Dear O'Abby: What the heck is creative non-fiction?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm confused and I hope you can help me.  

I've been working on a memoir for several years and have finally reached a point where I feel it's ready for some readers.  I joined an online writing group that was recommended to me by friend who also writes and the feedback I've received thus far has been...well...a little confusing.

Several of the people who have read my memoir have suggested that I ought to think about re-writing it as creative non-fiction to make it more accessible to readers.  I haven't been able to respond to these critiques yet because, to be honest, I have no idea what creative non-fiction actually is.  I thought that memoirs were, by nature, non-fiction because they are telling a true story.  And novels are creative because you make them up.  Are these other writers asking me to make up my own life?

Can you shed some light so I can figure out what the heck these people want from my book?

Yours, 

Baffled

Dear Baffled,

Creative non-fiction is basically a catch-all term for true stories written in a way that will engage readers the same way a novel might.  It does not in any way mean that you should make up or embellish or exaggerate any of the facts about your life.  By calling your book a memoir, you are creating an expectation in the reader that the events presented in your book are true.

Where the creative part comes in is in the writing, the way you craft the stories about your life.

Without having read your book, it's difficult for me to know exactly what your critique group is referencing, but for me, when reading a memoir, I want more than just a series of events on the page.  I want to know the person whose life I'm reading about and to do that, the writer needs to immerse me in the world they are describing.

A compelling memoir vividly describes place, people, emotions and anything else relevant to whatever event is being written about.  Events of little significance can be left out unless they are linked in some way to the bigger events that might have shaped the writer and brought them to the place they are today.

Actual conversations may not be remembered word-for-word, but the gist or purpose of these conversations will be remembered and can be sparingly re-created to give the event more immediacy and to bring other people important to the writer to life.

If you're writing the story of a life, for it to be satisfying, it still needs to follow a narrative structure with the main character (in this case, you) growing and changing over the course of the book. Basically, what you need to do is make your own story into a compelling narrative.

Hopefully this has been helpful.  Best of luck with your memoir!

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: What next?

 Dear O'Abby,

I have just about finished the book I started writing for NaNo and was wondering what I do next.  This is the first time I've attempted NaNo and I was pretty surprised at myself for being able to do it.  Not only did I write the 50,000 words, but I've almost finished my book.  I think I'll be done by the end of next week.

I want to get it published now, so was wondering if you had any advice about what to do next.

Thanks,

First-timer

Dear First-Timer,

Let me congratulate you on both finishing NaNo and completing your book.  Both are fantastic achievements and you should be very proud of yourself.  I'm proud of you too!

But talking about publishing right now is jumping the gun a little bit...  There are a lot of steps that need to be taken before you even start thinking about that.

What you've written this month is a first draft, not a finished novel.  In fact, I don't even call my NaNo drafts a first draft; I call them zero-drafts or vomit drafts.  They're a basic idea of a novel which may have moments of beauty and insight, but are definitely not ready for anyone, even my closest critique partners, to read.

The first thing you should do is leave the book alone for a few weeks.  Write something else, or take a nice holiday break from your story.  In three or four weeks you can go back to it with fresh eyes and a level of perspective you won't have right now.

Then the hard work of revising begins.  You will probably find there are parts of the story you need to fill in, character details you figured out as you wrote that need to be woven into the characters earlier in the story, plot points that might not make a lot of sense where they happen in the story and myriad other things.  You will probably find you spend far longer revising and re-writing than you did writing your initial draft.  I usually find it takes me around 6-9 months to get a NaNo draft polished up enough to send out to readers.

Which is the next step.  You need to find people to read for you, people who can give you constructive feedback that you can use.  You might want to join a critique group online (or in person if we're ever allowed to do that again) or you might know some other writers in your area who might be willing to read for you.

You need to be prepared for critique at this stage.  Sometimes feedback from readers is harsh and not at all what you were expecting.  Readers might hate your favorite character or think the plot point you believed was cleverly crafted falls flat.  They might have issues with your character arcs, with the pacing.

