really considering how I keep things straight, my most personal answer is I like a challenge. I enjoy diving into multiple character and plot lines and playing with them. I love making connections between them and exploring the results. To me, it reflects life. Our actions or failure to act have an impact on others. It's never been about creating a glut of characters, events, or settings just because I could. People are complex. We're never completely good or evil. To me a story isn't about creating one hero that does everything, but celebrating the many heroic acts happening at different levels. The same thing for the mischief and malice created by the characters bent on being antagonists.

5. Index cards
Sometimes I need a visual representation of the story, especially when dealing with multiple POVs or plot lines. That's when I get out my index cards and put down information scene by scene. By keeping to scenes it makes it possible to rearrange quickly or play with the order. Usually my card looks something like this:

(Name of Scene) (Scene #)
Setting/Date
List of key points
POV character
Ritual/Theme
Key objects

I name my scenes. In a large novel it makes it easier to refer to if I've given a short clue as to what the scene is about. The scene # relates to where I have it listed in my overall outline or Table of Contents. The list of key points is pretty self-explanatory, as is point-of-view character. Rituals or themes help me classify the scene. For example: Outward Conflict, or Barter Ritual, or Point of Humiliation. Key objects refer to literal objects in the scene that have meaning or purpose to the story. They might be a weapon, or a green dress, or a tree. They are often symbolic and reoccur in the story.

Once I've compiled all my index cards I put them up on a blank wall in my office. Usually right in front of my treadmill so that when I'm taking a break and releasing endorphins I can also be brainstorming and reviewing the basic story material.

In Conclusion: 
My love for exploring every aspect of a story makes it easy to keep things straight in my head. I like to live and relive the moments. It's not a matter of knocking off a scene or chapter in order to reach a quick writing goal and then move on to the next novel. I prefer to savor and revisit. And that is why I know my stories so well and can write big, complex, epic novels.

Have a further question about anything you've read here or regarding more info on how I keep things straight? Please, ask me. Or tell me how you keep your material straight when you write. Do you do some of the same things I do?

Why is Writing So Hard?

The simple answer is: because writing is nothing more than making lots and lots of decisions.

Think about it. First you decide you want to write, either because you have come up with a great idea or simply because you enjoy the written word. Then you have to decide to make time to write and how you're going to write: computer or pencil and paper, or perhaps out loud into an audio recorder.

Once you're sitting down facing that blank screen or page then the hard work starts. Some decisions you may have made mentally while brainstorming your idea, but most others will happen while you are actually writing. Whose point of view is the story from? What tense will it be in? What is the setting or time period? Who are the characters? What are they like? What do they want? Is there conflict? What is their individual vernaculars? What words do I choose to use to describe? What if the plot goes this way - no wait, what if it went in the opposite direction?

Every moment of writing is decision making and that is what makes it hard. Unless you've brainstormed a lot mentally, it's not going to be easy to just start writing and knock off a hundred pages in a day. In fact, even with all your prior preparation, you're going to find that putting those images and scenes down in actual writing isn't as glib or smooth as you thought it would be. New ideas will sometimes bombard you, changing the course of what you've previously decided. Characters won't behave the way you originally envisioned. And sometimes you write yourself into a corner and get stuck. Getting unstuck can utilize some of the hardest decisions. It may mean cutting out a lot of what you've already written to go in a new direction. Or perhaps you need to decide to do some research to help solve the problem your characters are facing.

Character A is on one path, should they collide with Character B? When, if at all? How will the arcs of both these characters affect each other? How much action versus explanation should go into this scene? Do Characters C and D hate each other? Do they secretly love each other? Will the fate of Character E end in death? Will the villain win? Is there an identifiable villain? Decisions.

There is an accountability to writing. A law of the universe not often discussed is that for every decision made there are consequences. For your characters, and yes, even for you as the writer. Decisions about the words we use may either draw readers to our work or push them away. The point of view we choose will often determine our target audience. What elements we choose to put into the story will also draw or repel readers. Whether or not we choose to get feedback and improve our writing can have some very powerful consequences over how successful our novels may be.

It is not a mere moment of deciding "I am going to write a story today," although that is always a starting point. We can just as easily decide "This is too hard; I'm going to quit." Once you are determined to set down the winding path of writing a story, you will stop frequently - more often than you'd like - to assess, rethink, and choose. It's not a path for the fainthearted or lazy.

After you've crossed the finish line on your first draft then comes the next big decision: "I am going to go through it and rewrite it, edit it, and improve it." Subsequent drafts of editing and revision require even more decisions, some of them painful. Deciding to get feedback from others in order to improve your story has powerful consequences at well. Ideally, you should be given sound advice from people who read a lot and know a thing or two about writing and editing. Sometimes the feedback is unhelpful. You have to decide who to listen to. You have to decide which advice will make your story better and then choose to make the appropriate changes.

You choose if you want to go after publication or not. You choose which publication route you want to take. If going the traditional route, you have to choose your words carefully for a query letter and choose which agents and publishers you are going to solicit. You have to choose whether to keep going that route as rejections come in. And hopefully you'll get to choose who'll you'll work with and help make decisions in the publication of your novel. If you choose the indie route, you have even more decisions to make. Who will your printer service be? What format(s) will you publish in? Who do you get for cover artwork or do you do it yourself? You need to choose good editors and copy editors. You have to choose fonts and layout. And with either route there's all the marketing choices you'll have to make to let people know about your book.

