Time for Beta Test Readers

I'm ready for a break from revisions on my work in progress. Luckily, it's ready for a break from me.

Going through a final draft for the sequel of my recent book, Secrets of the King's Daughter, has stirred up feelings of inadequacy as a writer. We generally would expect to get better with experience and time in any endeavor, but I'm wondering if my second book will measure up to the overall good response of the first. Apparently this is normal.

I've been following a group discussion where even experienced authors expressed the constant battle against these feelings. For one thing, we're human and sense our own frailties. On top of that is the volume of quality books that readers can pick from instead of our own. We have to measure up and we don't want to disappoint anyone. Writer or not, we've all experienced a form of self-doubt. How do you get over yours?

In this instance, I'm losing enthusiasm/interest because of the number of times I've gone over this project. I'd rather move on to new writing than look for another word to cut from a sentence. My critique group has already read through my manuscript (Alpha Readers), I've made tweaks and read through the whole thing once more. I'm ready to give it over to Beta Readers (test readers). They provide a fresh set of eyes on my manuscript. I don't have to rely on my opinion of scenes that I know inside and out. The true test is a sampling of readers who have never seen my story. If they know something of story structure or can at least tell me which spots feel slow, their feedback is invaluable. Unseasoned writers like myself should never skip this step. In fact, I'm celebrating getting to this point.

A writer friend sent out the following quote. Perhaps I'll have to keep this in mind when the next stage of feedback comes in:
"Because we are being constantly exposed to the world’s definition of success and greatness, it is understandable that we might ...frequently find ourselves making comparisons between what we are and what others are, or seem to be, and also between what we have and what others have. … We often allow unfair and improper comparisons to destroy our happiness when they cause us to feel unfulfilled or inadequate or unsuccessful. Sometimes, because of these feelings, we are led into error, and we dwell on our failures while ignoring aspects of our lives that may contain elements of true greatness." President Howard W. Hunter, May 1982.

The Finer Points of Accepting Feedback

Receiving feedback about "your baby" can sometimes feel like a punch in the stomach, sometimes a pat on the back. Hopefully there's a little of both, because that's what is real. I spent a week incorporating dozens of changes into my full manuscript, after going through feedback on my next book.
An example of an easy fix: She shrugged her shoulders changed to She shrugged when the comment read, "What else is she going to shrug?"
A harder fix was the suggestion that I insert a new scene to allow a certain character's response to an event be known. I agreed that his opinion mattered.
Apparently I have a thing about body parts, as in that's what I mention the most to show rather than tell someone's reaction or emotions. Characters need to emote and elicit emotions within the reader, so that's not all bad. When a critiquer highlighted the multiple times I show through facial expression, particularly the eyes, I better recognize the need to vary and incorporate some new ways. Things like this don't always show up in a few pages, so it's important to get feedback at different stages of your project.
I'm still revising. Then it goes to beta readers for further feedback. How do writer's handle all these opinions? One's attitude makes a big difference.
 
Point #1--Recognize that finding flaws is the job of the critiquer.
You want your "extra set of eyes" to find the mistakes instead of the public, because, believe me, they're in there. Plus, those flaws often disappear as you fix them. Until experience proves otherwise, trust that a critiquer is there to help you, that her comments give you something valid to consider.
 
Point #2--Each reader comes with their own set of opinions and things they focus on.
Three different critique partners gave me dozens of content comments each, and very few overlapped. This is why you may not agree with everything they notice, and also why you'll want multiple readers to give feedback.
 
Point #3--Each writer comes with their own set of preferences.
You don't have to change everything suggested, but you should attempt to understand why the comment was made so that your decision has a purpose.

Point #4--Thank your critiquers. Even if you don't agree on much.
They spent a chunk of time on you. It takes more time and mental concentration to critique rather than read. They question everything that stops the flow of reading, at least if they're any good. Whether you paid them, exchanged manuscripts, or it was a favor, a thank you is always appreciated.
 

My Writing Process or What a Manuscript Goes Through

A big milestone this week. I got my entire revised WIP off to my critique group for a final read. Whew! It's been a long road. They might find a few places that need a new coat of paint, but I don't expect any major rebuilding. Why? Maybe you'd like to know what my manuscript already went through, my writing process.

