Dear O'Abby: How do I start?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've been wanting to write a novel for years and years, and this year, I have resolved to actually do it.  I have an idea I think is pretty solid, but I'm just not sure exactly how t physically start writing a book.

Any tips for a newbie?

Happy New Year,

Greenhorn

Dear Greenhorn,

I wish it was a simple as that, but like many things, there is no one way to write a novel.  Every writer has their own process for starting, and finishing a book.  And the only way you're going to figure out how you like to do it, is by trying it out.

That said, I can give you some things you can try to see if they suit you....

Some writers like to do a lot of planning before they start writing the actual book.  This may include writing detailed character studies to better understand the way these individuals will behave in certain situations.  If you're writing fantasy you may want to do some work on developing the world of your story so you understand the way things work there and the way your characters might fit into the societies you're creating.  If you're writing a mystery or thriller you way want to write a timeline so you can make sure things are revealed and hinted at in the right places.

Some writers like to have an outline of their novel written ahead of time so they know basically what is going to happen in each chapter and that the scenes they plan to write fit nicely and drive the story toward its conclusion. Other writers just wing it and start writing and find their stories through the writing process.

But you can do both. Outlines can be as detailed or loose as you want them to be. Personally, I never write more than a page or two, just outlining the bare bones of what I think the story might be.  And if I veer away from that in the writing process, so be it.  One thing I've learnt though, is writing the ending early on is generally a good idea if you're basically winging it, because it gives you somewhere to aim.  Again, if you end up going elsewhere and it works better, so be it...

Another thing I personally find useful is to write a query letter for my novel pretty early on.  That helps me see if the story has enough stakes and if I can easily find the throughline and spine of the story.  You can even try to get the entire story into a single sentence or logline to test the strength of the story.  If you can do that, then you've definitely got something!

So my best advice to you is to just sit down and start.  You'll learn pretty quickly what works for you and what doesn't doesn't.

Best of luck with the writing.  Have fun with it.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby, Help Me! I'm Stuck.

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm in the middle of NaNo like so many other writers this month, and I'm completely stuck.  The first 30K went really smoothly, but I reached a point where I just can't seem to get my characters to move toward the next major plot point.

To further complicate matters, I had another truly compelling idea for a book last week, and it's clamouring at my brain for attention. 

A part of me wants to stop writing the book I started at the beginning of November and work on my new shiny idea, but another part of me tells me to finish what I started.

Any advice?

Best,

Conflicted.

Dear Conflicted,

To be honest, I think you could do either.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with dropping the project you started and picking up another one if the other one is really banging at your head to get out.  Just add your word count on the new novel to what you already have on the one you've started, and you can still win NaNo.

I've done that before.  More than once, in fact.  You don't end up with a finished draft by the end of November, but you're still a lot further into both books than you were at the start.

But if you feel like you need to finish the book you started in November, you should do that.  Just ignore the place you're stuck and move on.  Leave a note for yourself or a big swathe of blank space so you remember there's stuff that needs filling in and move on to the next point in the story you're excited to write.  Often once you've written the stuff that comes after the place you're stuck, you find a way to move through it.

That's one of the reasons I rarely start writing a book at the beginning.  I almost always start with one scene that really demands to be written, one event which is the core of the story I'm trying to write.  So I write that and figure out from there where the story goes next, or how it got to that point.  Usually both..

The most important thing to do is keep writing.  You've made it through 19 days of this madness, so don't give up now.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: How Soon is Too Soon?

Dear O'Abby,

Just wondering if you think it's too soon to think about writing a novel set during a global pandemic?  

Cheers,

Corona Pirate

Dear Corona Pirate,

Firstly, love your nom-de-plume!  Very apt.

Personally, I feel like it's probably too early to write a book set during this global pandemic.  We're still in the midst of it and how things will play out is yet to be seen.  Given the length of time it takes to write an publish a book, if you write something now, you risk ending up with something that will be dated or wildly inaccurate six months to a year from now.  Better to wait and see how things play out before you dive in and try to make sense of the experience.

That said, there is nothing to stop you from writing about a different pandemic.  Maybe an historical piece set during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, or even the years in which the Bubonic Plague swept through Europe.  Alternatively, you could look at writing something set in the future or in a fantasy world where a pandemic is ravaging this, or some other planet.

