5 Steps to Fresh-eyed Editing

I'm pleased to introduce today's guest blogger, Deborah Froese. In addition to being the editorial director at Rebelight Publishing, she's also the author of two award-winning books for young people. 

Welcome, Deborah!

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Five Steps to Fresh-eyed Editing

As a writer, editing your own work is one of the toughest things you’ll ever have to do. For optimum results, don’t be yourself.

That may sound like a ridiculous challenge, but it’s simply a reframed view of an old adage: read with fresh eyes. Because you are intimately familiar with your own words, you can’t possibly interpret them as readers will. Experience with backstory and development taint your perspective. They trick your brain into seeing things that aren’t there and overlooking things that are—like typos, punctuation errors, and any excess you’ve spilled onto the page.

You could simply put your manuscript away for six months or a year before reading it again, but who wants to do that? Here’s a five-step approach to tackling an edit without leaving yourself—or your manuscript—behind.

1. Invite passionate, discerning readers (preferably other writers) to critique your work. Bribe them with chocolate if necessary. Accept their comments graciously, but also ask questions. What did they like? What didn’t they like? Was there anything they didn’t understand or found missing? Did attention wander? Where did it wander? Let feedback simmer and then incorporate the ideas that resonate with you.
2. Root out passive language by annihilating expressionless “to be” verbs wherever possible (be,
   
   am, is, are, was, have, do, can, could, should, would—you get the idea). That approach forces you to rethink your text and shift from “He was holding his hand over the control switch and trying to decide whether or not he should press the launch button,” to “His hand hovered over the launch button. Go or no?”
3. Uproot personal pronouns (PPs) and PP statements to yank readers into the story for a more dramatic experience. “She felt the raindrops pummeling her face,” for example, becomes “Rain pummeled her face.”
4. Read your words aloud. Let me repeat: READ YOUR WORDS ALOUD. Ears detect what eyes miss—from poor flow to lack of clarity and excessive text. Your neighbours might think you’re crazy—but they might just pull up a chair and listen.  
5. After taking the previous four steps, apply a splash of magic and trick your brain into thinking it sees something new: change the style and size of your font. Yes. Really. When words assume a slightly different shape and line breaks shift, your brain reboots the script.

Editing is an essential part of writing, but learning to do it well takes time. Finding ways to analyze your words logically and through different lenses makes the job easier.

Do you have any editing tips to share?

Learn more about Deborah Froese by visiting her blog: Story Matter

Flash Fiction Contest #3 Winner

Thank you to everyone who participated in this week's contest. You did not disappoint. Some of you even seemed intent on giving me nightmares. At least now I have some new things to occupy my thoughts while doing a midnight bathroom run.

Flash Fiction Contest #3 Prompt: 2-sentence horror story

Entry by Theresa Milstein

"The surgery to replace your failing kidney was a complete success," the surgeon says. She lifts your hospital gown to reveal the x on the left while the incision is on the right.

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Honorable Mentions

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Category: From Worse to Worser

Winner: Kathleen S. Allen

Red eyes stared out at me from the crawl space and a voice whispered, "Demon." I backed away and ran into my dead sister standing behind me.

***

Category: D-: EW

Winner: P.I. Barrington

"Can you feel me eating your heart? That's why I only took a few bites."

***

Category: BOO!

Winner: ShennonDoah

When Jenny took the trash out the back door of the health club, she didn't remember rain being in the forecast for that evening. Shielding her eyes and squinting upwards, she realized it wasn't rain, but the bloody arm and lifeless face staring at her through the grated emergency escape.

***

Category: Made Me LOL

Winner: Kacey Card

Rebecca looked around at her five companions then into the merciless eyes of the killer. An icy chill crept up her spine when she realized she was the character with no last name.

***

As a reminder, our grand prize winner (grand prize: the badge; yes, we're fancy around here with our prizes) can't win again for another three months. For those who won an Honorable Mention, you didn't get the badge; therefore, you have no waiting period.

Our next contest is Friday, Nov. 6! Come back then!

Flash Fiction Contest #3

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us! If you're here for the first time, might I suggest having a gander at The Rules, etc.?

