Getting out of my comfort zone

You know, nothing has taught me so much about me as a writer as signing that publishing contract.

I know, weird, eh?

I mean, I'm a writer pure and simple, so publishing shouldn't really have an influence on me being one. Yet it does, I think in a good way.

See, when I signed the contract, I created an obligation towards my publishing house, which means that the book I promised  them has to be a priority for me in ways none of my other books are.

Which means that if they need that book to be revised during NaNo, that book has to be revised. No buts, ifs, or whys. And that's where I'm learning now.

Before, I could say that I couldn't combine drafting with editing, because it takes time for my mind to switch gears. True as it is, I couldn't just say that in November. I had to get some drafting done because I'm trying to create a "production line" of sorts, and I don't think I'll get another chance to draft before February/March next year. December's for editing Birds vs. Bastards. 

So that made complete sense until my editor let me know that I needed to get my book in by end November. With saying no and not drafting both not being options, I said yes and found a way to make it work.

Turns out that once you're writing fit (as I am nowadays), switching gears really isn't that hard. So I did those revisions in about two weeks and got right back to drafting, and I even won NaNo.

If I hadn't had the book under contract, I would never even have tried to work like that. To me, thou shalt not edit and draft at the same time was one big rule to my writing method. Being under contract pushed me beyond my self-imposed comfort zone, into a place where I can be even more efficient as a writer.

Which is great really, since it makes my five year goal that much more achievable.

So today I  want to say: Don't get stuck in a comfort zone. Find ways to push yourself gently, but firmly into places where you can grow as a writer. Even if it means writing something you'd never thought you'd write. Or changing up when or how you write. Sometimes those changes might be exactly what you need to get to the next level.

Have you pushed yourself as a writer lately? What did you do and how did it turn out?

Insecure Writers Support Group

Funny how in a month where you're constantly matching progress against the date, one can forget when it's IWSG day.

Luckily for me, I have google + and saw someone else's IWSG post.

For those of you who don't know, the IWSG members use the first Wednesday of every month to share insecurities or encouragements. You can sign up here.

My big insecurity for November is... well... November. I don't know why, but everything seems to be conspiring to keep me super busy this month.

For one thing, I need to pack for my move to a new home. Then there's NaNo, marketing The Vanished Knight and revising its sequel. On top of that, I might have to fly to Europe again for business.

Talk about a schedule from hell. I can only knuckle down and keep going, hoping that I can get everything done. *gulp*

In the interest of that, I'll stop now. I need to finish a few more sections of revisions before I can visit other people's blogs.

What's your November schedule looking like?

Where I Am and Updates

Hey all! Today, I'm visiting Suzanne with an interview, and Shah with a short post on Guy Fawkes night.

As for my progress, I think I'm doing good. Finished rereading The Vanished Knight this morning and wrote 1896 words so far today. Which means I'm about 300 words away from being a day ahead.

It'll be awesome if I can get those words and maybe another half a day's worth written tonight, since I want to spend tomorrow rereading and starting to revise The Heir's Choice. Of course, I'm pretty sure I'll be adding on a lot of words, but it might be good to have a bit of breathing space in case I struggle to write in the new scenes.

I'm seriously excited about getting The Heir's Choice done. I think it can only do the sales of The Vanished Knight good to have a sequel out there. And honestly, I do think people will enjoy TVK more if they can go right into the sequel.

It's not that I was mean to my readers or anything. Although one of my friends said she hates me because reading the book kept her up the night before her exam, and now she's wondering what's going to happen next.

Which is probably one of the best reviews I got so far. :-P

Anyway, I just want to say thanks to everyone who've bought my book so far. I don't know who bought or how many bought copies, but I do know that for the whole month since it was published, TVK never went below 600000th of all the purchased books on Amazon. It peaked at around 77000th, which I think is pretty dang awesome for a debut work by an unknown author. Hopefully the sales will keep coming.

My shortest post ever.

Finished the revision to Doorways a day before the deadline.

Am exhaused.

Goodnight.