There are also scenarios where I can see that writing something contemporary, set during this particular time could work as long as the pandemic is more of a background event or the springboard for the story.  Maybe an enemies to lovers type thing where two characters are forced to lockdown together.  I heard from a friend recently about a divorced couple who had to quarantine together in a hotel after returning from visiting their son overseas.  Fertile ground for a romance (or a murder) perhaps?

I think as long as the pandemic and the science around it remain firmly in the background, and you don't try to offer any solution or possible end to what is happening globally right now, you could try and write something. 

The question is whether you want to explore something so devastating while we are still living through it.  I feel that something like this needs time and perspective before we can start writing about it. The full impact of this pandemic is yet to come and it is likely the fallout from it will affect us for many years.

You don't need to rush.  There will be plenty of time to write about 2020 once we're through this and can see how the world has changed as a result of this period.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: How do I write a novel?

Dear O'Abby,

I have an idea for a book, but I've never really written before. At least not since I finished school.  Do you have any advice about how to go about writing a novel?

Sincerely,

Wannabe Writer

Dear Wannabe Writer,

Wow!  What a big question... 

First up, writing a novel is a pretty major undertaking, so you need to be sure this is something you really want to do.  It will take up a lot of time and, if you're anything like me, you'll end up living and breathing alongside these characters for years and years to come. Before you sit down and start writing, I'd suggest you sleep on it for a least a night.  If you wake up and that story is still burning to be told, well, maybe you need a little more sleep..

But seriously.  Wait until you're sure that story is the one you really, really want to tell.  The story you have to tell and that only you CAN tell.  Once you're sure this is the story of your heart, then you can think about starting to write.

There are a number of things to think about before you actually sit down and start writing.

Firstly, whose story is it?  Is it something that would best be told through a single lens, or does it need more than one perspective?  This will help you decide what point of view to tell the story from.  A single, first person narrative will limit what you can show to what your main character sees and experiences, while a third person narrative can open things up to showing things from more than one perspective.

You may want to outline the story to make sure it works, and that there is enough action and character development and tension to sustain a story of this length.  Personally, I don't do this, but only because I prefer to find the story as I write it and my characters make (often stupid) decisions along the way.  A lot of other writers find outlining helps them structure their stories and figure out where the beats are.

Some writers also like to create character sketches so they have all the details about their characters from the color of their hair to their favorite TV show at their fingertips. If you're writing science fiction or fantasy, it's important you know the rules of the world you're creating, so this may be something you need to sketch out in some detail too.

Once you've done all that preparation, you may feel ready to write.  Or ready to throw in the towel on the whole thing... If you decide to go ahead and write, then you need to get your butt into your chair and get started. 

Just remember, it's not finished when you type 'the end'.  Those words you've just written - all 80,000 or so of them,are just the beginning.

Scared yet?

Don't be.  Writing novels isn't easy - it can be painful at times, I won't lie to you.  But when you get it right, it can be the most rewarding feeling in the world.  So don't be frightened. The worst that can happen is you don't finish it, but unless you broadcast to the world that you're writing a novel, no one needs to know...

Good luck!

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: I hate revising. Do I have to?

Dear O'Abby,

I love writing.  I've written more than seven novels now, and I just adore the flow of ideas onto the page and following my characters where they want to go.  But I hate revising.  Which is why I've written seven novels.  Instead of revising the one I just wrote, I freeze up at the thought of it and then abandon it to go and chase the next shiny idea.

When I've gone back and re-read my older novels, they're actually pretty good.  I like them, anyway.  Do I really need to revise?

Thanks!

Non-Editor

Dear Non-Editor,

At the end of the day, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do.  No one is sitting there with a gun to your head telling you you have to revise those manuscripts (if there is, please call the police).

But if you want any of those manuscripts to ever be published, you're going to need to revise.  I don't think any writer ever gets everything 100% right on their first pass.  If you've re-read and you think the story works, and the characters are lively and realistic, that's awesome.

But has anyone else taken a look?  And have you checked for things like inconsistencies in time and place and names?  I re-read a manuscript about three times before I realized for an entire chapter I called a character Harry when his name throughout the rest of the book was Henry.

And then there's grammar and tenses and all kinds of other niggly things that sometimes slip in and need to be weeded out before you send a manuscript out.

Revising is an important part of writing, even if you don't cut whole scenes and rewrite the beginning to fit better with the ending.  Or merge two characters into one because neither of the original ones really pulled their weight.  Or changed the POV because it didn't really work in first person...