As scripture-based fiction, my outline for this sequel was taken from Alma's writings in the Book of Mormon. My main character is King Lamoni's daughter. I studied the chapters and knew what main points and events I wanted to include. Then I re-read the section for the current part of my story, filling in around it with what I imagined might happen or needed to happen for the plot. Sometimes the story had a mind of its own and sometimes it went as planned. When I sit down at the computer, I read over the last few paragraphs or more to kick start my memory and creativity. Once I pick my first idea or actual sentence, the words keep coming, at least in spurts. I re-read the end of the fresh part over and continue on.

When I have ten pages--usually within two or three days--I finish the scene and stop (unless I'm really on a roll). It gets a careful look at this point for any sentence tightening or other revisions that I can spot on my own. If I have time, I let the speak text feature read it back to me. There is something about hearing it aloud that points out trouble spots. Then it gets sent off to my online critique group.

Critique partners read through and mark with comments or insert fixes into the manuscript. There might be a little or a lot that they catch in any given submission, but what really matters is having other readers who don't already have your story in their head. Their markings let me know what was not clear to them, parts that were awkward, even things that they especially liked.

My group of four holds a weekly meeting to talk about the bigger issues. We have used Oovoo and Google Hangouts, both of which allow us to see one another and pull up the document on the same screen. Sometimes partners catch the same things and sometimes they don't. That is why I like having 3 other readers. I gives a variety of perspectives without having to spend too much time critiquing for a big group. Sometimes we brainstorm what might come next or anything a member is stuck on.
When the session ends, we e-mail our marked critiques out so that we can incorporate the edits we choose to make. I typically take one day to make the changes. If there are a lot of new ideas or things to fix, we might send the same chapter out the following week for a second look with the rewrites. They might get an important chapter three or four times before moving on.

In summary, each of my pages has already been seen by three writers at least once. Add to that my own read through from start to finish, which always causes a few tweaks, and we have a mostly-polished draft. Yes, they will find new spots to discuss, but the markings will be fewer and farther between this time. I will then look over their comments and make final revision choices before sending the manuscript to the fresh eyes of beta readers. This may take a few months. If readers like it and I am satisfied, then it gets submitted to my publisher for review by their test-readers. In other cases, a manuscript might be sent to an editing professional or agent.

Then there are those who will start with a finely detailed outline and write an entire rough draft in one month. NaNoWriMo participants, I salute you! Whether you write ten pages a week or
50,000 words in a month, almost every writer needs there manuscript to go through a revision process of some sort and the fresh eyes of other readers.

Yep, it's a long road.

What Is My Manuscript Missing?

My work in progress is a sequel, a scripture-based novel that spans about fifteen years of time for one main character and her son as he gets old enough to serve in the army. Karlinah has goals and fears as she struggles with righteous living, love, and adventures that  follow Book of Mormon events. The characters are rich and the events are worth telling, but there has been something lacking to connect all the threads together. Such is the difficulty when writing from one historical or scriptural event to the next.

If you've spent a lot of time on your story and still believe in it but know it has problems, find out what it's missing. You need some kind of roadmap: the dedication to study plotting (or whatever the issue), a professional editor, or experienced feedback (not from a family member).

Critters Janice, Renae, Becky. Missing Melissa

Thank goodness for my critique group to spot problems and generate ideas. They are the ones who know my story almost as well as I do. We meet in a face-to-face online setting, so along with feedback on last week's submission, we ask questions or brainstorm about previous problems and what should come next. In mulling over their suggestions, I added a new first chapter from the villain's point of view. Now I am inserting small and infrequent scenes like this throughout the story to tighten those threads that lead to a bigger event near the end. It's always fun to write scenes with villains.

After my group critiques these scenes, I'll go over the whole thing once more before they get it all at once. They'll see if I've got it all together--pacing and flow, motivations and high stakes, no plot holes, etc. Once I tweak any last fixes they catch, it's on to beta readers. My goal is to be at/near that stage by the end of the year. It will be nice to have this one off to readers by the time its prequel, Secrets of the King's Daughter, comes out in January.

Have a great week reading or writing!

Proofreading, Speak Command, and the Final Product

Proofreading - How many Eyes are on your Copy?

With under four months to go before my book release, the time has come to proofread my final edited copy of Secrets of the King's Daughter. The one my publisher will send to press. Whoot! Getting closer.

Because my release date got put off for so long, I'm not sick of my story. Many authors have to proofread their entire book right after having done multiple edits/revisions, and they would rather shove it in a drawer somewhere and move on. At whatever point a thorough check occurs, it need one's full attention--eyes on the copy and either audio or your mind's ear listening. I've been given a week or two to do this.