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It's been a long... long weekend.

Yeah... I'm currently feeling like I'm in a vicious circle. Ironically, it originally started on Thursday, right before what should have been a nice restful long weekend.

No luck for me.

The good thing was that both my CPs sent back their crits of the new Doorways revision, so I was super excited to start.

And therewith began the problem.

See... it started like this. The origin of my problem was on Monday already, when I caught a cold from my mom (again). Once again, it means that I have a lovely little cough because of a post-nasal drip.

Which means that at night, when I turn, I go into these charming ten minute coughing fits. I get up and down some cough medicine. And then it sort of stops.

Except I'm awake.

And I got my crits back on Thursday.

So guess what my mind does instead of go into beta mode.

Yep.

So this is what my "restful" weekend looked like.

Thursday: Went to sleep at 10 p.m.

Friday: Wake up at 4 a.m. from a cough. Revision occurs to me. Spends rest of morning until 6 a.m. trying to sleep while phrasing and rephrasing a new chapter in my head.

Goes to sleep at 11 p.m.

Saturday: Wake up at 4 a.m. after another cough. Tries to sleep. Fails and gives up by 5 a.m. Starts adding new chapters.

Goes to sleep at midnight.

Sunday: Wake up at 2.30 a.m. after a car's gasket blows about 20 yards from my (open) window. In case you're wondering. It's a seriously odd noise. And after the recent break in, all odd noises wake me up. I have the wonderful joy of meeting my cousin/sort-of-adopted-brother in the corridor just as he's about to go sleep. I continue editing.

Go to sleep at 11 p.m.

Monday: Wake up at 4:30 a.m. Too tired to even think of editing.

So yeah. I don't even want to know how mothers with babies survive writing. Just a few days vaguely similar to some very good times with newborns, and I'm screaming at my computer screen like a maniac.

On the upside, I'm approximately half way through my edits.

How was your weekend?

A to Z Challenge: Taking Breaks

Once you get to the end of your first draft, you'll fall into one of two camps.

The "OMG THIS IS AWESOME WRITING!!!" Perky Writers and

The "HOLY SHIT THIS SUCKS" Emo Writers.

If you're lucky, you'll be on an island in the middle. And friendly with campers on both sides. Actually, I think this situation is by far more preferable to either of the above camps.

Why? Well. You think that the Perkies are best? No. Because Perkies tend not to have a clue as to the depth of the suckiness in their first drafts. I mean... Really. I don't think I know anyone who writes a publishable first draft. And as unassuming as I am, I think I'd secretly hate that person if I did. Ahem. There's also a special class of Perky. The Delusional. Don't be one. They're usually the least popular kids at camp. Seriously. Other writers often want to drown them.

On the other end are the Emos. They don't think that anything they produce is worthwhile. So. When they edit, there's a serious risk that they'll cut out too much, even jewels that really should have stayed. They have been known to take out a story's very soul during edits. Because they just can't stop tweaking.

See? The island is best. Come chill out away from the terrible over-confidence or the negativity. How? By taking a break. Catch up on t.v. Write something else. Paint. Take that non-writing holiday you sort of planned. Don't read your story or work on it for a while. By this I mean, if you remember a detail from something you wrote a few weeks ago, leave the book alone. What you want is the thrill of discovering something new every time you open your WiP to work on it. This includes rewrites, revisions and EVERY. SINGLE. ROUND. OF. EDITS.

Because if you veer towards either camp mentioned above, your edits are sunk until you can be neutral about your work again.

So, veteran novelists. Which camp do you usually belong to? How do you prefer to get away from your book?

A to Z Challenge: Killing Babies

The veteran novelists will tell you new kids that writing a book is like childbirth. First, you'll conceive an idea. Then it will form into a baby as you write. And then, after a lot of effort (and some discomfort)

You'll give birth to a baby novel.

After that, you take a knife to it.

You see, your baby novel's arms will come out of its ears and its mouth will be in the center of its forehead.

And... well... it's head is going to face the wrong way. Unless it has two...