And that's only your first few rounds of revision.  After your critique partners and beta readers get through with it, you will probably need to do a couple more rounds to fix things they noticed and you didn't.  If you get an agent, it's likely she will ask for another round or two of revisions too, before she feels the MS is ready to go on submission.

So the answer is yes and no.  If you are writing to be published, revision is imperative.  If you're writing for yourself and don't have any ambition to be published, feel free to skip any part of the process you don't enjoy.

But I used to be just like you.  Revision bored me.  Now I love it.  It's actually almost my favorite part of the writing process.  I love shaping something wonderful out of the word-vomit I spew when writing a first draft.

So maybe give it a shot.  You might just surprise yourself.

XX O'Abby

Greetings from the Newest Operation Awesome Blogger, Jaime Olin!

Hi there! I'm Jaime Olin, and I'm pleased to introduce myself as the newest blogger for Operation Awesome.

I'd like to to answer a few questions you might have about me and tell you what I'll be doing for Operation Awesome - I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you!

What do you write? Mostly YA Contemporary. I also dabble in mysteries, and would love to someday write a sci-fi book set on the moon.

Who is your agent? Mallory Brown at the TriadaUS Literary Agency.

How did you find your agent? I entered my YA Contemporary manuscript, Forgotten, in the 2016 PitchSlam contest (this is a GREAT contest for those who don't know about it - www.pitchslamcontest.com). I made it to the agent round, and Mallory was one of the agents who requested the manuscript. She made an offer of representation, and after notifying the other agents who had the manuscript (some of whom also ended up offering), I ended up choosing Mallory because she felt a real connection with the manuscript. I'm excited to see where things go from here!

How long have you been writing? Casually, since I could hold a pen. Seriously, about seven years ago, once I began participating in some local creative writing workshops. Forgotten is my fourth completed manuscript.

Where do you live? Dallas, Texas now, but I've lived all over the country.

What's your day job? I'm a lawyer for a non-profit.

What kinds of posts do you plan to do for Operation Awesome? My first order of business is to start a weekly (or so) synopsis critique. There are several great options for query critiques on the internet, but I haven't seen any specifically dedicated to synopses. Writers seem to universally dread writing synopses, but it can be done (and done well!), and there are some tips and tricks to it. Since many agents, editors, and contest judges are requiring writers to provide synopses of their manuscripts, and since synopses are also excellent tools to maintain 'the forest for the trees' while writing first drafts, I want to help writers draft and edit them. Details to come next Thursday...

I'm also hoping to create a 'What's the Big Idea?' critique, which will focus on concept. I'll encourage readers to submit a short summary of a work in progress (or work not-yet-in-progress), and allow commenters to ask the author questions about the concept. The questions should help the author hone in on the necessary plot and character points to determine if the idea is viable.

What Hogwarts house would you get sorted into? I'm a Hufflepuff through and through, with hints of Gryffindor occasionally poking through.

What books are you currently reading? Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad and Bruce Springsteen's memoir Born to Run. I most recently finished Nicola Yoon's The Sun is Also a Star. I'm trying to alternate reading adult and YA fiction this year, and I like to always have a non-fiction book going at the same time.

Don't you have a couple of really cute dogs? Funny you should ask! Here they are...

What do you mean, we're not supposed to be on the bed?

Come find me on Twitter (@jkolin27) and visit my website (www.jaimeolin.com, which is very much a work in progress)!

6 Essentials for Co-authoring a Book

Tonight, I launch my third book!

Over the past couple months, I've written about a collaborative project--what I've learned from co-writing a novel with author, Christine Steendam. I'm very pleased to say we finished The High-Maintenance Ladies of the Zombie Apocalypse. Think The Walking Dead meets Sex and the City. We had it published and ready to go by our goal--Central Canada Comic Con weekend. We did some pre-launch sales at the con, so there are a few people out there who already have the book in their hands. But, tonight is the official launch. I can now look back on this completed project and tell you what I've learned.

Essentials for co-authoring a book:

1. Communication. The ability to convey ideas, especially during the outlining process is essential. No one can read minds, so if communication is poor there are bound to be upsets.
   
2. Flexibility. As with any novel, sometimes the story can go in a direction you did not anticipate, and this is compounded by more than one creative brain on the project. You must be able to roll with changes and adapt. 
3. Openness. This runs alongside communication. If you're afraid to be open about how you feel about story ideas, especially talking to your partner about an area of the book that needs to change, this would be a tough process. You must be open to sharing your thoughts and hearing your partner's thoughts in return.
   