Below you can see how to add the Microsoft Office Speak text-to-speech feature (TTS) to your Quick Access Toolbar. Mine uses the male voice to read text that I highlight back to me, and is quite handy for catching misspellings, omitted or unintended words, etc. The voice reads fairly well, not as flat as I expected. It may give you a different emphasis than how you would have read it, which can also be a clue for adding italicization. I've gotten used to it's short vowels instead of long ones for my odd Book of Mormon names.

A final proofread shouldn't have many tweaks. It is more a check for accuracy. I had a couple of accuracy issues. One was where I used dandelion leaves, but have since learned that dandelions are not native to the Americas. I took that out. Paying close attention allowed me to catch a formatting discrepancy where the first words of the chapter were not set in caps like the rest of the book. You never know what you will find. Ultimately, the final product is the responsibility of the author to make it as professional as possible. This is why self-publishers are encouraged to get more than their own set of eyes on their copy. Before you do, you might find it helpful to let the speak command be a second set of ears.

Office instructions:
Add Speak to the Quick Access Toolbar
You can add the Speak command to your Quick Access Toolbar by doing the following:

1. Next to the Quick Access Toolbar, click Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
   
2. Click More Commands.
3. In the Choose commands from list, select All Commands.
4. Scroll down to the Speak command, select it, and then click Add.
5. Click OK.
6. When you want to use the text-to-speech command, click the icon on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Filler Words - Just Very Much in My Way

Sorry, Oscar, but adding an adverb to your sign won't make me think your food is more Mexican than anyone else's. If this is one of those things that got lost in the translation--like ordering from the Chinese quick food menu, then I apologize. Oscar should have checked with a writer.

"Very" is a filler word. Ha! My mind wanted to type: It's just a filler word. I could have used: It's an unnecessary filler word. (Could that be considered redundant?) But I would never want to use: It's a very unnecessary filler word. That example over modifies/describes/gives more info about a verb, adjective, or another adverb by doubling up on it. After all, writers are supposed to show the emphasis, not tell it.

In both my rough-draft writing and submissions from others, I've seen an excess of "just" and "even", especially in dialogue. Somehow it sounds more natural in dialogue, probably because we are used to hearing poor speech. 

Read the following sentences and see which you like better:

• He even saw the dog run away. VS He saw the dog run away.
• You just can't forget about it. VS You can't forget about it.

Do you really feel an emotional emphasis for the first one over the last? Probably not. Filler words add length, taking up valuable real estate (word count), and hinder the pacing. When readers find more than one on a page, it gets annoying. You can find lists of adverbs-to-avoid online. Do a find and search for these in your manuscript during revisions. 
What filler words do you hate?

Writing a Prologue Readers Won't Skip

I'm working on revisions for the sequel to Secrets of the King's Daughter, so my critique group has seen chunks of my entire manuscript. The last time we met, I gave them my revised first chapter. Someone asked me, "Why do you mention (character I'll call Jay) here?"
I answered, "Remember he's the one who does (this important thing), and I need to mention him before that happens."
"Oh, yes. Well, then you need to have (another thing) happen later that resolves that character's role."
She was right. Suddenly, Jay took on a bigger role in this story than I first anticipated. This lead me to write a prologue.

Before you walk away, thinking, Ugh. I hate prologues, let me tell you this: That is because you have read too many that have done it for the wrong reasons. Done well, prologues enhance a book and pull the reader into the story.

First off, a prologue is an opening scene that comes before the first chapter. Think of it as an appetizer before the main course. It should not be invented because a writer's first chapter is not hooking enough. The first chapter needs to stand on its own merit. It should not be a bunch of world building, an info dump, or an overload of backstory. It should not be long.

Why do I need a prologue, or in other words, what are some good reasons to have one?

1. In the first book, the reader assumes a false resolution for Jay. In the sequel, I needed to briefly recap some events and show the reader what really happened to that character.
2. This is the only scene where we get Jay's point of view, thus it is different from the rest of the book.
3. There is a gap in time between the prologue and the first chapter. And in this case, a gap between the end of the first book and the beginning of the second. A prologue can resolve an out of time sequence.
4. The prologue serves as a transition between the two books.
5. It introduces an adversary that doesn't get an intro later; he simply pops up. It's less jarring with the earlier intro.

A good prologue should not be considered a sin. I hope my critique group loves it.