NEW! Please include your name (or, at least, what you want your badge to say when you win) and your Twitter handle (if, ya know, you're on Twitter).

Flash Fiction Prompt For Friday, October 16, 2015

Because we have a fun format that's different from the first two, I want to underline not plagiarizing. These are short enough that I'll be checking the Reddit thread. If you created your entry somewhere else that I might find it, please say so, provide a link to where, and if your name doesn't match with what you're submitting here, why.

*rubs hands together gleefully* I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

P.S. I fully expect to select more than one, since you guys are so creative and these are so short. It depends on the number of entries, though. Tweet us! Get your friends to enter!

Cover Reveal: GRUDGING by Michelle Hauck

Today Michelle Hauck and Rockstar Book

Tours are revealing the cover for GRUDGING, Birth of Saints Book One, which

releases November 17, 2015! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win a copy

of the eBook!
I'm going to brag a little--I got to read the synopsis of GRUDGING last December, and I remember thinking, "Man, this is so cool. I hope it gets published so I can read the actual book!" And it did! Trust me, it's gonna be good.

On to the reveal!

Title: GRUDGING
Author: Michelle Hauck
Publication Date: November 17, 2015
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse
Format: eBook
Find it: Amazon  Barnes&Noble  iBooks  Goodreads

A world of chivalry and witchcraft… and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa… demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

About Michelle:

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query

Street, and Sun versus Snow.

Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir

Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. She's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.

Website  Twitter  Facebook  Tumblr  Goodreads


And we have a giveaway! 3 winners will receive an eBook of GRUDGING. Open internationally.

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Cover Reveal: S. L. Saboviec's REAPING ANGEL

Welcome, everyone, to the cover reveal for S. L. Saboviec's Reaping Angel, Book #2 in the "Fallen Redemption" adult paranormal series.

The first book, Guarding Angel, was released in May 2014. Both covers were done by the super-fabulous Regina Wamba, of MaeIDesign.com, who's done covers for Random House, Penguin Books, and multiple New York Times best-selling authors.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's the blurb and cover for Guarding Angel, Fallen Redemption #1:

Guardian angel Enael can't seem to keep her human Wards in check. They're the ones who choose their paths before reincarnating--she's just there to help make sure they stay on track. But it's not as easy as it might look.

When she meets and falls in love with charismatic Kaspen, a fellow Guardian, Enael's feelings about Heaven, Hell, demons, and the life she's known are turned upside down. Worse, angel-turned-demon Yasva, Kaspen's former love, still holds him in her clutches. Even as Yasva works toward obtaining complete control of Earth, she taunts and haunts Kaspen's and Enael's lives.

Now Enael is forced to face her past (which is centuries long and bursting with secrets), her present (which is terribly unfulfilling and full of questions), and her future (which becomes more uncertain as time passes). Armed with a newfound love and fear of losing it all, she must figure out how to save the world--and the angel she loves. Which side will win? Who will Kaspen choose? Will Heaven and Earth continue to exist, or will everything go to Hell?

Goodreads | Kindle | Kobo | Google Play | Nook | Paperback

But you're not here for the first book, you're here for the second book. So without further ado, here it is:

After the battle at the Bastille, the Council of Seraphim offers reluctant demons Enael and Kaspen a chance to return to Heaven—but only after they’ve completed sufficient penance. Ready to move past the ugly chapter in their lives, they settle into their assignments. 

Until Enael’s former lover, Voctic, a powerful demon, interferes.

Voctic seduces and demeans, taunts and entices Enael, stirring centuries-old longing in her while infuriating Kaspen. Caught up in the demands of their duties, Kaspen and Enael drift apart until she finds herself isolated.

Fed up with Voctic’s harassment, Enael prepares to fight back. When he targets the new human she’s responsible for protecting, she creates her own plan. His self-proclaimed “gala of the century” will be the perfect cover for her revenge. But will a hasty decision cost her Kaspen—or even her spot in Heaven?

Add it on Goodreads here.

Get up-to-date release information by subscribing to S. L. Saboviec's newsletter here.