4. Drive. We had a goal and were both driven to meet that goal. Because our drive to finish the book matched, we were able to work well together. Had one of us been more driven than the other, it might have caused problems.
5. Trust. I trusted that when I sent a piece off to my partner, she was working on her piece without prompting from me. I trusted my partner completely, which minimized stress.
6. A good editor. With two different people writing, we found there were multiple continuity errors. Thank goodness for editors! He caught those errors and brought them to our attention, while at the same time allowing us each our voices.
   

Now, on to collaborative marketing, but that's a blog post for another day.

Get your copy here: THE HIGH-MAINTENANCE LADIES OF THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

*******************

Melinda Friesen writes novels for teens, but her alter-ego, Melinda Marshall, writes zombie fiction for grown-ups who still like to have fun.

What I Have Learned About Failure From Author Beth Revis...

Every writer has her own journey, but of all the author success stories I have heard and read over my years as an aspiring writer, Beth Revis's journey inspired me the most! So I want to share with you what she shared with me, and the thousands of people who have already seen...

...this video:

Beth says: Everyone says, "It'll get easier!" But they are lying to your face.




Failure is really just success in training. 

Beth's first book, Across the Universe was much hyped when it first came out, and for good reason. It had one of those beginnings that is so absolutely, perfectly written you would wait in line just to read the next chapter, and you would read through the night just to find the resolution of the killer problem she introduced so beautifully in chapter one. I read her first chapter online and was immediately hooked. In fact, I can compare it with only a handful of other first chapters that have moved and shocked me to a similar extent. Her first chapter alone guaranteed her a spot on that bestseller list. Of course the rest of the series is killer, as well, so that helps!

But seeing this video after I read her first book really gave me the greatest gift I could have received as a struggling and aspiring writer:

The Gift of Perspective.

Thank you, Beth Revis, for being so real! That amazing first chapter, that beautiful prose and shocking intro was the master stroke of an artist who had been honing her craft for years. It wasn't a first draft. It wasn't a lucky step into the darkness. It was the hand of a practiced surgeon. The perspective she gave me saved me from making the mistake of saying, "Well, she's just so talented, and I could never do that." The knowledge of her nine previous unpublished manuscripts forced me to acknowledge the fact that I simply wasn't trying as hard, that I could be a better version of myself if I did.

One more lesson from Beth:

Always write the story of your heart. 

In the first installment of her book series for writers, called Paper Hearts, Beth explains what her particular objective was as a writer--to be published by a big press--and that she didn't regret writing any of her "practice" novels, except for one.

That was the book she wrote "for the market." The book was good, she explains, because she was up to date on all the trends in the publishing industry and she knew exactly what tropes to keep and which to avoid. But as she came closer to getting it published, she pulled it, and the reason was that there was nothing of her in it. It was empty.

Her advice to aspiring writers is not to make the same mistake by trying to please the market. Write the book of your heart, every time, no matter how painful it can be to let go if it's not "the one."

This advice came to me at a time when I needed to hear it, too.

(Her Paper Hearts series is chock-full of great counsel for writers in all stages of development. The video above came from the first free online writing conference ever, WriteOnCon, and is a great example of the many ways Beth has given back to the writing community. The founders of Operation Awesome were inspired by all the writers who put together WriteOnCon, and since our launch in 2010, our ever-changing team of operatives has been working toward that same worthy ideal.)

THANK YOU, BETH!

Have you ever heard the perfect writing advice for you at exactly the right time? What's the best writing advice you've ever received? 

Solving Story Flow Issues

My first novel had flow issues. Other novels I was reading at the time seemed to flow so easily from one idea to the next–like a slinky walking down the stairs, but mine was more like a dollar store slinky–it would make it to the second step and just roll the rest of the way down. I wanted that smooth flow for my book, but couldn’t put my finger on the problem or decipher what made those other books work.

A couple years ago, I took Advanced Fiction Writing with Steve Alcorn--which I highly recommend--and in one of the lessons he presented the Scene and Sequel technique. I doubted him. In fact, I told him how wrong he was and set out to prove it. But, I soon realized, much to my irritation, he was right. Scene and Sequel not only remedied my story flow issues, but has been the technique that has most transformed my manuscripts.

If I were naming this technique I would have called it "Action and Reaction." It’s a way of keeping

tension and action at a high level, while giving your character a chance to react to what’s going on. In every book there are hundreds of scene and sequel pairs and may be multiple pairs within each chapter.