A Writer's Life of Pruning

Where I live, Mother Nature was tricked by a dry, mild winter into sending forth early buds and leaves. It's pruning time. As I snipped away at rose canes, first of all, I hoped I was doing it right, and secondly, I couldn't help but wonder at how good it was for a plant to get pruned. A writer's life is like this. 

First, take off the dead wood. This is the dry, unproductive stuff that simply takes up space and time. What clutter can you delete from your life so you can use that time for writing? What words, sentences, or scenes are cluttering your manuscript and slowing the pace? These are the parts that you can see you don't need. You might like them, but you don't need them. Get rid of the "dead wood". 

Second, let your bush/life/manuscript breathe. Take off crossing branches and thin excess interior canes. Simplify when life or plots get too complicated. Sometimes you need a short break from a manuscript; sometimes you just need to trim the immensity down by focusing on one scene at a time.

Third, stimulate new growth. Cutting into green growth is not like trimming off dead wood. Emotion plays a part. This is where we need opinions from others, like a critique group, until we are confident and experienced in pruning. We can't always see what cuts need to be made to better our manuscript, so we rely on the experience of others. 

Whether you want to branch out by taking more risks, or cut a thousand words from your work in progress, the pruning process can work to better a writer as well as a rose bush. It won't be long until you see the beautiful result.

Revisions/Edits - Your Fifteen Words of Fame

Have you had your fifteen minutes of fame yet? How about your 15 words of fame? Huh? I'll let you in on a little secret: A few of the words in every book come from other people--"Authors" in the form of critiquers, beta readers, and editors. Let me explain.

Two revision opportunities came my way last week, and it set me to thinking about how many printed words of an author are actually theirs. 

First, my critique group decided to take a break from sending one another our weekly ten pages to sending all the revised chapters of one manuscript that we have seen thus far, about 90-100 pages worth. This way we could better understand the upcoming chapters because we know how the plot was fixed, etc. (Some people's manuscripts change more than others.) 

Reading through, I found a phrase, sentence, or idea here and there used from each of us that had critiqued them earlier. At one point I thought, Hey, I'm in her book. Cool. I realized that those who critiqued my pages left their own mark there as well.

Secondly, I got my manuscript back from my editor (hooray!), and looked to see how much I would have to change. Mostly minor things, but I could see a couple places already where it was more than replacing three words with one, or placing the first sentence later in the paragraph. The editor had put in her own choice of words. Another light-bulb moment. Hey, my editor is in my book. Cool? 

Yeah, it's cool. These "suggestions" often work better than the original. Just because we sent off our precious and perfect manuscript to an editor or publisher doesn't mean further edits should feel any different than what early critiquers or beta readers had to say. Really. It's all for the cause of improvement. 

Don't get me wrong. An author is entitled to take the entire credit for his/her book. If there are fifteen words from someone else, who's going to care or know (besides them)? Edits start with the writer's words and ideas anyway. In most cases, the author will have the final say or can see wisdom in the revision. Quality is the goal.

What aha moments have come to you in your writing journey?

Excited by a Scene Chart & Book Spotlight

You know how most of us latch on to something as a good idea but don't put any effort into it? I don't know if we resist change or that lazy streak gets in the way. I recently took an idea from Jordan McCullom's class on Structural Self-Editing (mentioned two posts ago) to the implement stage and I'm glad I did. I created a scene chart! Mine was put into a spread sheet doc but you can do it many ways. Why does this excite me? Because my scenes are improving! You might be shaking your head and thinking, She needs a life, but I truly love my job.

Scene charts identify elements and see where there are holes so writers know what needs improvement. In scene 8.2, I listed the primary emotion I wanted the reader to feel as FEAR. Karlinah's young sons speak with her about what will happen if the Lamanite warriors attack. She attempts to keep them calm even while she worries. I went back through to see if I could add small bits that show her fear. For example:
   I added the small action of her swallowing before answering with a steady voice.
    She made certain her own face didn't betray her worry.

    Something squeezed at her heart. If these warriors came to Ishmael, how many more men—men like her father and brothers, and Timothy—might die?

After reading through a scene, I fill in information about what the character wants to achieve, which is different from the scene goal, the primary emotion I want readers to feel, and the source of tension/conflict, etc. Once I define what the biggest source of tension is, I can go back and see what I can do to ramp it up. If I can't define what my character wants, then I need to revise and include that or scrap the scene. TIP: I highly recommend using some kind of method (list, chart, map, spreadsheet) that forces a writer to identify the goals and other elements of the scene.