And then you have to choose whether or not you will start all over with a new novel.

Writing isn't some blow-in-the-wind hobby, not if you're serious about it. Writing takes decision-making skills and lots of determination. Many people have taken up writing this month for fun. For those new to the game, you're probably finding out it's not so easy as you probably thought. I would hope that by trying it out, you'd gain a better appreciation for the books you've read and those determined people who have moved forward by the hundred thousands to make decision after decision to create the stories you read and love.

And for those of you who are not new to the game, I share your frustration and joy of the process. The hours seem to slip by so quickly and yet so little seems to make it to the page. I believe at least 75% of our writing time is spent up in our heads making decisions.

This is why NaNo's word count is a true challenge for those taking it seriously. Writing is hard.

Update for October

I love autumn, and this year has been more lovely than any I can remember.

Autumn is also one of my busiest seasons, between sewing Halloween costumes, teaching, beta reading for contests, and all the other sundry things that tend to fill up my plate. I love it, though. It is good to be employed with worthwhile things, especially if those things help other people.

Naturally, one can assume that's left me little time for writing, and that's correct. However, I have been able to squeeze in some profitable brainstorming sessions and planning. Everything is aimed at next month when I firmly plant my feet and say, "This is my month for writing!" (Of course, there are many every day things I can and won't ignore next month, but I won't be taking on any extra projects or assignments.)

I have four novels to work on:
Trefury: The Secrets of Callorin - and boy have I thought up some particularly chilling and great scenes for this one! I'm excited to get back to work and see how much I can iron out.

The Princess of the Winds - a NaNo project from last year that I need to fill in some gaps and do some refining with. This story is very dear to my heart and has been since I first came up with it as a child.

The Nivyd - This is the story I am drawn to every autumn because of the setting. I can't help myself; I have to work on it.

After a Rainbow - My very first novel that I wrote all the way through. I'm dusting it off, totally redoing it, and it should end up being a fun, yet not fluffy, MG. The first volume in a short series. My daughters pushed me to revisit this one. I had them draw up a list of things they looked forward to when choosing novels to read and when I through their lists I realized I had a story that contained most of those elements.

I haven't set a word count goal for NaNo. 50,000 is typical, but I've gone past it the last couple of times I've done it. I think it's safe to say I just want to get as much done as I can on all four. If I get stuck with one novel, I can jump to one of the others until I'm unstuck. That way I keep moving forward. I know a lot of people can't juggle stories like that, but I'm a weird duck. I can read multiple novels at the same time and never get them confused with each other either. The same goes for writing novels.

How about you? What are your NaNo plans/goals this year? Are you in the middle of working on a story that demands to be written? What is your favorite thing about autumn?

Mid-month Update

2015 started like any other year, a fresh page. I had no idea how it would explode on me into the busiest year ever. I'm also calling it the year of surgeries because I've been through 2, my daughter 1, my sister 1, my mom 1 with another upcoming. I've been juggling my own household as well as taking care of my mom while she recuperates. My kids have reached the age bracket of doing more outside our home. We limit the number of extra-curriculars and I'm by no means the epitome of the soccer mom, but man, I had no idea how much time gets sucked up in even one extra activity, let alone three. My husband's gone from a part-time college student to a full-time in order to get done faster. Guess who helps him proofread his papers and who explains music theory to him? Yep, me. I also have other commitments both in the writing community and my local community. "I'm swamped!"

Not that I mean to sound like a wet blanket about all of that. I'm happiest doing things with and for my family. I'm involved with good things. But I have to wonder in the few private moments I get these days, if there's too many good things fighting for my attention and energy. How do I prioritize without letting people down? And where did I go in the midst of all this?

I've snatched brief bits of time to scribble down notes or bits of scenes while in waiting rooms. I brainstorm while doing two sets of household chores. But as to actual writing time ... *sigh* When the evening rolls around I'm too exhausted to even think straight. That frustrates me too.

It's all a learning experience, of course. I have limitations. And when you go for long periods of time without a substantial break, you get burned out easily. Vacations aren't even in my vocabulary. Me-time is a luxury other people get. I'm sure I'm in a crowded boat with all of the other busy people loaded with obligations and no time for themselves.

So what has this to do with writing updates? Book #2 in my Trefury trilogy is coming along, albeit at a snail's pace this summer. I'm mindful of those who are anxiously awaiting more of the story. I promise I'm lining up some really good stuff for you. I'm excited for how the revisions are going, how the characters are developing, and the criss-crossing plotlines are getting tighter. I know I'm anxious to get this one done so I can write the concluding book.

Book #1 will be released soon in paperback format, so be sure to watch for news here, on Goodreads, or on Twitter for new giveaways.

I have two other novels ready for revisions prior to beta readers also scratching at the back of my head. It's very hard to suppress the urge to work on them. I don't lack for material to work on or ideas. If only I could keep up! Lol.

If anyone has a magic bullet or some good practical ideas on how I can scrape together some surplus energy and time, I'm open to suggestions. 

Fun Ideas and Tips #9: Make Your Story Newsworthy

You've written the first draft of your novel and now it's time to go back and begin revisions. Whether your first draft is thick or thin, you're going to have to do some analysis on the whole thing and see if what you wrote makes sense, needs a complete overhaul, or perhaps needs better focus.