An individual scene or sequel can be long or short depending on your genre and target audience. It can even be applied in dialogue.

Here’s how it works:

Scene:

• Goal– What the character hopes to accomplish, big or small. 
• Conflict– A point of tension in reaching the goal or conflict with the goal itself. 
• Disaster– A setback, big or small, that increases tension. Can even be a reverse disaster, a too good to be true moment. 

After the disaster we give our character a chance to react, which brings us to the Sequel.

Sequel:

• Emotion– Reveal how the character feels (remember to show not tell) 
• Thought- What’s your character thinking at that moment? 
• Decision– How will they handle the conflict? Remember that making no decision is still a decision 
• Action– What course of action will they take as a result? 

This action will lead into the next scene.

Here’s a simple example:

Laura snatched her keys off the kitchen counter and ran for the front door. (Goal) A brisk arctic wind smacked her in the face when she stepped outside. She trudged through knee deep snow to her car, her nose already stinging from the cold. (Conflict) Out of the wind and tucked inside her car, she slid the key into the ignition and gave it a crank. Click. She turned the key again, pumped the gas. Nothing but clicks of automotive death and dim dashboard lights. (Disaster)

Laura pounded her fists on her steering wheel. (Emotion) Not today! She’d been waiting months for this interview. (Thought) She dropped her forehead against the steering wheel. She couldn’t give up, couldn’t let this beat her. (Decision) She grabbed her purse and ran for bus stop. (Action)

Take a piece of your own writing and give it a try. With repeated use, it becomes second nature--the logical way to organize a novel. Check out Crossing the Threshold for a deeper discussion of Scene and Sequel.

************************

Melinda Friesen writes novels for teens and short stories. You can find her first published novel, Enslavement, here. Unfortunately, she is all too familiar with automotive clicks of death.

Major Rewrites: Revising in Layers or Moving Mountains One Stone at a Time, Pt. 2

Welcome to part 2 of Revising in Layers or Moving Mountains One Stone at a Time.

If you have major novel rewrite ahead, the task can seem overwhelming. My goal with these posts is to break the process down in order to make your revisions less daunting.

If you didn't read part 1, you can find it here. Last week I outlined the first four steps:

1. Brainstorming
2. Outling the existing manuscript
3. Thinning
4. Subplotting

After all your new characters and subplots are outlined as described in step 4, it's time to move on to step 5.

5. Integrating
This is where the layers come in. One subplot or character at a time, I add the subplot outlined items to my manuscript outline. For me, this is just a couple words with an arrow pointing to where I'll insert it. In this step, I can arrange and rearrange the new subplot points until I have them where they make the most sense.

When I'm pleased with my outline, I add the new writing to the manuscript. Depending on how extensive my new subplots and characters are, this can entail anything from a couple sentences to entirely new scenes.

I continue this process until each and every new character and subplot is added to the manuscript. During this process, I don't worry about whether or not it flows. I'm simply add the information I need.

By working in layers, I can concentrate on one subplot or character at a time which allows me to fully enrich each new item and add necessary depth.

6. Comprehensive Editing
I now view the manuscript as a rough draft, so it's time to do a thorough edit with a critical eye. I need to see how it flows, if the new plot points and characters ended up in a logical place, if there are any places I need to insert new information. I need to examine if the new characters are in all the scenes they need to be in, and to look for proper transitions, pace, tone, and appropriate shifts in existing text.

7. Polishing
After making the necessary changes, I always do a second edit to ensure it's ready for an editor's or beta readers' eyes.

8. Happy Dancing
This was a huge undertaking. You overcame the discouragement, dug in and got the job done. Everybody click here to do the dance!

The words, "major rewrite" are the last thing most writers want to hear, but I hope that by having the tools to conquer what can seem like an impossible task, you can approach the process with a can-do attitude. And that's what I'm here to tell you--you CAN do it! So, get offline and start brainstorming!

Melinda Friesen, author of Enslavement, writes novels for teens and people like her who love to read YA. In two weeks, her daughter is getting married, so her writing time is succumbing to wedding planning.

Major Rewrites: Revising in Layers or Moving Mountains One Stone at a Time, Part 1

In the spring, I had to tackle a major revision of the second book in the One Bright Future series. To give a bit of history, I wrote the series nearly six years ago. I put the first book through countless revisions over those years. However, I did not do the same to subsequent books as I rationalized that spending that time on sequels when I couldn’t find a publisher for the first book was a waste of time.