In case you missed it last week: I want to give a shout out to my sister-in-laws' incredible non-fiction book. She spent years preparing this unique volume for those who are interested in LDS history, curious about the temple, and/or appreciate a fascinating read. Learn more at https://www.woodruffswitness.com/
 
Jennifer Ann Mackley says, "After 15 years, I am pleased to announce the release of Wilford Woodruff's Witness. Wilford Woodruff's Witness chronicles the development of LDS temple doctrine and practices over the course of the nineteenth century. The compelling story is accompanied by more than 120 archival images--some previously unpublished--and is told from Wilford Woodruff's perspective, as preserved in his letters, discourses, and journals."

The Power of a Word & Taking Your Time

     The difference between the following two sentences is one word, yet the effect made those questioned, think the car was going much faster when given the first question.
     How fast do you think the car was going when it smashed into the other car?
     How fast do you think the car was going when it bumped into the other car?
     This is memory manipulation. Writers manipulate all the time to set reader's into a different world or to sympathize with a character. The pen is mightier than... many things. And it's a lot of fun! I love revising a sentence by popping in a different word that is stronger, more exact. But it can become tedious when you think about your whole manuscript.
     So here's the TIP: Break each revision session into manageable chunks. 
     First, put word revisions off until you have a solid draft or you will do more work than necessary. Make your structure sound, your plot without holes before tackling those rough and imperfect sentences. Second, don't concern yourself with anything larger than the scene at hand. That scene can be broken down into pages and paragraphs, and eventually each word. If you find a problem that relates to anything bigger than the scene, jot it down in a notebook for another day.
     Revisions take time--lots of it. Especially for us newbies. Shortchanging this process leads to rejections. Here's my story that I alluded to last week.
     Personal Experience: My Book of Mormon fiction novel, The Seventh City, took over two years to write because I needed the crutch of my critique group. Their feedback gave me focus for the next chunk of writing. Ten pages a week was the goal, but some meetings fell through. Another year was spent doing revisions and waiting on whole-manuscript readers. (Meanwhile, my next project moved forward.) Some of those readers fizzled out, and such is life in the real world. I took the feedback I had and tweaked a few things. I had a strong opening--it won two First Chapter contests that year and I hoped it would carry me through. I knew there were some weak spots, but I didn't know how to fix them. It was pretty close to my best abilities at that point in time, but I should have dug a little deeper, gotten more feedback. I'd already waited three years; I itched to submit.
     As the rejections returned, I kept writing and learning. I got one or two more readers who did a thorough job and gave valuable feedback. I reread my manuscript with fresh eyes and reworked a few things--the climax in particular. My main characters needed to be more involved in the solution to their problems.
     I resubmitted my novel, telling the publisher there had been some major changes to the manuscript, and I am happy to say it has been accepted for publication! No contract yet, so no more details than that.
     With every first novel experience I've heard about, the process took longer than expected. This does not mean we are bad at it, it means we are finding our way. Take patience in crafting your stories, revising them into powerful words, and waiting for feedback. With traditional publishing, my wait continues. Hopefully by the time my first book comes out, I'll have two or three ready right behind it.
  

Receiving Editorial Feedback

Do you need a spoonful of sugar to help those truthful/opinionated critique group comments go down? Keep reading. I loved this WriteOnCon article on How to Handle Editorial Feedback by author Dianne Salerni. Basically, Salerni says she goes through the following six stages when she reads feedback on her manuscript.

Stage 1: No! She’s wrong! She is absolutely and completely wrong about this!

Stage 2: Crap. She’s right.

Stage 3: But I can’t fix it! Changing this will have a domino effect and make the entire plot unworkable. It cannot be fixed!

Stage 4: Oh, wait. I see how to fix it.

Stage 5: You know, this change is pretty good. I’m liking it.

Stage 6: This is brilliant! Why didn't I do it this way in the first place?!

I've never analyzed it into stages like this, but yeah. Changes are either easy-fixes where I instantly see the improvement or I follow these steps to some degree. Here is more wisdom from Salerni: “I have come to accept these stages. I also understand that it’s not possible for me to skip the scary and upsetting ones, even though I know the later, more positive stages are coming. The trick is NOT to respond to the critique while you are in the throes of Stage 1 or Stage 3!”

We newbie writers need a lot of things divulged to us and a multiplicity of readers to compare which spots they keep pointing out. Feedback is our friend. It's a valuable learning tool. It lets us perfect our craft. The already mentioned article includes a great quote from Neil Gaiman. “Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” 

YOU are the one who best knows your story and how to work the magic it needs to bring your manuscript to the next level. Bring the feedback on.