About the Author

Samantha grew up in a small town in Iowa but became an expat for her Canadian husband, whom she met in the Massive Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game Star Wars: Galaxies (before the NGE, of course). She holds a B.S. in Physics, which qualifies her to B.S. about physics and occasionally do some math for the sci-fi stories she concocts. Her dark, thought-provoking science fiction & fantasy contains flawed, relatable characters and themes that challenge the status quo.

She contributes to Operation Awesome, including hosting a twice-monthly flash fiction contest. She tweets both more than she should and probably not enough @Saboviec. Her fiction is being included in the Realmwalker Publishing Group upcoming anthology The Legacy. You can find out more about her at http://www.saboviec.com.

NaNoWriMo Prep: Outlining vs. Pantsing

Today's prep topic brings us to what is perhaps one of the greatest dividers among writers: Using an outline versus writing by the seat of one's pants (also called "discovery writing").

I have done both, and I see merits to both sides. I'm not here to persuade you to my way of doing things, especially not if you're comfortable with your own method of plotting. But if this happens to be your first NaNoWriMo or you want to try something new, then let's explore different styles of drafting.

Discovery writing can be a lot of fun. It allows you to uncover your characters as you get to know them. Surprises often abound as you make spur of the moment decisions to try something new. With discovery writing, you probably have at least a vague idea of plot and who your main characters are, but there's plenty of room to grow and change as you write.

This is how my first NaNo project was. I had an idea for a girl and a boy to go on a road trip to see Shakespeare festivals and fall in love. That was all I had, and I ran with it. It was a lot of fun! I learned a lot about writing during that project.

I also learned a lot about editing, because it was a hot mess when I was finished. Remember last post, I told you that I killed the main character's mother so she'd have a reason to stay at home, but then I didn't have her think or feel anything about it at all? By the end of November I had discovered that yes, she did indeed have feelings about her mother's death. So when I edited, I had to go back and load up the front half of the novel with thoughts and feelings so that the ones I organically wrote in the end wouldn't feel out of place. For me, discovery writing usually means a lot of backtracking. Which is not always a bad thing.

With later attempts at NaNoWriMo, I've tried outlining in various degrees. For my 2012 project, I spent fifteen minutes at the end of each writing session figuring out where I'd go next. For 2013, I used Scrivener and listed out every single scene that would go in the novel, so that all I'd have to do in November was open up each scene and write until I made it to the next one.

I found that to be incredibly stifling.

In fact, I ended up discovering another character along the way that completely changed the course of the novel. I had to go back and add more scenes with this character, which of course messed up the scene list I'd so lovingly created back in October. But believe me, the novel is much better for it.

This year I have a synopsis for the novel I'll be writing in November. There will be room to stretch, but I also know the beginning, middle, and end. I think this happy medium between outlining and pantsing will make drafting both smooth and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to it!

Do you have a method of drafting that you love? Share in the comments!

Editing and Polishing: Time to Add Some Ellipses!

EDITING and POLISHING

Back in July, I tackled the topic of how I do my first revision in a brilliant and witty piece entitled Cooling Periods and Paper. Sorry if my description raised your expectations higher than the piece actually warrants, but there are no refunds.

Editing and Polishing is the topic of the month, and I will say that past that first difficult revision, I rather enjoy editing. It's my chance to nitpick and shine up each sentence, add in some extra ellipses just for drama ...

I'm kidding, guys. Don't add extra ellipses. But they are fun ... and dramatic ...

It is the time when I look at aesthetics, though. I see if there are unwieldy blocks of exposition or pages of dialogue without time for a reader to catch his breath. I might tag a sentence for solitary confinement.

Because I can.

I'll check for overusing my poetic license, adverbs, and starting sentences with conjunctions. Because ... kryptonite.

And, honestly, by this time, I'm also editing and polishing my query letter. I've done my due diligence, had several pairs of eyes look the manuscript over and give me a green light. Mostly, I'm just a little bit sick of looking at it myself. I know every crossed t and dotted i in the whole darn thing.