It's your job as writer to make sure that everything goes more or less to where it's supposed to.

"But that's an editor's job," some of you new kids are grumbling. Yeah. I know. I can read your mind...

But the thing is, I hope you have a lot of money. Because that editor charges you for every draft. Unless they tell you to send in a polished draft in the first place.

And no, editors at publishers don't acquire books that'll take long to fix. Don't even mention agents right now. Us vets will only laugh. Somewhat hysterically.

Therefore, making your baby presentable is your job. And sometimes, doing so is incredibly difficult. You might have to remove whole story-lines. Or cut out some of your favorite moments. Or even characters. Or you know the character trying to hog the lime-light? You might even have to make him understudy.

You see, sometimes, there are moments in the book that's so wonderful, that you'll have to take them out because the reader will notice you in the writing. Those feel like you're ripping your book to pieces.

And you'll have to do it. Because the story as a whole must be more important than any of its parts. Otherwise, it just won't work.

One highlight at the end of this bleak picture, though. Or maybe two... It tends to get easier with practice. (Especially if you manage to get some distance from the story before editing.) Also, the rewards of a good editing round are amazing. Because if you do it right, each round of revisions and edits (and there are many of them) will bring your book closer to what you envisioned in the beginning.

Who loves editing? Who hates it? What's the thing you had to cut out or change that absolutely broke your heart?

Insecure Writers' Support Group

In case you're wondering, I'm aware that this doesn't start with C. ;-) The A to Z Challenge post will go live at 1:30 p.m. Central African time.

So. Back to my insecurities. 

In case you don't know, the Insecure Writers' Support Group is a monthly bloghop where writers get together to share insecurities and encouragement.

This month, I have a serious insecurity. 

See... Doorways was accepted for publishing on the condition that I split it into two novels. Great opportunity because I basically have two books in the series done. 

Not so great in that it means that I had to take an ax to the story I love. 

BUT! There was a point in the book, almost exactly halfway into the story, that acts sort of like a natural break. So that was easy. The difficult part came in when I actually have to separate Doorways not into two halves, but into two stories. 

Because now I have to take a story that worked (and worked well, even if I say so myself) and add to it. 

Suddenly, the word "revision" sounds ominous... 

Anyone else have to split one story into two? 

Key-Word Cavalry: Revisions vs. Edits

Welcome to another Key-Word Cavalry day!

For all my new bloggy friends (and those who missed it before), every Wednesday except the first of the month, I answer some writing/editing etc. related questions.

I do this in two ways. I either go through the lists of key-phrases that brought hits to my blog, but that I don't feel have been addressed enough by my posts, or I answer questions asked in the comments.

So... today is the latter.

Mina asked me on 27 April: 'These are really terrific tips, some of which I've already been following. I'm not sure I quite grasp what you mean by #vi, though - would you please elaborate on the difference between "revising" and "editing"?'

My answer:

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Although people use the terms revisions and edits interchangeably, they're not in fact the same thing.

Revisions involve making big changes to a manuscript. Structurally: Adding or deleting chapters and all changes that need to happen as a result. Or in the story: Getting rid of or adding characters. Redoing important plot points that will require extensive changes to the rest of the work. Or other changes for example: changes in narrative like past tense to present tense, or first person to third person point of view.

Editing involves smaller, more localized changes. Editing can be subdivided further, but I'm not going to go into that too deeply. Examples of editing: replacing words with better ones, re-organizing paragraphs (although this can fall on the revision side of the line, depending on the amount of re-organizing you plan to do), fixing spelling and grammatical errors.

So when I say start with the biggest changes, I am suggesting that you start with structure (revising), then changing things within the story (revisions), then changes in narrative (revisions). Once that's done: I suggest that you go through changes to paragraphs (as edits), then improving writing flow (edits), then replacing words (edits) and finally spelling and grammatical errors (edits).

The reason why I suggested this was simply as a way to save time. If you get stuck on small edits first and then discover that you need significant rewrites or deletions, you would have wasted lots of time fixing things that won't even make it to the next draft.