Improving Stories Through Rearranged or Combined Scenes

I recently swapped manuscripts for critique purposes and got some great feedback on The Seventh City. I wish I’d found this reviewer before submitting my novel. Oh well. I'll post that story sometime soon. Anyway, I made changes where I felt she was spot on because why settle for less when it's an improvement? Most were little things like clarifications. Today I’m sharing one of the bigger fixes with you.

I had two close in proximity scenes where Karlinah speaks with her father, King Lamoni. The critiquer suggested I combine these so it doesn't feel like the story goes back and forth. It would improve the pacing, better advancing the story. This sounded like a good idea. TIP: Sometimes writers just need to try scenes in a different order. Especially since I was lucky enough to have it pointed out to me. I analyzed these scenes with the surrounding ones to see why I had placed them apart. The only thing I figured was that I was focusing on one subject at a time or I just had it in my head that way. Combining one venue with the same characters would make my story better.

Analyzing caused me to discover that I also had two scenes where the MC speaks with the slimy High Priest. This time I knew why I had separated these. I wanted readers introduced to the HP before the second discussion so the audience would already know he is creepy. Combining the previously mentioned scenes with the king affected this split of speaking with the priest. I should combine those as well and see the result. Check. Now to reread through those chapters to see if the flow improved.

Color-coded Revisions from Marissa Meyer - Check out her detailed article
http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/4604630-subplots-character-arcs-and-color-coding-my-process-for-major-revisio?utm_medium=email&utm_source=author_blog_post_digest

Some writers color code their manuscript to visualize things such as which characters are interacting and which major plot threads or subplots are involved. The colors show which things are spread too far apart or clumped together. Another method is to keep a summary of each scene on 3x5 cards and play with their arrangement. In my case I was working with a section of only two chapters so I used alphabet labeling. My arrangement switched from A thru G to A, E, B, C, F, G, D. Just make sure to get more Beta readers to verify the new version works. 

Vicious Cycle of Critiques and Revisions

Raise your hand if you hate revisions. 
It feels like the process is dragging on--you just want it to be perfect by now or maybe you've gotten sick of working on it. I'm stimulated by revisions. I love the feeling of, "Man, this is so much better now!" Progress. The hard part is turning our babies over to others with their sharpened red pencils. But writers willingly do it because they know that others can't see what is in the author's head and there is bound to be some lack of clarity, some missing details you figured you'd already added.

I'm using the red pen this week, finishing up a whole manuscript critique. I enjoy that too. Maybe it's my dominant left brain. I like finding details on which to comment. Both good and bad. It helps me hone into what is needed, improves my craft as well as helping another's ms. My weakness of reading slowly helps me to catch things like typos. I've marked something on almost every page. And it's a good story too. I like to think I am thorough but some might use the term 'excessive'. That's why we ask for multiple beta readers.

Authors have to be tough. They have to take constructive criticism over and over again. If I'm being too picky or take a word too literally, the author has the chance to compare it against what others have marked or accepted as is. The right to ignore a comment is theirs. When several beta readers come up with the same conclusion over a needed change, the author best listen. That's how it works.

In another week or so I'll turn the ms back to it's owner and she will hand me mine. I imagine a new round of revisions will begin. Maybe I should raise my hand. Revisions can take for-e-ver and I'll be telling myself to focus on that progress I'm so fond of. Sigh.

Revisions Are Like a Fresh Coat of Paint

We bought a house recently and I'm working on some improvements. Purple may be a pretty color but the rest of the exterior paint is gray. I figured the side gate would look nice in pale gray, especially since I had some on hand. What do you think? Nice, huh? Looked like an easy enough project to tackle. Ha! Everything takes longer than we think.

  

First I noticed the lower left board wasn't nailed on. Second, the whole thing needed a wipe down--dusty. Then there's the regular prep work of taping edges and so forth. One coat wouldn't cut it when going from dark to light paint. It was a job alright, but I like the results.

Writing is like that. It takes longer than we think, we find things that need fixing or polishing, there's prep work like research, and one draft won't cut it. But any story worth telling is worth telling well and the effort put into it makes us like the results much better. Spruce up that manuscript with all that it needs to become fresh and clean! The results are worth it.

Have a great week!