Take some time to digest the feedback you get.  Some may resonate while some may not.  But it's important to consider it all and implement what you feel will help make your story stronger.

Then rinse and repeat...  Maybe then you can start thinking about publishing and the steps you can take toward it.

Hope this helps and doesn't discourage you too much. It's a lot of work, but it really is worthwhile and your book will be so much better for it.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby, Do I Really Need Critique Partners and Beta Readers?

Dear O'Abby,

I've just finished a novel and I've read that at this point I should be sending it to critique partners and beta readers for feedback.  I don't know anyone to do this, and I am a very thorough editor, so feel like the book is as polished as it's going to get.  Is this feedback period really crucial to making my book a success?  And if it is, where do I find these readers?

Regards,

Critical.

Dear Critical,

Personally I believe this is probably the most important step in getting your book ready.  As the author, you know everything about your story and your characters so are unlikely to see gaps in logic or places where information might be missing.  Getting fresh eyes on the book is crucial for you to find out if everything is working the way you intended it to.

Critique partners and beta readers also fulfill different purposes.  A critique partner might read the book chapter by chapter as you write it and offer feedback as you go.  Or they might read it when you have finished a first or second full draft.  Their notes will include grammar and syntax errors, punctuation and suggestions about plotting, pacing and character development.  Finding other writers to be critique partners is usually a good idea because they will understand these things and be able to offer the right kind of feedback at this stage.

Beta readers are readers who will read the full manuscript once you have completed the revisions your notes from critique partners threw up.  These readers won't give you the detailed notes your CPs did, but will be able to identify how the book reads as a whole.  They will let you know if they believe and empathize with the characters, if the plot is engaging and if they feel the pacing works.  They will also let you know if the book is an enjoyable read, and may be able to tell you other books they've read that are similar.

In terms of finding people to act as CPs and beta readers, there are numerous options.  Join a writing group, in person if there is one in your local area, or online if there isn't (there are some very active critique groups at writing.com).  Engage with other writers via their social media and blogs.  Whatever stage in your writing career you are at, there will be other writers out there at the same stage and many will be willing do a MS exchange.  Engage with readers who talk about books online and ask them to beta for you.  You won't always get a yes, but a lot of people are excited to read new books before they are published and will jump on the chance.


Good luck with the book!

X O'Abby

W is for Want to Be a Great Critique Partner? #AtoZChallenge

The #AtoZChallenge 2017 Theme at Operation Awesome is the Publishing Journey.

At Operation Awesome, we strive to provide writers and readers with the resources they need to succeed, at every stage of the journey. With that in mind, let's discuss how to be a great critique partner or beta reader!

Writers know how invaluable critique partners (who review your manuscript, sometimes a few chapters at a time, and provide detailed feedback and/or edits) and beta readers (who read the entire manuscript and provide high-level feedback on plot, characters, etc.) are to the writing process. Here are some tips for becoming the kind of critique partner/beta reader who gets thanked in a published novel's Acknowledgments page:

1) Know your limitations. Everyone is busy. All the time. But if you offer to beta read a manuscript, and commit to finishing and providing feedback in two weeks, you really only have two options: finish and provide feedback in two weeks; or, if you know you won't be able to finish on time, contact the writer to let him/her know so the manuscript can be sent to another beta reader if necessary. There's no harm in saying 'no' or 'maybe next time' if the deadline doesn't work for your schedule, but there is harm in overcommitting and failing to deliver. And if you're not sure when the writer needs feedback by, ask! 

Furthermore, most writers know their own strengths and weaknesses and should apply those to critiquing. For example, I'm good at writing scenes where characters sit around talking about things, and not so good at whiz-bang action sequences. So when I'm critiquing, I make it clear that while I may have high-level impressions about action scenes, those critiques should be taken with a grain of salt. 