Of course, no one follows the above to the letter, but I don't think I've ever met anyone who finished edits by mixing them with revision.

Hope this helped. :-)


So! Do you agree on my somewhat short explanation of revisions vs. edits? Do you have any questions that you'd like for me to answer for Key-Word Cavalry?

A to Z Challenge: X Things to Remember

Today I'm just going to do ten things worth remembering in edits/revisions. Yes, I know. Genius use of the letter X.



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i) Always take time away from your ms before starting an editing/revision round.
ii) Crit partners can be the difference between an okay ms and an excellent one.
iii) Parents, best friends and other family members are great for support, but not for critiquing.
iv) Edits/revisions are a lot of work, but are rewarding. But only if you remind yourself of this fact.
v) Know where the story is headed by revisions.
vi) Revise first, then edit, starting with the big things before going to the small.
vii) Make sure you keep the original of every edit round before you edit. If you don't like the new changes, you can track back.
viii) If your written words look like gibberish, it's time for a break.
ix) No matter what someone says in a crit, you know more about what's right for your story. Go with your gut.
x) Yes. Edits do come to an end. Promise.

What's your advice when it comes to edits?

A to Z Challenge: World Building

Almost as promised, here's the post on World Building.

I believe that whether or not you write a form of speculative fiction, you will have to engage in some degree of world building to make your story believable. You might have to create a fictional town. Or disguise a real one (Gotham City, anyone?). Otherwise, you might simply bend the real world rules a little in to make them fit the purposes of the story.

Because of this, I'm going to address two types of world building. Spec fic and non spec fic.

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If you're not writing spec fic, or only want to gloss over reality a little, you'll need to put time in to research as much about the location and time of your story as possible. Especially if you don't live in the location or time that you're writing about. And the more you research, the better.

BUT remember, you're looking for a feel for the place/time so that you can write a piece of fiction. You're not writing a text book. So if you've written blocks and blocks of information with minute details of everything, you might have to cut back. It's sort of similar to what I said about using senses. Characters aren't going to list the histories/descriptions/cultural impact of every single thing the see and experience. Rather, we the readers want to feel everything through the character. Show the impact of certain things. Show what they mean. Don't list them and go on and on about minute details.

Special bonus for historical fiction writers: Anachronisms are incredibly annoying, so make damned sure that the things used/referred to by characters existed/happen in the time of your story. NOTHING annoys me more than reading a western where badass gunslingers use the colt peacemaker three years before it existed. And yes. I know when it did or didn't exist. Other people will too. Keep your dates straight. If you absolutely must bend the dates to suit the story, please remember to make note of it in a foreword or something. That way, you show that you're not an idiot, and (possibly more importantly) that you don't think the reader's an idiot.

Spec fic, on the other hand, sets world building on a whole new level. More often than not, the world of your fantasy/steampunk/sci fi/urban fantasy/dystopian/horror/etc. etc. story will be foreign to your readers. And if your readers can't place themselves in the world of your story, you already lost the battle.

When it comes to my spec fic stories, I try to know more than what goes into the book. Note: MORE. Not everything. Every single thing doesn't have to go in. Important things go in. And not always in a clearly outlined way. Let's say that amongst other things, your world randomly loses gravity. I wouldn't suggest that you necessarily go into the depths of why, unless it's important. The same for the cultures that you create. Remember, most spec fic characters already live in the world that you've created. So they won't be explaining things to themselves or others. At least not all the time. There's a fine balance between enlightening the readers and boring them with too much detail. Make sure that you stay on that line.

Taking the world rules a little further.... Natural laws should exist as natural LAWS. Same with the rules of your magic system. Or your cultural norms, rules and regulations. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES let your characters break any of the above without them being aware of the fact, without an explanation, and without potentially huge (and hugely negative) repercussions. Especially, don't let them do it to save the day. If you do, you're undermining the credibility of your own story. These rules should be the frame that keeps everything in your story structured and believable. You can't ignore them for convenience sake. It will make your story collapse like a house of cards. If the world rules create a problem for the story, you have two options: either rewrite the rules (and revise the whole story to fit them) or go look for a solution that fits and even comes out of the rules. See my P post for more info on that.