I have a fondness for reading news headlines. They're short and to the point, giving you enough information to whet your curiosity so that you will try out the actual article. Headlines also give readers the option of not reading, if the article isn't about something they care about. They streamline the reading process. I love that.

How do news headlines factor in to revising the first draft of your novel?

By giving you another outlining option.

The pantser argument doesn't hold weight right now; you've finished the rough draft of your novel. It's time to make sure the story is solid, to tie up loose ends, expose those plot holes, strengthen your characters, and put all your story ducks in a row. An outline can streamline the process.

I've highlighted many easy to construct outlines in the past and I'm not going to rehash them or other more complex versions. No, today I want you to think like a journalist coming up with news headlines. So here's what you do:

1) Break up your story into sections. It can be chapters, or POV switches, or even by page. And don't feel like you have to sit and spend a few hours dividing up your novel for this step. You can do this as you go along reading it.

2) Write a simple, one sentence headline for each section. The rule for this is: What is the most important event, twist, or discovery in this section?

This should be more thought-provoking than it first suggests. Remember, headlines have to garner attention. What is going on in this section that would capture your readers' attention? Is this section even worth keeping in the story? Is anything happening at all?

For example, say you decide to do a headline for each page and the page you are reading is basically describing a journey, or a building, or a scientific process—you're not going to come up with a very good headline for it. What the lack of a snazzy headline does is give you a red flag that you have too much description going on in that section. There's nothing happening. You're going to lose readers' interest here. Ah hah! You mark that section for demolition or a complete make-over.

Let's say you do have something going on. Are new questions being raised by this section? A new mystery unfolds? The characters have reached a pivotal choice? Creating headlines for the section will give you a chance to lock down the exact dilemma, point, or argument this section needs to be about. Ah hah! You may find you need to beef this part up, or even play it down. Perhaps you discover you're in danger of creating a bunch of unnecessary subplots due to tangents in your original material.

Or, maybe this section deals with an action sequence. "Creating a headline should be easy", you think—or is it? "Good Guy is Attacked by Bad Guys but Comes Out on Top!" is rather bland. Ah hah! Are you putting in action for the sake of action, or does this section actually move the story forward? What is learned in this section? What is gained or lost? Have you made it too easy for the protagonist? Have you devoted too many paragraphs or pages to reporting each movement or play-by-play? Do you even need this kind of action here? How predictable is this section? It's a lot to think about. Sometimes the sections/scenes we think are done deals are the most predictable to readers and maybe need a lot more brainstorming to make them different or unpredictable.

*A further note: Don't stress about giving things away in your headlines, or about using too much hyperbole when creating them. This outline is for your eyes only. Have fun with it.

3) Make sure you are taking notes as you do step #2, whether in the document or in a separate notebook or file. Line up your headlines when you are done, in story order. Read through them. Does one flow well after the one before? Do you notice significant gaps?

This gives you a very basic outline, and a very valuable revision tool. Maybe you need to rearrange some of the events. Maybe you need to add new sections, or delete others. Really think about the overall theme and goals of the story. What exactly do these headlines say about your story, the characters, the plot, and the differences between Point A and Point Z?

If you're writing a more complex novel with multiple POVs, consider not only a master list of all the headlines, but also separate story-order lists for each POV used. Or come up with a color coding method in your master list to help you see how your POV characters are cycling. What's good about this, is you can still look to see if your POV switches are happening in the right places. Are the events or questions leading to the next section? Are you overusing POV switches for the sake of following a definite pattern? Do you need all of those POVs to begin with? Having a concise reference for the whole story can really show how well you are using multiple POVs.

4) If you want to take your headline analysis one helpful step further, as you go along making them, jot down the number of pages or the word count devoted to each section. It's a huge eye-opener. When tallied up at the end, you can see what aspects of the story you felt were the most important when you wrote that first draft. This can help you stay true to your original genesis for the story, and/or can show you your weaknesses by revealing what key story elements you put less effort into developing. This can also help you target areas for trimming or adding to your word count, all nice and neatly marked out next to your headline outline. Altogether, a handy, quick reference for your story as you go into the actual revision process.

I'm sure that anyone who tries out the headline outline will find even more good uses for it. Think of a simple outline as if it were a thumbnail revealing your entire story at a glance. It's always better to go into the revision process with access to the overall picture. Without it, a writer is like someone trying to figure out a maze for the second time; you have some idea of where it goes and how you got through it before, but you don't remember every twist and turn and you still can't see alternate routes.

I know some of you will shrug your shoulders and stubbornly refuse to even try outlining. That's okay. There are different kinds of writers, but take a second to consider what you might be missing out on by not trying a simple outline. And just because So-and-So Big-Name-Author doesn't outline, that really shouldn't be an argument, after all, you aren't them.

I've written many stories and used different methods for each one. I learn new things from each experience. However, I know now that having a simple outline can make a huge difference in the number of revision passes I have to make. I hope you'll at least try out the headline outline, or one of the others in the list below. See what works for you. Develop your own version of a simple outline. Be creative and have fun, but most of all, take the opportunity to study yourself as a writer.