2) Listen to the writer's needs. When I send a manuscript to a critique partner or beta reader, I'm explicit about the kind of feedback I want. Sometimes it's high-level thoughts about the book as a whole (Does the mystery's reveal work? Does this character arc make sense?), other times it's scene-by-scene impressions. Other writers may want line-edits, grammar checks, or formatting help. But if you're critiquing a manuscript for a writer who wants high-level thoughts, and you send back a version in tracked-changes with extensive line edits, the writer won't find that particularly useful. If you're not sure what kind of feedback the writer wants, ask!

3) Balance criticism with compliments. Secretly, every writer wants to receive glowing feedback proclaiming your work genius, perfect, Pulitzer-bound. But is that kind of feedback really helpful for getting a draft whipped into shape? If a scene works, and you don't see any room for improvement, say that, but be specific about what works and how the author succeeded. On the flip side, receiving nothing but negative criticism is demoralizing to a writer. Have some positive words for every manuscript you critique, whether it's something as simple as the concept, the main character's personality, or the font choice (kidding about that one. But seriously, use Times New Roman 12-point). My go-to ratio is 75% criticism, 25% compliments, but that changes depending on who I'm reading for. Some writers are more open to blunt critiques than others... again, it comes down to knowing what the writer is looking for.

4) Make suggestions, but don't be offended if the writer doesn't follow them. Neil Gaiman said, "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." At the end of the day, your job is to tell the author when something isn't working, and maybe brainstorm some possible ways to fix it. The author's job is to find and implement a fix. If the author doesn't take your advice, that's okay, and doesn't say anything about the value of your feedback. Ultimately, it's the author's book, not yours.

5) Make yourself available for follow-up questions. As I'm working through revisions based on critique partner feedback, I'll often send quick emails to my critique partners if I need clarification on their notes or if I've edited a scene and want to see if it works. I've sometimes looked at revised manuscripts for critique partners after I've critiqued an initial draft. A lot of this will depend on your availability, but at least make clear when you send your notes that you're happy to answer any questions the author might have about those notes.

How do you provide helpful and timely feedback as a critique partner or beta reader?

Find Your Writing Tribe

The business of writing books is a tough industry to be in. It's tough to finish an entire book, for starters. It's tough to query--rejections can be soul-crushing, making it hard to pick yourself up and keep going. It's tough to be on submission to publishers. It's tough to self-publish!

What keeps me going through all the rough spots is my writing tribe. These are friends I've made along the way that I know are willing to listen to me vent, or will help me workshop my query, or read the ending of my book one more time to make sure I've really nailed it. Every friendship is different; some of them read my whole manuscript for me, some help me with pitches and query letters, others bounce ideas off me and let me do the same.

As I was reflecting on my writer friends and how I came to establish ties with all of them, I realized that they were all people who supported me publicly, and in turn who I supported publicly. Sometimes a couple of RTs on a #PitMad day were all it took to become friends. During the last NaNoWriMo, several of my friends on Facebook would cheer each other on every night as we wrote. When NaNo was over, we decided to keep the good vibes rolling by forming a private Facebook group where we could continue to share writing insights, challenge each other to writing sprints, and keep each other posted on where we were in the revision process. The strength I get from them is amazing.

I couldn't survive this writing journey without the help of my writer friends. I encourage you to support others in their writing, from complimenting a Twitter pitch to shouting about their books as much as you can. If you want to add more people to your tribe, look to those that already support you, and reach out to them. Ask for help when you need it. Keep yourself sane on this stressful wonderful journey!

Pre- Writers Conference Giveaway: NYRC 2013

Woot! I love it when Operation Awesome is operation: AWESOME!

It's time to spread the word about our upcoming online writers conference, and what better way than with an awesome online giveaway!

Enter using the rafflecopter form below.

New Year's Revisions Conference 2013

January 4, 5, and 6 

Totally free, totally online. 