On a lighter note, having a fantasy world helps to set the mood of the story, if you use your world right. You have the joy of creating something special and unique. It's one of the few forms of pure creation. So have a blast!

Look Out for These:

1) In both: Over-telling on the world/time, boring the reader and making everything seem unrealistic. Under-informing the reader, making them wonder how things work.

2) Non-Spec fic: Anachronisms, not knowing enough to get the feel of the time/place right.

3) Spec fic: World rules that are broken.

What do you love/hate about world building in your genre?

A to Z Challenge: String Theory


No matter how we write, at some point, we will have a completed draft that will require revisions and edits. Multiple rounds.

And this is where string theory comes in (and yes, I know it's not the same as its use in physics). It's incredible how much everything in a draft is connected. 

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So, if you change something in the story, it might have an immense impact on the rest of what you've written. Or maybe it's just in my writing, but everything I write down either directly or indirectly means something later. Because of that, when you need to add something in, I strongly suggest that you put a lot of thought into how far that string goes. Otherwise, the reader might be pulled out of the story for one of hundreds of reasons, depending on the nature of the string.

Conversely, if you take something out, you need to make dead certain that every sign of its existence is removed from the story. For example, if you take a character (let's call him Jim) out. Anything that Jim did has to be removed or reassigned to other characters. And every sign of the remaining characters ever being aware of Jim's existence has to be taken away.

And removing things that characters did can really weaken the plot, so tread carefully. Don't assume that one round of edits will be enough. Changing things to the plot after rewrites are done can have a huge impact.

I was still finding loosened strings five edit rounds after I added things or took them away.

So keep an eye out for strings that came loose because of previous editing rounds....

Look Out for These:

1) Names of characters no longer existing in the story being mentioned.

2) Orphan chapters. Chapters that no longer connect fully to the plot because of changes you made.

3) Plot holes forming because you took the explanation away.  

Do you keep track of the strings of your story as you edit? How do you do it?

A to Z Challenge: Raising Stakes

On N-day, I mentioned that raising the stakes make a huge difference to the middle of a book, but that I'd do another post about it. Well, today is that day.

Stakes make a difference, because stakes keep the tension in a story as tight as you want it to be.

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Think of it as a poker game. The more you put into the pot, the greater your stake will be in winning the game. It becomes more important to you. If you put $500 into the pot,  the game will be really tense, but not as tense as putting $50000 in. And DEFINITELY not as tense as putting in the last $50000 that you own. The first is pretty big situation, the second bigger. The last is life changing.

Ideally speaking, you want the story to start as the poker players (your characters) are about to start playing. And then, with every game, they increase their bets, increasing their stakes in each game (chapter). If you really want to get things tense, you can lock each player in and let someone else (the bad character, perhaps?) increase the bets for them.

The reason why I say this is ideal is because the reader gets to know the character before all hell breaks loose. So they know who the character is. Then as the stakes increase, we get to know them better. We learn to care about them and how they react to challenges. And then just as the reader gets to the middle and thinks the character can't take more, that final $50000 game starts. The life changer. The one that will ultimately change that character - for better or worse - forever. That's good reading.

Sometimes, though, the poker game is longer than others. For example in a series, there might be a few big rounds towards the end of each book. Rounds so big that the reader thinks that it's the life changer. But the real life changer will occur in the last book. Otherwise, why would the reader bother sitting through the stories after that?

So, if your middle is sagging, odds are that it's because none of your characters are making any bets. There's nothing happening to make the reader worry about what the character stands to lose. And that's a huge problem when your story is about to go towards the climax. After all, the climax is about where the character wins or loses the most.

Make sure that the reader can sense what's at stake. You don't need to spell it out. Just make it big enough to spot. Hint at the possible results of failure. And of success. And above all, give them a feeling of the odds.

And then for maximum tension: In the life changing round of the poker game that is your character's story, force them to go for the royal flush.