Other outlining methods you can try: (Note: Some of these are for outlining before writing your first draft.)
National Novel Writing Month Preparation: The Easiest Outline Ever
How I Outline, Guest Post #4: NCB
How I Outline, Guest Post #3: Ian Isaro
How I Outline, Guest Post #2: Derrick Camardo
Fulfilling Your Promises to the Reader
How I Outline, Guest Post #1: Darke Conteur
When Outlining Breaks Down (A guest post I wrote on another blog.)
Outlining: The Simple Version
Because: One of the Most Important Words a Writer Can Use ...

Accentuate the Positive: What If ... ?

When you've been writing for a long time and hung around the vast writing world, it's easy to see a lot of negative things bantered about. Consequently, it's easier to start thinking negatively about others and even worse, about yourself as a writer. So much emphasis is placed on nailing a query letter, your opening pages, your synopsis, your social presence, etc. that it becomes a quagmire of shadowy rules, rejection, deception, and negativity.

Think about your realm of influence for a moment. Are you often a beta reader or an established critique partner? Do you edit or help with PR? I'd even be so bold as to add, are you a literary agent or publisher?

How happy are you? How happy are the people around you? Is daily snark regarding other people the norm? Do you pick up someone's manuscript prepared to be a skeptic?

What if this next week you could only mention the positive things about someone's work?

What if instead of tearing someone down, you show them that they aren't hopeless or crazy but that they do have some things going for them. It may be a lot, it may be a little, but think how much of a boost you could give if that other person knew what they did right for a change.

What if you set a goal not to speak disparagingly of anyone else? What if you decided not to listen to or share gossip?

Focusing on the negative is a piece of cake. While we do need to know what we have to work on to become better writers it doesn't always have to come in a negative or derogatory package. It takes strength of character to be a positive person, someone who is genuinely concerned about helping someone else.

It's as simple as dealing with a child. If you always focus on what that child is doing wrong or where the child is lacking, you destroy their motivation and self-esteem. If you focus on what the child is doing right and point out their strengths, it motivates them to do even better.

Sure publishing is a business but people aren't. Sure you run into delusionals who have an ego the size of Brazil, but most people aren't that way. There is a hopeful person on the other end of that manuscript, someone who is trying to do better and whose basic desire is to share something they created.

Don't assume that they are getting positive vibes from other sources. You may be their only outside influence that day, week, or month regarding their work.

I find it very disturbing that as a society we're obsessed with perfection without having a concrete definition or outline for that perfection. If stripped down to our very core, we are all imperfect people, and you know what, it's okay. As long as we're trying to be a better person each day, isn't it time we chill out and admit that we're never going to reach perfection? Why would we expect everyone else to?

There is enough room for everyone to express themselves. There are so many subjectively diversified tastes out there, don't assume that your subjective tastes are what must be the rule. You may be tired of a premise, but that doesn't mean others are. You may think writing X + U is a bad idea, but that doesn't mean someone else won't think it's a brilliant pairing. Your style won't be the same as someone else's, and that's okay. Their voice will differ from yours as well. It's okay.

Now, I'm not saying you have to love, accept, or buy every story, query, or synopsis that you get. I'm not saying to you have to write a detailed letter of explanation for every rejection you give. But can we ditch the snark in social media for a week? Can we ditch it in our conversations? Can't we write a blogpost saying why we love writers or what they consistently do right? Instead of the "reasons why I'm rejecting this" feeds can we focus on "reasons I love this" feeds instead? If you're critiquing someone else's work, is it so difficult to highlight all the many more places they are getting it right instead of the fewer places they are getting it wrong?

Perhaps I'm the crazy one. I'm guilty of succumbing to the writing world negativity at times too. It's something I intend to change. If any of this has agreed with you, will you join me in a positivity week starting today?

How I Outline, Guest Post #1: Dark Conteur

The purpose of this series is to debunk some of the mystery, myth, and frustration behind the concept of outlining. No two people outline the same way and there is no one right method to outlining.

I'm happy to welcome Darke Conteur, author of the Watchtower Series, to Yesternight's Voyage today. Here is her outline process:

When Joyce put out the call for authors to share their writing process, I couldn't resist. I hear about many new writers becoming frustrated at how to structure their story, and I thought I would share some tricks of mine.

First off, I don't adhere to the 'plotter or pantser' mentality. The first draft of a story is just that, a first draft and if I want to wander off and see where an unknown path takes me, that's fine. I'll wander all over the place, but in my opinion, when it comes down to revisions and the final edits, I NEED an outline.

1. Outline the Entire Story: Whether it's in my head, or carefully written down, I need to understand the beginning, middle and ending in order to know where my story is going. Here's where I wander; where I flesh out a plot line and see where it takes me. Even if I don't know anything past the beginning, I just write stuff down. Many times wandering allows me to discover potential plot lines that help form a more coherent storyline. New characters show up or old ones disappear. Even if it doesn't make sense or is even relevant to the main plot, I follow it. There are important details that there might be overlooked and who knows, I might be able to fit it all in. Also, I never throw away or delete anything. Even if it can't go into my books, I need that information.

2. Outline Each Book: Here's where the fun begins and I really need to pay attention. When you're writing a serial, you have to balance several story arcs in the air, so the trick is to figure out what can be mentioned per book, and what can't. Do I reveal something traumatic in a middle chapter in book two, or the beginning of book three? How does it blend in with the rest of the chapters? How does the story flow? Am I going to have enough story to encompass the amount of books I want to write? That last question is the hardest. Don't add fodder to your story just to stretch it out. Backstory and info-dumps are permitted, but I use them sparingly. You don't need several pages of info-dump. Just a few paragraphs will do.