So this is when I start emailing my query to my friends to see if anyone bites. If they respond sounding more confused than excited, then I know I need to go back to the drawing board.

How do you polish? Is it something you mainly outsource or something you handle personally?

Writer's Digest Round-up

As I've said before on this blog, I love getting Writer's Digest. For me, it feels validating to get mail that says "Writer" on it. I particularly enjoyed the Nov/Dec 2015 issue, so I thought I'd share some highlights.

-A new (to me) agent
I'd never heard of Jud Laghi before, which surprised me because he's Ken Jennings' agent and I love Ken. laghiagency.com

-I always read the Breaking In feature, which is a short interview with 3 debut authors about their publication journey. It's good to have a reminder that everyone has a different road to travel in the attempt to get published. This issue featured Kim Liggett (BLOOD AND SALT), Jackson MacKenzie (PSYCHOPATH FREE) and Adam Rakunas (WINDSWEPT).

-The main feature of this issue is called "It's Never Too Late" which is a reminder I need all the time. I often feel like time is slipping away from me, or that I got started writing too late, or my chance has passed. That's just doubt creeping in and whispering its sweet nothings in my ears. I found this section to be very inspiring.

-Interview with David Baldacci. Wow. Just wow.

-And my favorite section, Barbara Poelle's Funny You Should Ask column. I get such a kick out of it every time. :0)

And now my sick kids need me, so I'll leave it to you in the comments: Did you have a favorite article from this issue?

Cover Reveal: KT Hanna's HYBRID!

Good morning, everyone! Operation Awesome is excited to be participating in KT Hanna's puzzle-piece cover reveal.

Hybrid is finally almost ready for release. S.P. McConnell worked magic again here.

Hybrid (The Domino Project #2) is the sequel to Chameleon. It's set in the wasteland of earth after a meteor shower causes ecological disaster, damages the atmosphere, and gives the gift of an alien parasite to the world. Book two furthers Sai, Bastian, and Dom's journey in their fight to live free from GNW imposed rules.

The goodreads blurb is as follows:

As Sai recovers from her life-threatening injuries, she struggles to piece together her damaged relationship with Dom. He fights the parasite within, suddenly freed from the interference of the other Dominos in his head.

Inside Central, Bastian’s Shine dosing has become a dangerous dance. Enhanced security protocols and endless meetings have him on a tightrope, with little room to move without revealing himself. When the GNW release the Damascus to begin their systemic hunt of the Exiled, the noose closes around the rebels and their allies. If they can’t disable the threat, the Exiled won’t be the Damascus’ only agenda

Without further ado - here's a teaser of the cover by the amazingly talented S.P. McConnell.

Go see the full cover at YA Interrobang!

Isn't it GORGEOUS!?!?!

Sit back and bask in this for a moment.

It's available for pre-order for $3.99 and will go live on November 10th, 2015!

It will also be available in print via CreateSpace, Amazon, but best of all, the local indie store is being really supportive and already has it available for pre-order in print there!

Watermark Books

Haven't read Chameleon? There's still time to catch up!

Get it HERE!

About the Author

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.

When she's not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn't sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Note: Still searching for her Tardis.

Celebration!

To celebrate, we're giving away a copy of books 1 & 2! With an Amazon e-card, and a SWAG pack!

Winners will be announced on Monday October 19th!

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Wednesday Debut Interview: Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Today's Wednesday Debut Interview features Marcy Beller Paul, talking about her contemporary YA, UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING.

Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed at Operation Awesome! Your bio on Goodreads mentions that you've kept all the notes you passed in seventh grade -- very impressive! What would your seventh-grade self say if she knew that years later, you'd write this YA book?

Every year I unfold one of the notes to make sure I can still remember how to fold it the right way. And every time I do that I read one of the notes and remember how many things I was still trying to figure out in seventh grade about who I was, who other people were, what I meant to them, and how much pain/happiness we were capable of causing each other. With that in mind, I think my seventh-grade self would be way more impressed with how I survived certain relationships than the fact that I’d publish this book. At that I age I had no idea how hard it was to get published! Everything seemed possible if I just tried hard enough.