Tips To Keep Going and Contest Reminder

Slim Summerville slowly sauntered seaward. Several sailors suddenly seeing Slim's subconscious surroundings slyly stole Slim's shorts, socks, shoes, shirt.
Can you beat this? Submit your entry for the Second Annual Alliteration Contest. Check out last week's post below for the rules and enter today!

I want to share with you a tiling project that took much longer to complete than anticipated. It was hard, yet satisfying work because progress was visible. I pushed myself to finish through less than top-notch health because I had a deadline. It needed to be completed before going out of state.

 

Obviously the first photo shows that more time needs to be spent before completion. What if my motivation to finish is lacking? I could give several excuses but it won't change the fact that the shower is not usable until completed. 

Sometimes writers get frustrated or feel their project is taking too long? On top of that are revisions and waiting for reader's feedback. Will all the effort be worth it? I can't answer that question for anyone but myself, but I can share a few things I've learned:

1. Start with a project that is exciting to you. It moves the process along much better. 
2. Any project worth doing is worth doing well, to the best of your ability. It leaves the fewest regrets.
3. Goals and deadlines do help us achieve. So does a support group. Use whatever devise/reward system that spurs you on.
4. Expect a few delays or bumps in the road. There's a learning curve to first projects. It took me an extra year to get my manuscript in shape. Worth it since I ended up with a finished product that made me even more proud.
5. Breaks are necessary but use them wisely. Energy spent on a secondary project or something totally different can rejuvenate but watch that length of time where it gets harder and harder to see the motivation of project number one. Some do better to plow on through without sidetracks. Learn how you work best.
6. End results are fulfilling and satisfying. Follow up with any last cleanup and sendoffs, then celebrate! When the project is over, move on to the next.

What's your motivation to keep going?

When Is My Manuscript Ready? Part 2

"My advice to writers would be to aggressively seek the truth--forget about your ego--and do one more draft than your agent tells you to."

          --Jonathan Karp, EVP and Publisher for Simon & Shuster 

If you don't believe writing a book is both hard work and hard to do right, see if this post doesn't enlighten you. Why? Because there is more to getting a manuscript ready than meets the eye and so much to think about. In this continuation of getting a MS ready to submit or query, the focus is on content.

Agent Lara Perkins shared at writeoncon what she looks for in new manuscripts:
A good, interesting Hook includes: 1) Unique and Compelling World-building, or complexity, originality, a sense of fun and wonder. 2) Great Voice, or confident, clean writing,with personality and a unique perspective. 3) A Page-turning Pace, or an engaging plot and tight pacing--high stakes, believable obstacles, unexpected but earned twists and turns. 4) A New Twist, or how the book fits in the market and is different enough from what is out there, freshness.
High-level Work. "An agent-ready manuscript does not have to be perfect, but the story, the voice, and the characters need to be very strong and compelling. So what I mean by 'working on a high level' is that all of the important, big-picture elements are there and are developed, unique, and gripping.  . . . it does need to be a manuscript that an agent-reader will not be able to put down (because of the characters, story, and pacing)."
Finally, Perkins asked good questions that can be used in both plotting and revising. She says, "Have I asked myself the following Big-Picture Questions about my manuscript--and revised if the answer is no?" Here's a content checklist:
                      Does my story have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
                       Do my characters have interesting and relatable goals in which a reader can invest?

·                                 Are the stakes high?

·                                 Are my characters unique and differentiated from one another—in the way they speak, in the way they act, in the choices they make, in their goals/hopes/dreams?

·                                 Do my characters change throughout the story? Do they have character arcs, with definite beginnings, middles, and endings?

·                                 Are the obstacles that keep my characters from achieving their goals believable and interesting?

·                                 Are all the scenes and characters necessary to the story?

·                                 Is the action moving at a page-turning pace?

·                                 Do my chapter endings and beginnings fit together in a way that propels the reader into the next part of the story?

·                                 Am I the only person who can tell this story and is that reflected in the voice?

·                                 Is the voice consistent and well-matched for this story?

·                                 Is my story different from what’s out there? (Hopefully, this is the easiest question to answer because you’ve been reading constantly in your genre and age group…right?)

Lara Perkins is an Assistant Agent and Digital Manager at Andrea Brown Literary. Lara jointly represents select clients together with Senior Agent Laura Rennert, with a focus on picture book, middle grade, and young adult children’s fiction. Lara has a B.A. in English and Fine Arts from Amherst College and an M.A. in English Literature from Columbia University. She has been on faculty at various California writers’ conferences, including Book Passage and the Big Sur Writers’ Conference.