3.Outline Each Chapter: I find this a very important step. What do I want to accomplish with this chapter? What will happen to the characters? What's the dialogue like? Any danger? What about conflict? I need to have a very good understanding of each chapter before I write. During the first draft, I let my imagination wander, but for the final revisions, I set a word goal of roughly 4k, but that's just because I prefer short chapters.

And finally,

4. Outline Each Scene: This is not for everyone, and it's a little quirk I picked up. I'm a visual writer. I picture the scene before I write. When I start a new scene, I take some time and picture the background, how the characters move and where, the dialogue, all of it. It's also known as daydreaming. I've caught myself daydreaming for thirty minutes or more. Heck, for one future series, I took to my bed for four days (after I got Sithboy ready for school), just visualizing scenes! This is handy for action scenes.

So that's it. I'm sorry to say there are no big secrets here. Just a lot of determination. Good luck!

For more posts on outlining see:
Outlining: The Simple Version
Jumping the Tracks

If you would like to share your method or reasons for outlining in a guest blogpost, send an email to joycealton at ymail.com
 

Passive Nightmare

One thing I’ve quickly learned about myself is that my greatest flaw is passive writing. Old ms drafts ooze with it and I still work to search and destroy parts of my stories that have entire passages of passive phrasing. Anyone who does their homework on writing craft soon sees the animosity out there toward passive writing, and it’s justified. Passive writing is lackluster, sluggish, and boring. Childish even.

Most of the time you run into advice along the lines of:
Get rid of all uses of the word “was” or any conjugation of “to be.”
Get rid of –ing words.
“Had” is bad.

And so forth.

People intend to be helpful and some actually know what they’re talking about. Others don’t. So I muddled along as best I could and through a lot of sweat and effort started to see progress.

And then at random, I picked up another book on writing craft at the library two weeks ago. The emphasis of the book: revising. So I took it home and read it. Lots of good stuff in it but the best part came toward the end. Strong nouns and verbs vs. weak nouns and verbs and an actual method to eradicating passive writing! Not a weak directive to get rid of certain words, instead, a strong emphasis on word pictures and voice that ends up getting the job done right. I felt ecstatic over my find.

And I thought I’d share the reference for anyone else struggling with passive writing. Get your hands on The Weekend Novelist Re-Writes the Novel by Robert J. Ray. Weekends 16 & 17 are the golden chapters. Of course, the whole book is full of great advice on plotting, structure, character motivation, and archetypes.

The best part—I added it to my online wish list and five days later my brother bought it for me as a birthday present. Now I can go back and mark up the book all I want with highlighters.

Some other writing craft books I’ve enjoyed in recent years:
Writing the Breakout Novel and the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass – If you’re sitting down to write a first draft, wait until you get to the revision stage before picking these up.

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell – great for first drafts.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King – excellent for those nitpick drafts and final polishes.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White – another good one for final edits and chopping down word count.

The Random House Guide to Good Writing by Mitchell Ivers – great reference for all stages of the writing process.

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card – another handy reference for speculative fiction writers; especially good for learning rules and tropes so you can break them the right way.

I have read several others, but these are the outstanding ones that worked well for me. And remember, you don’t have to do everything any craft book says to do. Find what works for you and your style. Usually I find one or two sections in any given book on craft that stands out to me.

What are some of your favorite books on the craft of writing? Do you struggle with passive writing or phrasing (or am I standing out here in the cold alone?)

Trimming the Manuscript Part 3: Determining the Balance

Here’s a crazy-zany idea that I don’t know if anyone else has tried. Do you know the balance in your manuscript between action and non-action (description, internal thoughts, etc.)?  Maybe the story’s too huge because of an imbalance. Hm…

 So here’s what you do:

 1) Create a scene list for your novel. Any time the setting changes, there is a POV switch, or something significant happens to carry the characters into a new scene, note a scene break. Name each of your scenes (this is a lot of fun and no one else will see these.)

2) Work with one scene at a time. This is very important so you don’t feel overwhelmed or get confused. Especially if you have multiple POVs or just a whale of an epic on your hands.

3) Separate your scene into two new documents. One with all the action and one with all the inactivity. The action document will have the dialogue too. Anything strictly not action or dialogue goes into the inactivity document.

4) Now note which document is larger. You don’t have to have a perfect balance for every scene. Some scenes are meant to have more action and others little. After you’ve noticed where the scales weigh on this scene, think about that scene and what its purpose is. Is this a scene with a big reveal? A lot of subtle foreshadowing going down? A place in time marked for internal development for your protagonist? A place where the plot speeds up and takes the protagonist from Point A to Point B? What is the purpose.

5) After you’ve realized what that scene is supposed to do, look at your action document. Consider:
a) Do you need that much action for this scene to do its job? Do you need more?
b) Does your action stand on its own two feet, meaning, you don’t need a lot of explanation to help the reader along?
c) Is the action in this scene the best way to carry the story forward? Or is it action for the sake of action?