So true!
Your main character, Mattie, collects maps. Do you have any collections (besides your seventh grade notes)?
I’m a pack rat but I was never really good at collections. My rock collection started and ended during one year in elementary school. My lighter collection in high school and college probably topped out at ten, maybe less. None of my collections were as serious as Mattie’s, and none of them involved maps. I have a pretty terrible sense of direction and would choose English class over Geography any day of the week.


Let's talk about your writing process. How long did it take you to draft this novel? How long from that first draft until publication?
Four and a half years from first words to pub date. During the initial writing and revising stages my kids were very young (1 and 3) so I wrote whenever I could, which was during their naptime. On that schedule, it took me a year to write the first draft and then another year to revise it. When I was done with the revision, I queried agents, got an agent, and revised for a few months before submitting and eventually selling the book to a publisher. That whole process took almost 6 months. Then I revised with my editor and copyeditor for about a year (that time included both my work and the time between rounds when my editor was reading) and turned in the final draft almost a year before the actual pub date.


Can you tell us about how you landed your book deal with Balzer + Bray and what makes them a good fit for your book?
My original editor at Balzer + Bray was the first editor to respond to my manuscript and the first to make an offer. The entire imprint, including the publishers, had read my book within a week or two. I loved that they were so enthusiastic and that the whole team was on board. But more than anything I loved that they understood the book. Another editor wanted me to change it pretty significantly. Her suggestions weren’t bad, but they were for a different book than I’d set out to write. I think Balzer + Bray is a fantastic fit as an imprint because they are like a boutique with the backing of a big house. On top of that, they publish brave, diverse, and challenging fiction. It’s been a fantastic working with them.


What about the title? Was UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING the original title you had in mind? How did it come about?
I queried agents with this title, but always assumed someone would change it! My manuscript was nameless for a long time. When it came time to query agents, I went through the manuscript and tried to pick out lines that had title possibilities. UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING was on the list. It was my critique partner’s favorite (*Hi Paula Stokes!*). At every stage—selling to publishing house, final revision, copyedits, etc—I asked if we were going to change the title but everyone seemed happy with it. I’m still shocked that the original title stuck!


I noticed on your website that you were signing galleys at BEA this May. Can you describe that experience for us?
In my former life as a publishing house employee I worked the booth at BEA, so being there as an author was absolutely surreal and not just because I didn’t have to stand in heels for 8 hours straight! Seeing my name on the screen in the Harper aisle was like an out of body experience.

My biggest fear, of course, was that no one would come to my signing. After all, the show is very busy! Not only did people come, we had to go to the overflow table to keep signing after my slot was over. The best part—by far—was meeting teenagers who were excited to read my book.


Awesome!
And, just for fun: what celebrity do you think would enjoy reading UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING?
Demi Lovato, Angelina Jolie, Evan Rachel Wood


Thank you so much for your participation in this Wednesday Debut Interview and congrats on your book!

The Muse Goes to College

Feeling stuck? For Tuesday Museday this week I offer up a picture of a piece of paper that hung in my freshman dorm room at Colorado State University. This is a record of the many stupid things my friends and I said that year. Perhaps one of them will end up in your MS. If it does, and you get it published some day, all I ask is that you mention me in the Acknowledgements.

PS--if it is hard to read the quotes, click on the picture. It'll open in its own window and you can zoom in.

If you are working on a query and you'd like fresh eyes on it, let me know in the comments! I'll pick someone for a query critique.

Guest Post: The Secret Power of Alpha and Beta Readers, by Callie Stoker

This month, our Monday Writing Series focuses on Editing and Polishing. Here to share an important tool in this process is Callie Stoker, a professional editor. Enjoy!

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You've written your manuscript and your baby is ready for the world. This next great American novel is sure to have agents and publishers fighting over it... right?

No doubt you have an awesome story on your hands. But before sending out your queries, use one of the best assets you probably already have. Alpha and Beta Readers.

These readers are your fellow writing buddies and test audience. Their feedback will let you know the highs and lows of your story and help you weed out the problems you aren't able to see for yourself.