Look Out for These:

1) Middle sagging because you either put the stakes too high too early, or didn't raise the stakes.

2) Undefined stakes.

3) CPs and betas doubting why they should be caring.

What's your approach to stakes in a story?

A to Z Challenge: Plot-Holes

Has this ever happened to you? You're done. Finally. All those months spent writing and rewriting a story. You even took a month off, living off your finishing-high so that you get distance from the story. Today is the day you do a fast read on the story you (!!!) wrote. At first a few cringe-worthy phrases, cliches and repetitions stand out. And there's a niggle. A tiny little crack.

But as you read, it grows and grows until it looks something like this:

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And then you realize that you have a gaping plot-hole in your story.

Yeah, that's happened to me. It. Sucks.

I went into fix it mode, but nothing I thought of worked to fill the hole. There was aways something that defied solution. Something that I knew could potentially become another huge hole if I let it be long enough. After all, four books make more than enough opportunity for it to grow.

I panicked for a while and then sat down, realizing one thing. If I thought of the story that it exists in, the solution had to exist as well. And probably in such a way that it would come from the story. Knowing that, and that I'd never find it since I had no clue as to what the solution looked like, I finished reading Doorways and left it alone for another two weeks. What else could I do? The whole story hinged on the existence of a solution.

And you know what? I was waiting for a movie to start when the solution occurred to me. It was simple. So much so that I challenge any reader to find it one day, because it's so tiny that you'll never notice it's there. It fit. Perfectly.

So if you do have the misfortune of finding a plot-hole in the story, here are some steps to follow.

1) BREATHE! It's not the end of the world. Nor is it remotely close to being the end of your project.

2) Remember that you got this far with your story. So if the plot-hole is in it, your solution is as well. You just don't know it yet. Yes I know what a pantser-y trick this is, but it really works. Why? Because it opens your mind to out-of-the-box possibilities. You're not limiting yourself to thinking of the obvious. You're exposing yourself to genius.

3) Do something else.

4) Keep doing something else until your mind goes: A HAH! or whatever it does when it gets a brilliant flash of inspiration.

5) Fit the solution to the hole.

6)
a) If it fits, celebrate and revise to blend it into the story.
b) If it doesn't, go back to step one and do it again.

Do NOT try to cram something that you contrived into the hole. It won't fit, so it will take a lot more work to camouflage it from a reader. And you know the thing about camouflage? A trained eye will still see it.

Look Out for These:

1) When you ask how/why/when/where to anything and you don't know because the answer doesn't exist. As supposed to how/why/when/where answers you don't know because you haven't explored them yet.

2) Anything you glossed over in the drafts - not wanting to think about it right at that moment - that accidentally grew to incredible importance as you wrote.

3) How/when/why/where questions whose answers are negated by an edit you did, but can't undo because of more important reasons. See S-day's post to see what I mean.

What do you do when you discover a plot hole?

A to Z Challenge: Obvious



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This is definitely one I struggle with. Because I wrote the story, everything that's been written is perfectly clear to me.

So it's a common occurance that I send out work and get back crit upon crit saying that they don't know what's going on. Because I can visualize what's going on all the time, I can't see when someone can't.

In those circumstances, the solution is to go back to each scene that misses some clarity and make the necessary aspects more obvious.

On the other hand, I have found that writers make things too obvious. That is by far the number one on my pet peeves list. Because making things glaringly obvious looks like the writer thinks the reader is an idiot. And insulting the people you want to pay for the story is never the wisest course. Luckily though, it's an easy fix. Deleting the reitirations of the obvious.

If the plot is too obvious or convoluted, though, you have a bit more of a problem. You'll have to put your story through substantial revisions to complicate or simplify your story, depending on the situation. 

So if you're think that something's too obvious or not obvious enough, you might want to get your CPs to help you spot all the places to fix...

Look Out for These:

1) Crit partners asking why/how/when/where questions.

2) Crit partners stating that they know something or that it's already clear.

3) Readers predicting the end or not getting the end at all.