6) Next, look at your inactivity document.
Consider:
a) Based on the purpose of this scene, and what is going on, do you have places where description bogs down the narrative? Can you break it up and seamlessly put it in with the action as it comes?
b) If this scene is a turning point internally, do your interior thoughts and observations made by the character do its job? Do you need more or can you reword their thoughts for maximum impact with fewer words?
c) Are you using description, backstory, explanation, or interior monologues for the sake of filling space rather than carrying the story forward? What can wait for later or may need to be bumped up earlier in the story? Trim the excess fat.
d) Are there ways to show how the characters feel through action?

7) After both documents have gone through analysis, cutting, and restructuring. Put the scene back together. You will probably find even more ways to trim as you do. And, you may end up cutting the scene completely out because now you know it doesn’t move the story or the characters forward, or it is shallow, or where an unnecessary tangent plot begins.
8) Move on to the next scene. Repeat.

Recognizing the purpose of a scene and what focus it needs to have is a great way to shed some story bulk. Knowing how to move the story forward in that scene either through action or inaction also helps the writer watch for plot holes, character inconsistencies, and keeps minor characters and subplots in line.

You may discover that you've put too many superfluous action scenes in the story or have redundant passages of backstory, internal monologue, or description. Restore the balance.

How about you? What do you do to determine whether your story is imbalanced or bloated because of an imbalance?

A Method to the Madness

I don’t normally issue status reports on my work because I figure, being an unknown, who cares? And I don’t intend to beleaguer you much today either. At the point where I’m finishing up another round of revision and in the middle of holding threads, scene tatters, and parts needing surgery, I’ve had ample time to think about method.

There’s the initial birthing stage. Ah hah! I have a great idea! So I write it down in summary or in a quick first draft that hits all the points and scenes simmering in my brain. This stage is wild, uninhibited, and anything goes. No one else is going to ever see it.

Sometimes I’m a pantser, sometimes I’m an outliner. It really depends on the story and how it came to me. Either way, I usually know the beginning to the end before I write.

So then what?

The three manuscripts I’ve juggled for the past few years in the vortex of revision and development are making me wake up. I’ve dabbled in one suggested method or another, trying them out, seeing what works for me. It’s a necessary path to self-discovery for a writer. I think my path took a little longer. I haven’t been in a rush. I’m more concerned with doing it right than in getting it before an audience. And only now, when the end is in sight for one of those stories, I can reflect back on what I tried, what worked, what failed, and what made me get lost.

What does this mean? I can streamline the process now for the other two, and for future manuscripts. That equates to not only faster product output but higher quality output.

The first thing I’ve learned: the second draft should be the longest and slowest. It’s not the time to worry about voice, choice of words, or word count. The second draft is all about plot holes, characterization, back story, and major world-building development. If that isn’t the focus, it’s easy to become side-tracked and discouraged. The second draft is also not meant for other eyes.

While the rough draft/first draft was all about getting ideas down, it’s time to switch from hare to tortoise mode when facing the second draft. What I love about this draft is getting “in the zone” for each scene you work on, digging deep and discovering what makes the story tick, lots of research, finding out that the first draft isn’t carved in stone and is about to drastically change.

If you take the time to slow down and thoroughly develop the story in the second draft, there is less likelihood of being ten or more drafts to follow. Oh how I wish I’d know this before! Well, learning from the past, that’s what this blog is about anyway.

The third draft is where voice, syntax, and such come into play. Line edits. Also not a fast hare-sprint-to-the-finish-line type of draft. This is where you worry about word count.

So then we’re done, right? Um, no.

Now the manuscript is ready for other eyes to see. Beta readers/critique partners, line ‘em up. Give a few a go at the manuscript. Choose other writers over relatives and friends. If possible, get someone with expertise in your research fields to double check that you got your facts straight. Then take the feedback and learn from those fresh pairs of eyes. They will catch things you didn’t. Both in second draft material and third draft material.

The fourth draft is incorporating what they’ve helped you learn or consider. Sometimes this means large rewrites or several small tweaks. The point of the fourth draft is clarity and continuity.

Done now?

Nope. Another round of beta readers. Different ones from before. Bonus points if you can find writers who are also your target audience. Gather their feedback and tweak. You should be at tweaking rather than overhaul status at this point. One more round of line edits.

Now, it’s time to send the manuscript out into the world and see if the professionals want it.

Five drafts, approximately. A far cry better than the ten drafts I’ve put the current MS through. Developing a sensible method—I know better now. Prioritizing and having a set goal for each draft stage makes a huge difference, especially that second draft.

The journey of a writer is fraught with frustration and mistakes. I love it when I wise-up and then things fall into place.

Have you jumped the gun and sprinted when you should have strolled instead?

Trimming the Manuscript Part 2: Too Much Plot? – It Happens

Some writers have a knack for developing plotlines and subplots. If you’re an ace outliner on top of that, you might find, as I did, that pretty soon you have too much of a good thing. And too much plot or too many subplots can contribute to an inflated word count.

For a first-timer (meaning someone not published yet) your epic-sized novel may be the reason why agents and publishers are saying “no.”

There’s a difference between an epic and epic-sized. Some stories are epic. They are also tightly written too. Having an epic-sized novel doesn’t necessarily qualify it as an epic.

So how to bring down the word count and yet still have a solid storyline?