When Is My Manuscript Ready? Part 1

I’m getting ready to submit mt YA LDS historical fiction, The Seventh City. So close I can taste it. Like playing Hide and Seek and announcing “Ready or not, here I come!” Am I as ready as I think I am? Nobody wants to be obsessive, yet we don't want to submit too early. I've already made that mistake.

Revisions are a must and can be overdone, but I’m not talking about revision lists today. I’ve done those, blogged about those. We’re talking content here. Perhaps the most important readiness test comes from letting others read it, someone besides your mother. This takes courage for some, but I've always enjoyed letting others find and point out what may be hard for me to see. It makes my work easier. Through experience we learn to find trouble spots on our own.

Agent Lara Perkins wrote on this subject for the 2012 WriteOn Con. She says, “Have I shown my manuscript to at least 3 people and seriously considered their feedback?” She goes on to highly recommend joining a critique group. Check. My group helped me scene by scene, and I am indebted to them. Since that doesn’t allow for one’s memory to connect all the dots and tie the lose ends, it was important for me to seek beta readers who could read through a fairly polished MS in a short time. Again, I would suggest at least another 3 people. 

I have found a variety of depth in the feedback and am grateful for those who questioned everything they noticed. A writer has more in her head about what is going on than the reader and one reader will notice something different than another. Cherish and consider all feedback. Don't feel locked into it but make sure you have sound reasoning not to follow it. Occasionally you might get negative feedback that is not constructive. Not everyone states it in diplomatic, helpful ways. If one person has made you feel badly, consider the source and compare it against other feedback. We improve with practice and education. For those writers finding multiple layers of problems in their MS, hiring a content editor might be the way to go. 

Ms. Perkins also wants to see a hook, if the story works on a high level, and have her big-picture questions answered. We’ll take a look at what this means next week. For now, I’ll be waiting for what those final readers have to say. 

So how do you know when your MS is ready to submit to an agent or publisher?

Housekeeping Revisions

  Whose ready for a good spring cleaning?

  The cleaning lady came last week to put the final polishing touches on my manuscript. Armed with a delete button rather than a broom and dustpan, she got rid of extra words without mercy. If there was an “even” or a “just” it got swept away faster than nimble Jack could jump over the candlestick. The maid even found a couple of “started to” phrases. She tisked, thinking I should know better. Maybe she relished cutting 600 words from 76.000 because she left with a big grin on her face. Do you want to know my most common offending word? It’s as simple as . . . that!

  That. Half the time it simply isn’t needed for clarity. Read the sentence through without it while concentrating on meaning. Here’s an example of one I kept, one I didn’t within the same sentence:

Now that the king practiced a gentler rule and believed that all men were equal, he . . . .

Which one can you live without? I deleted the second to read:

Now that the king practiced a gentler rule and believed all men were equal, he . . . .

When you find that preceding a verb, you can often delete it and change the verb to the “ing” form. For example:

The arm that held the weapon moved to strike. → The arm holding the weapon moved to strike.

The priest made a noise in his throat that sent him into a coughing fit. → The priest made a noise in his throat, sending him into a coughing fit.

  Don’t forget to check through your MS for untidy words. You can find lists online. Here’s a few to generally avoid:  a little, almost, anyway, began to, proceeded to, started to, even, fairly, just, probably, really, slightly, somewhat, sort of, that, usually, very.

 

How Many Times Before I'm Through?

  What’s your favorite revision method? (I’m talking about the near-final draft revisions where a critique group or alpha readers has already given their two cents.) There’s hundreds of ways and I’m in the thick of it right now. I’d love to hear your tips and comments, your successes and horror stories.

  Do you color code things to see how action or dialogue is spaced or which character is giving the point of view? I’m a visual person but it sounds like a lot of work. Perhaps it is worth it. How many votes out there like color coding?

  Maybe you start with a search engine to filter all those naughty little words that creep in very suddenly. You know—was, that, very, suddenly. Getting rid of those critters can do a lot to clean up before the next reading.

  Checklists are valuable for thoroughness. It’s a nice feel to check off each detail but there’s so dang many of them and they suggest you comb through focusing on one at a time. I’d get sick of reading each scene one hundred times. *Sigh*

  It takes a great deal of work but I want to get it as right as possible. There’s no way I’m going to put my work out there for the public eye unless I’ve given it my best. On the other hand, I can’t spend half my life on one manuscript. They say it gets easier the more you do it . . . . Time to get back to work.