Do you make things too obvious? Or do you struggle to?

A to Z Challenge: Not the Middle!!!

I've noticed it a lot that if one says the word "middle" in the writing community, more often than not, you will get a groan back.

Yeah... sagging middles are the bane of many a writer's existence.

So why do they happen?

There are a variety of reasons, but I can think of mainly three. 

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First reason: flow. The middle portion of a story tends to be much longer than either the beginning or the ending sections. So odds are that you'll get a sagging middle, if your pacing is off and you're writing too many scenes where nothing important happens.

Second reason: Your ending is in the wrong place. If it feels like a moment in your story's middle should be the ending, anything after that point will feel boring right up to the ending. Even if the climax is after that point. Sad, but true. For proof, think of the movie Casino Royal with Daniel Craig.

Third reason: Stakes. Your story should be raising the stakes for the characters all the time. All the way to the climax. How sharply or gradually this happens depends on the story and characters, but they do have to be raised. Slack down on the raising of stakes and the story will slacken. Especially around the middle.

If you're lucky, it's number one, where the solution might be as easy as a few deletions. On the other hand, the other two reasons require substantial work, so if your story has a sagging middle, try to check out the pacing first.
If the problem is from reason no 2, you might have to cut everything after the point mentioned above out and write it into a possible sequel. Best case scenario that I can think of would be revising the scenes leading into and out of the moment causing the sagging middle, in a way that means that you can take the moment out.

If stakes are your problem, I suspect that rewrites and revisions will be needed, but to see why, you'll have to come back on R-Day.

Sagging middles aren't impossible to solve, but they take a lot of patience and hard work to fix in edits. Which is why I try to keep the middle boosted right from the start. Failing that, from the rewrite onwards.

Look Out for These:

1) Flow issues.

2) Moments that look like the ending, but that aren't in fact close to it.

3) Stakes not being raised.

What reasons do you find cause sagging middles? How do you solve them?

A to Z Challenge: Jumps

When you draft, do you also sort of ignore some tricky or unknown scenes, saying you'll do them later?

Well, revisions are when you want to fill in the gaps that make the story jump forward faster than it should. You're going to have to find all of them, including the ones that you didn't leave on purpose.  

You know that fast read I mentioned for Flow? Well, this is also sort of a flow issue too. Missing scenes interrupt the flow, so they're actually easier to feel than the other flow problems. So when you're doing a fast read, make note of the missing scenes as you go.

But do NOT stop reading to insert the scenes, because you'll just be interrupting yourself.

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Look Out for These:

1) Scenes you left open for some reason, meaning to get back to it later.

2) Areas in the story where it feels as if part of the story is missing.

3) Moments that are summarized in a scene, but that feel as if they should be expanded to do justice to the story.

How do you spot the gaps in your story?

A to Z Challenge: Introduction

One of my favorite things to work on in edits is introducing different characters. To me, those first moments of getting to know a character are so wonderful that I get a happy feeling just thinking about them. Still, looking at introductions is an important aspect to edits because...




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I can think of three reasons why introductions need to be looked at. First one would be that the character is important, but doesn't make enough of a first impression. The reader's not going to get involved with a character if he/she forgets the character within a few paragraphs of getting introduced. So let your character's inner stars shine from the start. Or at least a little bit to entice the reader.

Then there's the fact that a character wasn't really defined when you wrote him/her at first. It's perfectly natural, because it takes time to get to know a new character. Time that can only be taken by writing the story.

Also, in the process of writing a draft, you'll very possibly find that the character veers off in another direction as the story goes. Because of that, the original introduction and who you discover the character to be, won't coincide.

So when it's time to look at your characters' introductions: look for traits that you want the reader to know from the start. Does the introduction of every character show those traits in a way that imprints the character in the reader's thoughts? If not, you'll have to rewrite the scene to create the impression you wanted. 

There's only one chance to create a first impression for a character. Make it count.

Look Out for These:

1) The character seeming like different people between the first and later parts of the story.