So, after Enslavement (book one) was published, I knew I had to devote some serious attention to book two. My basic plot worked, but I needed to amp up the action and dystopian elements to match the first book. A new fear seized me—that those who read Enslavement and liked it, would be disappointed by book two. I wanted book two, not just to meet expectations, but to exceed them.

Thinking about the changes I needed to make was overwhelming and intimidating to say the least, but I’d already done this type of revision with the first book. Yes, there was some heart-pounding panic. Yes, part of me wanted to lie down and give up. Yes, I cursed myself for not doing more with the MS previously. But, I pushed this aside. It was time to get to work.

I’ve developed my own system for applying these major changes, which I’ll share with you. After writing this blog post, I realized it was far too long and detailed for a single post, so I’m going to give it to you in two installments. Next, Monday, September 21, I’ll give you the remainder.

I’ve learned that I can accomplish any task, no matter how huge, by breaking it down into smaller tasks. So, let’s get started.

1.       Brainstorming.

In this phase, I ask myself oodles of questions. What else is possible in this setting? What else could be going on with these characters? What is my antagonist’s goal, my protagonists goal? What are all the possible ways they could attempt to forward their agendas? How would all this effect my protagonist? There are no bad answers. I write them down—all of them, even the ridiculous ones, knowing some I’ll use and some I won’t.

2.       Outlining the existing MS.

This is a list of plot points, nothing elaborate. I just need to get a bird’s eye view of what I’ve already done. Because the basic plot was staying the same, I needed to be able to plug the new elements into the old.

3.       Thinning.

After taking some time to mentally explore my brainstormed options, I thin that list by removing items that are inconsistent with my world and characters, items that will take the story in an unacceptable direction, those that will not feed into the greater plot and some that I just don’t like. I'm left with the subplots and character changes that I intend to integrate into the MS.

4.       Subplotting.

I take each of the new subplots/characters and make a brief outline of what each will involve. For example, if I'm adding a new character, I jot down how they will figure into the story—where the character will meet my protagonist, how they will interact and how they will support the greater plot.

Overwhelmed yet? Don't worry. You’ll tackle one element at a time and it will all come together.

So, where do you go from here? Stop by next Monday, and I’ll tell you how I complete this process and shine up that manuscript so it’s publication ready.

Have you had to tackle rewrites and major revision? What’s your response? I’d love to hear from you.

Melinda Friesen writes short stories and novels for teens. When she's not writing, she's the marketing director at Rebelight Publishing Inc. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada with her husband, four children and five gerbils.

The Key to Speed Drafting

Taking a break from my usual Reasons for Requesting or Rejecting, let's talk about speed drafting. We are, as we all know, only a couple weeks out from the start of National Novel Writing Month. The month of November in which every writer loses their social life. Everywhere, aspiring and established authors sit down in coffee shops or libraries or the isolation of their own bedrooms and try to crank out 1,667 words a day. Its a pretty daunting task, especially if you're not used to speed drafting.

But for me, speed drafting is the only way to write a book. Its just how my mind works. I tend to be very ADD and a book that sparks my fancy one month might lose my interest in the next. As such, I need to set goals for myself or I'd never finish writing a book. For every MS I've written, I have always written the majority of the first drafts in one month.

In fact, for the third year now, I am doing Octowrimo in addition to Nanowrimo. Its become an odd tradition now for me to have a 'Two book Autumn'. The first year, I started writing a novel in October and ended up finishing it because I wanted to start fresh on something for November. The second year I just got so excited about one new idea that I wrote it before September was out. I did Octowrimo after that and ended up getting too burned out to do Nanowrimo that year. And this year its Octowrimo again. I've done a lot of speed drafting so let's look at a few tips for how to crank out words fast.

1) Know Everything
Yep. Just know everything ever. Just kidding. But you do have to know everything about your world in characters. Establish everything in your head and get a good feel for the story you want to right. The better you understand your characters, the better they'll speak to you when you have to write about them. Your character might surprise you in the midst of the writing process. That's just what characters do. But you can at least TRY to know everything about them. Knowing your characters will especially help the dialogue flow. And knowing your world will make descriptions go a lot faster.

2) Outline
Seriously. I know that there are probably a lot of pantsers out there and if you absolutely, one hundred percent, can't outline, then don't. HOWEVER knowing the basic trajectory of your story can be very useful. For one thing, it influences how you write your beginnings, but more importantly, it gives you the ability to skip around.