Outline in the simplest form. First identify what your main plot is and the crucial plot points that make it happen. Don’t include all the subplots or any plot points that aren’t crucial. If you have a hard time identifying crucial from the unnecessary, get some beta readers right away. You’re too close to the story and have invested too much time into developing plot points and lines to think straight about them. You need other eyes to help you.

Once you have the basic gist of your main plotline then look at your subplots. Write a separate outline for each of them. One or two subplots are the norm for any story. If you find you have five or ten, you need to get out the pruning shears. If your story is an actual epic, there will be more subplots but still make sure you haven’t bit off more than you or your audience can chew.

Once you’ve analyzed your essential plot points in both the main storyline and the subplots, you should have some scenes or even chapters you can cut already. If this round of analysis didn’t come up a lot to trim, then it’s time to look at each scene in the story.

Is this scene absolutely necessary? If you have a scene full of action and nothing else, you’ve got room to trim. For instance, your main characters have just walled up inside a fortress while an invading army of trolls surrounds them. Now the heroes must fight to keep the fortress. It’s a necessary part of the story but watch how you tell it. Pages and pages of straight action equates to boring filler. Are you characters growing during the conflict? What’s at stake for them? Are you showing it? What can happen during this battle to spin a plotline forward? There needs to be growth and change for any scene to be necessary.

Say you have a main character that is newly arrived on a strange world. There’s the temptation to explain everything about that world right away. After all, we need to ground our readers so they don’t feel lost. And a sense of wonder is a great way to keep them reading. Don’t describe your setting, incorporate it. What will that character first tend to notice about the new place? What is going on there? It’s not always like that scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy steps out of her house and gets several minutes to examine the Munchkin countryside. Places are active, not passive. Even quiet, pastoral settings can incorporate a tone. If there is no one there for the MC to react to or act upon, use the setting as a character. Trim the info-dumps. Spread out the details according to what the character will actually notice and what will actually happen. It’s great that you made up a deadly species of squirrel, including charts and an index on all their characteristics. If the squirrels aren’t a main part of that scene don’t share all your notes with the reader.

Sometimes we can condense or tell a series of happenings as if they happened off-stage, rather than write them out. It’s a great way to save space. Say you have a group of people traveling, you can trim all the travel scenes, doing a recap through dialogue after they’ve arrived, if something interesting happened. Unless, of course, the bulk of the story is about their journey, we don’t need to read about all the interesting parts of their trip in full-blown detail. “Pick your battles” is a well-known saying and it’s applicable here. Pick your scenes and don’t fret about the rest. Again, note if there is plot or character growth during a particular scene. If there is, keep it. If not, summarize or chuck it.

Another good rule of thumb is to start a scene with the action already going and end it early. We don’t need a prologue to a scene or a miniature epilogue at the end of it. Get to the point, share what is necessary, and make sure the scene propels the reader forward. Scene prologues and epilogues give readers an invitation to put the story down.

True epics will exceed 100K words and often even the 120K. There is a limited market for these books and a devoted body of readers who can’t get enough of them. If you have a true epic on your hand, don’t freak out over all the negativity on word count. As long as your manuscript is tight, every scene is necessary, and you’ve unloaded every bit of fat possible, you’re doing it right. Finding an agent or publisher is going to be an uphill battle but that’s due to circumstances out of your hands.

Contrary-wise, don’t make the mistake of thinking your story is an epic merely because it’s got a huge girth. It’s our job to analyze, chop, tighten, and choose wisely the content of our stories. Most people fall into the trap of epic-sized rather than true epic. Beta readers/critique partners are your best buddies in this instance. They’ll point out the places where their attention wanders, the parts that aren’t necessary, and question whether you’re serious about six subplots.

And congratulations if you are good at plotting. It’s a great skill. Embrace it, but don’t overdo it.

Trimming the Manuscript Part 1: The Nitpicks Revision

Some books are epic doorstoppers. We see them all the time in libraries and bookstores. Some stories need all that girth to tell them, and many stories do not. The unpublished writer soon finds his/her biggest roadblock to publication is the formidable word count confession. Speculative Fiction writers get a little more leeway than other genres because of world-building (100,000-120,000 words usually), but even then, there are limits to most agents' patience when they're viewing your query letter. A word count of 200,000 is going to raise eyebrows, if you're a first-timer. So for the next little while, I'm going to devote a few blogposts to discussing ways to trim your manuscript to an acceptable length without sacrificing the story. As I've had to run this gauntlet myself, maybe what I've learned might help you. And if you have any relevant tips and tricks, please share in the comments.

Sometimes, all that is needed is a nitpick revision of the full manuscript. A nitpick revision is where you comb through, line by line, and look for small things to take out. A word or phrase here and there doesn't seem like much, but it really does add up and I've known writers who have cut thousands of words by this type of revision alone.

Things to look for:
1) Sentence rephrasing. Can you say the same thing in fewer words? Simplicity works best. It gets your message across with fewer "speed bumps" for the reader. Anywhere a reader might backtrack and re-read a sentence for clarity is a good place to rephrase and cut words.

2) Passive phrasing: He was going, She was walking, They were sleeping, etc. You can make a sentence active instead of passive and trim some unnecessary words by getting rid of the "was" and changing the action verb to an -ed instead of an -ing: He went. She walked. They slept.