2) An introduction that isn't memorable, despite the fact that the character is supposed to be.

3) Readers not engaging with an important character, or failing to remember that they've been introduced.

What do you do to get the introduction of your characters just right?

A to Z Challenge: Heading to a Point

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I might be the only one, but I find that when it comes to editing, I need a bit extra in the way of motivation to get something done.

For me, setting a deadline goal and making it public works. Because knowing that there's a countdown timer showing how my editing time is dripping away really does a lot to keep me focused.

Maybe you'd need something different, but if you haven't started editing yet, I strongly suggest that you find something to work toward.

Why? Well... editing (while I love it) is not exactly the world's most exciting thing to do. I find it fun, but at the same time, it's a lot more like work than the sheer joy of pure creation as experienced during drafting.

So I need to remind myself that I am working toward something. Because I believe that editing every day is the wisest course.

If I leave long periods without editing, I have to read the story again to pick up where I left off, which wastes more time because reading the story again will either mean that I'll have to edit from the beginning, or taking more time to get distance again.

Also, if I leave the editing too late, I'll either end up taking forever to finish my WiP, or rush towards the date of completion. And rushing is hardly ever a good idea.

If I rush, I get sloppy. If I get sloppy, I'll miss some important things that need to be fixed. Which means that I'll probably have to go back and do it again. No one's idea of fun.

For the same reason, I strongly suggest that you don't see your editing goal as set in stone. Because, if you're still undiscovered, it's more important to do the job right than do the job fast.

But do what you must to get the job done.

Look Out for These:

1) Long periods without editing.

2) Procrastination

3) Feeling pressure because you haven't done any meaningful edits in a longer time than you think feels good.

How do you stay motivated during the editing phase?

A to Z Challenge: Flow

Looks like I'm all about the subtle issues this year. Today's issue of choice is flow.

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It isn't something that you can see. You have to sense it. Which of course makes it nearly impossible for a writer to detect on his or her own.

Still, it can be done, if the writer takes at least a few weeks off to get a bit of distance from the story.



Once that's done, the writer needs to do two things.

Firstly a fast read through of the story. Reading through your work in as close to a single sitting as possible will hopefully show you where there are lulls in the story that nearly grinds its progress to a halt. Or conversely, where things are happening on top of each other so fast that the reader won't be able to catch up.

If the pace is too slow, either shorten the period before the next big event, or work something exciting into the lull. If it's too fast, you might want to look into bridging scenes. These are slower scenes designed to give the characters and the readers a chance to rest before the next thing happens. It gives them all the opportunity to think of the events just past before the next one. If those scenes aren't there, the story won't have an impact on the readers, because they won't have a chance to sink in.

The second thing that a writer needs to do is an out-loud reading of the manuscript. This is to catch the tiny things that hurt the flow. Words that repeat, sentences always of exact same length, or similar sentence structures repeating too close to each other. Same goes for paragraphs. Think I'm being nit-picky? Try this:

Inspecting the room, he walked in. People stopped talking and started staring. Pausing for a moment, he frowned. Why were they staring like that?

Doesn't feel nice to read, does it?

Compare this:

He walked into the room, careful to look relaxed while he inspected its occupants. Silence fell as he made his way to the bar. Frowning, he ordered a drink and took a sip. Why were they staring?

Still not the best lines ever, but lots better than before. So when you read out loud and things feel weird, look for repetitions and change them up.

Flow issues take a bit of effort to spot but once you know about them, they're among the most clear-cut issues to fix. Only one more thing: The fast read is best done during revisions while you're making big changes to the story. The loud read works best right at the end when you only need to change wording and such.

Look Out for These:

1) Long periods of unending action or no action.

2) Something sounding or feeling off when reading. Few people can catch structure repetition, so if you can't put a finger on what's wrong, go looking for repetitions.

3) Crit partners or betas pointing out the above. LISTEN to them. Odds are they'll catch flow issues much better than you will.

What do you do to catch flow issues while editing? Are you one of the lucky few with a natural feel for flow, or do you have to go looking for the problem?