For example, say you're having a lot of trouble writing this one scene. Its just not flowing at all. You're not in the mood. But there's this scene later in the book that you REALLY want to write at the moment. If you've outlined and you know where this scene fits in the story you can jump ahead and write that one. You can go back and fill in the blanks later. As long as the draft gets done, who cares what order you write it in. You're going to end up editing the crap out of it later anyway. And speaking of which...

3) Turn off that Inner Editor
Your speed drafts will be crap. This is a fact of life. The MS I'm writing right now? Hate it. Its awful. The dialogue prattles on for too long and there isn't nearly enough description. I use 'was' maybe ten times a page. I haven't even bothered to check on my punctuation.

But does that matter? Nope. Because the first draft isn't about making it perfect. Its about getting the thing down on paper. Your inner editor will be tempted to fix things. 'PLEASE let me go back and rewrite this chapter,' it will say. But you have to squash that voice down. Accept that your first draft will be crap, and you can let yourself go.

4) Find your Writing Time
In the end, none of this matters if you can't carve out a decent writing time. Find the place and time of day when you are most productive and lock yourself in. Inform your friends and family that you love them dearly but that you have to write. If they know you, they'll probably understand. And hey, if you write fast enough, you'll have time to spend with them later. But be intentional about when you are going to write. Don't dawdle and drift to youtube to watch cat videos. Sit down and get yourself typing. Because at 1,667 words a day, you'll have a novel by the end of the month. And that's pretty cool.

So are you prepping for Nanowrimo? If not, you really should try it out. Speed drafting might not be for you but at least you can say you tried it. And most people can't even say that. Happy typing!

Starting a Novel- Again

Hello everyone! Happy April Fool's Day. :-)

I hope you are all doing well in your writing endeavors. I'm currently between projects...waiting for my editor's expertise on Book 2 of my Makai series, and challenging my creative side in brainstorming/ outlining Book 3 possibilities—which is taking more research than I thought it would!

I originally wrote all three books in this series before I started querying Book 1, just to make sure Book 1 contained all the necessary clues and information for the overall story before setting it all into stone (so-to speak), and that the overall game plan held together in writing—not just in theory. Long story short, as Book 1 became more focused and fine-tuned, I had to drop many ideas and plans that weren't immediately pertinent to Book 1, and therefore, 89.7% of the original Book 3 is no longer relevant. :-) Even so, I don't think it was wasted time. I'll just call it practice writing—100k words that the world will never see.

So now, I find myself in somewhat new territory—starting with a blank page! I actually have deadlines this time, so there will be no waiting around for inspirations or moods to strike, no taking the time to see where random ideas lead, and no savoring the candy bar scenes that will eventually be cut to keep the story on track. Because as much as I hate to admit it, this writing craft is now a business.

Time to sharpen the outlining tools, and here's my plan:

1. Basic Idea/Elevator Pitch
2. Beginning/Middle/End (one paragraph each (one for each storyline)
3. Divide Beginning/Middle/End into 10-15 Chapter Sections (One-sentence description per chapter—per storyline if necessary)
4. Expand each sentence into a paragraph. (keeping track of multiple storylines)
5. Expand each paragraph into a page—with notes/pictures for relevant research.
6. Revise Elevator Pitch with the clearer picture...and start writing the dang thing

Until now, I've been importing my working files into Scrivener from Word. So with this book, I'm interested in seeing how well Scrivener keeps things organized from start to finish. I'll let you know how it goes! I'm also going to challenge myself with the brainstorming tip: When answering the question "What would happen if...?", never pick one of the first five answers. (Eek!)


Do you have outlining tips to share? 

Editing vs. Drafting

So today I thought I'd talk about editing vs. writing, and ask you all what camp you belong in.

Do you like the creative process of getting the story down for the first time?

Or do you prefer taking what is there and shaping and forming it into something else?

Do you prefer drafting or editing of that draft?

 Me, personally ... I'd much prefer to edit. Getting that first draft out can be tortuous and never ends. It keeps going and going like an energizer bunny. (And yes, that probably dates me a bit. lol). I much prefer taking what is there and making it shine.

Now, if you were to ask me if I liked editing after I've done the same manuscript at least a dozen times... Well, that is different. Editing THAT much makes my eyes bleed. As much as I love my upcoming novel, I truly don't want to look at it ever again.