Note: Not all versions of "was" or "-ing" should be cut from a manuscript, but that's a whole other discussion.

3) Places where someone "looks". Instead of telling us your protagonist looked down into the valley, cut to the chase and show us the valley. Show trumps tell in these cases, and can help you trim a lot of unnecessary words. We don't always need to read the action of looking at something. There are exceptions, of course. Try to use this kind of action sparingly.

4) Redundancy. Have you already described a motivation in Chpt. 3? Don't give us another explanation about it in Chpt. 5. The same thing with description or an event. It's rare that a reader needs a recap if your first explanation, description, or event did it's job. Adding to or changing something is entirely different.

5) Are you using hyphens to connect words? Some phrases are supposed to be connected and it technically cuts down your word count. Examples: nine-year-old, half-eaten, back-up.

6) Double adjectives or adverbs. Are they repetitive or too similar to each other? Cut one.

7) Adjectives and Adverbs. Do you need them? Can you use a stronger noun or verb instead? Example: "the tall building" becomes "the skyscraper" or "the castle". Keep in mind that just because a word is an adjective or adverb doesn't mean you have to cut it. Adjectives and adverbs are valid parts of speech and used wisely, enhance your prose. Make sure they are necessary.

8) Estimate how many words you need to cut per page to reach your word count goal and try to stick with it.
Example: Based on an average of 250 words p/page, to drop from 125,000 words (500 pgs.) to 100,000 words (400 pgs.), you'd need to slash 50 words p/page.

9) Keeping your pet words in mind (those you use repetitiously) do a word search and see how many you can chop out. Simple words such as: "that", "as", "and", "but", "just", "only", or short phrases.

10) Unnecessary action: "He sat down." The action of sitting implies the direction. Chop out the word "down". Look also for places where you've fallen into a play-by-play of simple action: "She woke up, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and sat up. Putting her feet over the side, she slid out onto the floor, stood, and stretched." Leave something to the reader's imagination. There's nothing extraordinary in these actions, so strike them out.

For further ideas on nitpick revising, I recommend The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, especially the section on eliminating unnecessary words.

Get Me My Sword, The Fight is On!

Last week my daughter struggled with some new math problems. In trying to help her, I pulled out the math manipulatives, talked through a couple of strategies, and worked through some of the problems with her. For some reason, she didn't want to use any of them. She was frustrated but refused to take any of the simple advice I'd given. The homework session drew out three times as long as it needed to. When I ran out of ideas she got mad at me for not solving her problem. That's when I pointed out that she'd created the problem by not accepting the simple strategies and that she could have finished her homework quickly if she had. In the end, she got over her stubbornness and found taking the simple route worked best.

I couldn't help but think, from this situation, of times I'd been stubborn in regards to some simple point of writing, querying, or publishing. I also knew other writers who behaved exactly as my daughter did, by asking a question and then belligerently refusing to accept the answer. We all get that way sometimes. We don't want to switch the way we're climbing the mountain for another path, even if it's easier. We fixate on stupid, little things. We don't want to start over, rewrite, or change a bad habit.

Writing and publishing isn't a stagnate process, it requires growth and change. It's the journey that counts, right? We will encounter new ways of doing things since industry standards alter all the time. Digging in our heels and griping at other people won't solve anything. Blaming someone else for our petty vices only spouts hot air. For example: So we grew up with typing two spaces between sentences and now everyone's saying use only one. It takes less time to train yourself to the new model than it does to write a tirade about it.

A few years ago a beta reader pointed out a problem in one of my manuscripts. Critiques often sting but this particular piece of advice rankled for some reason. I thought he was daft in not recognizing and understanding all my carefully crafted clues (I know, unreasonable idiotic moment on my part.) I shrugged his comment off and continued with my revisions. The story later went through a couple of other beta readers, who pointed out other problems. In fixing those I found I needed to do a major reconstruct on the entire story and by so doing, realized that first beta reader's bothersome comment was actually brilliant. He had shown me the door to a major reconstruct I didn't know I needed until later. I wish now I had taken the time to really think about his comment before. I could have saved myself substantial time and trouble.

Despite all the advice to develop a tough skin and be professional, we writers are usually the opposite. We pout, take tantrums, cry, mock, brag, debate, laugh, and do crazy things. (The smart ones keep these reactions private.) Our first instinct is to pull up our defenses and charge at a supposed threat. We prance up on a huge black horse, armor spiky and shiny, countenance fierce, and in our loudest and scariest voice challenge the rock in our path. We can yell, stab, stomp, and threaten all we want, that rock isn't going away or changing shape.

When something hits us hard, step away from it. Calm down. Sleep on it. Take time to think about it from every angle. Instead of assuming someone’s out to get you, consider the possibility that they want to help you or that a particular method might work better. It may take hours or years to accept it. I’m not saying that all advice is right or that you need to do whatever anyone tells you to do. Don’t blow on your battle horn and try to mass raging hordes to your cause. Fickle creatures, those raging hordes. They’re more likely to raise an eyebrow and ask “What’s the big deal?” when you issue the call. Why? Because you’re declaring war on all uses of the word “was” OR Sans Serif vs. Times New Roman OR “I need twelve pages of backstory in the beginning of the manuscript so the reader understands where my heroine is coming from.” Petty vices.

What insignificant things have you gotten hung up on in the past or might be struggling with right now?