You wrote the crap out of that book in November. Or maybe you've been working on yours even longer. The time has come... revision time. Pay the piper, meet the reaper -- all those lovely euphemisms for the real work of writing: revising. You do not have to do it alone. We have gathered a group of fabulous book lovers: the ones who write the books, the ones who represent the authors, and the ones who edit the books. They all want you to succeed in making your book as shiny as it can possibly be before you query/publish.

That's the focus of NYRC 2013.

If you love books, want to write, or have written a book, this conference will have plenty for you to love in the way of professional publishing advice, and yes, more giveaways. There will also be a critique partner matching service for those looking for a second pair of eyes for their work.

We'll be live-tweeting the events @OpAwesome6 and using the #NYRC hash tag. Hope you'll join us!

To recap:

• Professional publishing advice from our panel of experts
• Guest posts by literary agents, editors, and published authors - all with an eye toward helping you through the revision process
• Book giveaways - *happy sigh* mmm, books.
• Critique partner matching service (January 3, the day before the conference officially begins)

Giving away today via rafflecopter (giveaway runs from Dec. 21-24):
SHADOWS OF THE HIDDEN by Anne Riley (e-copy)
DEADWOOD by Kell Andrews (signed ARC)
AMAROK by Angela Townsend (e-copy)
A LITTLE BIT WICKED by Robyn DeHart  (e-copy)
GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy (e-copy)
SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa Basso (e-copy)

$10 amazon.com gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finding Critique Groups

With my recent Blog Chain post being on critique groups, I’ve had them on the brain lately. So I thought I’d share some tips on how I found my critique groups and partners.

As with everything, there are many, many ways of going about this. But, this is what worked for me.

1. Google
You really can find just about everything on Google :) When I first set out to look for a group, I had no idea where to begin and lived in a remote area where finding another writer was going to be difficult, if not impossible (or so I thought...but that's another story) :D So I hit the internet. I googled for “online critique groups” and started scrolling.

Going about it this way is going to turn up a lot of results. So choose carefully. In my case, I found a group with an extensive screening process. I had to submit an application of sorts, with a bio and writing samples. I was reassured that this group was legitimate because they were obviously very careful about who they let in. Keep in mind, this was six years ago. Things have changed a bit...there are a lot more legit writer forums, etc out there where you can find crit groups, so googling might not be necessary. If you go this route, I'd definitely be sure to check on the members of groups you find, just to be sure everyone is a good potential crit partner.

I very much enjoyed my time with that group, and learned A LOT. I was a very green writer when I started with them; they showed me the ropes, the rules, helped me get my writing under control. Finding a good group is invaluable.

2. Writers Websites and Forums
This is probably the best way I can think of to find some good crit partners. When I first starting seriously writing, I joined as many writer websites as I could find. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the whole publishing world. I did okay at writing, but I wanted to be better. I found a ton of sites; only a handful were really good, valuable places. Through these sites, a met a few good writing friends. We exchanged some material, and I had my first few critique buddies.

Again, practice caution. Not all sites are there to help writers. Some just want to take advantage. But you can find some really excellent sites. I usually enjoy AbsoluteWrite. They have some excellent information available to writers and I met some really great people there.

But my all time favorite site is QueryTracker.net. I just can’t say enough good things about QT. I joined the site and forum when QT was just getting started, and I was lucky enough to become very close with the members of the site. These people have not only become my critique partners, but are close friends as well.

3. Local Writing Groups
This isn’t something I’ve tried myself as I have such a great online support group and live in a fairly small community. But in larger communities, you should be able to find writer’s groups. Your local library is a great place to start looking. Check the newspapers as well. Being able to meet with your crit partners in person can really be a great experience.

4. National Writers Groups
Organizations like Romance Writers of America, and the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators have many different chapters you can join. I know with RWA, there are chapters specialized in the different sub-genres of romance as well as chapters by location. These types of organizations are a great place to find critique groups or partners. Check out the forums…there is usually a thread devoted to people looking for crit buddies.

I truly believe no writer should be without at least one critique buddy. A fresh set of eyes is always a good idea :)

How did you find your crit partners?