My favorite draft is probably the 3rd. Second draft can be hard, as you restructure problems that came up through the creation. But by the 3rd or 4th time though, it is more like painting a piece of potter that is molded and formed. THAT kind of editing, I love.

I'm currently trying to finish writing my sequel to THE EMISSARY (psst, it's up on goodreads if you want to check it out). I've been editing, and avoiding the last two chapters of drafting. Terrible, aren't I? I use editing to procrastinate finishing the dang book. So if anyone wants to give me some cheers and "you can do it", you can add that too. lol.  About two more days, if I work, and that bit will be done. Then I can go back and continue to edit until it shines.

photo credit: Nic's events via photopin cc

With that being said, I'm off to pound out some pages. Remember: Time is running out for applications for our blog as well as our survey in the sidebar. We want to hear from you.

Cut Out For This: A Tribute to My Hero

I like the success stories about men and women in their late seventies who sit down and write their first book, getting it published through careful planning and tenacity. 

I had a great English teacher who published her first novel in 1984 and then taught thousands of students how to write before she took up novel-writing again in the new century. When she finally finished her latest novel (really polished it), she spent a solid month working on her query letter and nabbed an agent in a week. From there, it sold quickly, as if she were an old pro at this getting published thing. 

In the meantime, she had overseen and edited the high school literary magazine for years, written countless recommendation letters to colleges and scholarship committees, proctored countless exams, and worn out countless red pens. She lived and breathed storytelling. I love that. 

Occasionally I look around me at the other mom-writers who somehow manage to squeeze more out of their time in the day than I do, that somehow manage to write GREAT fiction that I love to read and promote, and I think, Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.

That's when I think of Mrs. McDonnell. To be honest, I don't know how old Mrs. McDonnell was when she published her first book, or this more recent one. I was raised never to ask a woman's age. :) I just know that when it happened, I felt inspired. I realized that it's never too late, and that no amount of time spent breathing storytelling is wasted time.

So in tribute to Mrs. McDonnell, I'm highlighting her newest book, published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers first in 2008, then again in 2010.

Goodreads  Amazon

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD ANNE ALWAYS thought her mother was kind of quirky. In fact, her mom’s taste in 70s-esque furniture and mysterious frequent business trips were just the tip of the quirky iceberg. When her mom doesn’t come home on time from one of her long jaunts, Anne isn’t too surprised. But when a day late turns into a few days late, Anne knows something is very wrong. 

She tries the hotel number that her mother left her, but it has been disconnected. Then a strange man keeps leaving messages on their answering machine, looking for a woman who doesn’t even live there. However, when Anne discovers a lengthy letter from her mother explaining why she has disappeared, the fabric of Anne’s relatively normal life is torn to pieces. Despite her shock, Anne must pull herself together and protect herself—from people who want to find and hurt her mother, and the strange new boy who may change everything.

Derailing a Rewrite

After a crazy second half of 2013, I picked up my first book to continue with rewrites. I had a mostly-clear idea of what needed to change and why, and had already made a start on about 20 pages in a new opening. What's more, I was loving the new opening, and the freedoms that came with my main character's change in circumstances--turns out, moving down in Victorian society completely transformed her expectations. And my own!

So I was chugging happily along with my rewrites, and had nearly reached the point where these pages would mesh up with a section of text from the original version.

But then, it didn't.

I'd gone in a completely different direction, and now trying to get the two versions to meet was like trying to join the two sections of a transcontinental railroad and discovering they're different gauges of track. So I tried a different transitional scene, one that logic told me would lead to where I wanted it to.

No go--wrote myself right into a dead end. Time to step back and take stock of the-pages-that-be, as opposed to the-pages-that-were.

My plan is to do a completely new outline from scratch--without looking at the detailed one for the previous version. If a scene or plot point genuinely belongs, it'll come back to me. Hopefully.

And perhaps this strategy will let me see this version of the story more objectively, and let it develop its own voice organically. I've resigned myself that it may mean a complete and total rewrite, for the betterment of the book.

And that's the ultimate goal, isn't it? To keep growing and learning as a writer, to craft better books? (Yeah, ask me again in a month or so, when I'm kicking myself for doing things the hard way, hee hee.)

But I want to hear from you--have you ever ditched an entire manuscript to start over and survived to tell the tale?

So You Want to Write a Novel

I am crazy busy this week trying to get a manuscript out the door, so I thought I'd share a funny little video I came across by David Kazzie. Enjoy! :)