Alpha Readers

Alpha readers are writers. These are your writing buddies, your writing group, or fellow friends who also write.

They know the craft of writing and can give comments 

based on storytelling craft.

They focus on areas of:

·      story structure
·      character development
·      plot holes
·      satisfying conclusion
·      promises made or broken within your writing

Professional Alpha readers are called Developmental Editors/Content editors/Book doctors. But, you don't have to pay a professional to get a good alpha read. A writing or critique group with authors who know the craft make wonderful alpha readers.

To get the best feedback, be specific with your alpha readers on the points of your novel that you feel are weak. If you are worried that the twists and turns of your thriller plot aren't working, whether your characters are likable, or if your ending is satisfying, tell them. The more specific you are in your requests, the better feedback you will receive.    

 Request that their feedback point to storytelling elements that are or are not working. For instance: "Your dialogue isn't doing enough for the scene. Remember that dialogue not only allows your character's to communicate, but should also move the plot forward or reveal character development." is a reminder of craft. A less than helpful Alpha Reader will try and fix your writing: "The dialogue on page forty was too slow for me. If you have them talk about their relationship more and maybe throw in some action the scene would be a whole lot better." Oops! An alpha reader like this is giving prescriptive advice that can confuse your own writing.

It may take time to gather and train the right alpha readers for you. Many writers get alpha reads automatically as they work with their writing group. If you don't have your own group, take the time to meet other authors through writing conferences and writing associations. Connections with fellow writers can be a great benefit to your writing and growth as an author.

Beta Readers

Beta readers are your core demographic and your test audience. If you are writing a Middle Grade science fiction novel, you are going to look for a 9-12 year old reader who is interested in science fiction.

Not all of your beta readers need to be in your demographic--you can receive valuable input from many types of readers--but be sure to have at least one or two beta readers from your core audience. These readers will tell you where your story hit the mark, and where you may have missed it.

Because beta readers aren't writers, we recommend you give your readers specific guidelines for the kind of feedback you are looking for. We borrowed the following list from Hugo Award Winner, Mary Robinette Kowal, who regularly uses readers as she creates her books.

Ask your readers to mark the following places as they read:

• What bored you?
• What confused you?
• What didn't you believe?
• What was cool? (So you don’t accidentally “fix” it.)

Knowing what parts of your story elicit the emotions you were hoping for is a great payoff for a writer. Finding out which scenes didn't quite work allows you to improve those story moments before you send your book out to the professionals you hope will invest in your work.


Note: For some authors the terms Alpha and Beta are synonymous or interchangeable. The important thing is to find out what form of outside reader best suits you. We highly recommend putting your novel through both sets of reads so that it can be as polished and ready for publication as possible.    

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Callie Stoker is a freelance manuscript editor. She has ten years of experience in editing. Her business, The Manuscript Doctor, offers services that help stories at any stage. Callie has two children on the Autism Spectrum and is a champion for spreading awareness and acceptance for those with disabilities. She is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Horror Writers Association, and The United Authors Association. www.themanuscriptdr.com

Flash Fiction Contest #2 Winner

Thank you to everyone who participated in this week's contest. We had a couple Operatives join us (Wendy and Kara), so thanks for participating, guys. :) And the rest of you--well done! I enjoyed reading everybody's entries again, and I hope you enjoyed writing something for us.

Flash Fiction Contest #2 Prompt: Fireball!

"The Management Trip" by Premee

And he fell out of a clear blue sky, thought Marcus. That’s what they'll say later. Why, it's like the start of 'The Satanic Verses.' But I don't suppose I'll transform on the way down.

He didn't, and hit the water with a slap, face-first. Through the confusion of bubbles in his wake, he dimly saw the fireball continue uninterrupted on its trajectory, as if the Cessna had been a bubble. The bisected plane, meanwhile, dove smoothly through the crystalline water, and vanished.

A heavy, scarlet sunset greeted him as he broke the surface and clumsily paddled to a nearby atoll. He watched the stars emerge, shivering, wondering whether the body of the pilot - whose name, he now ashamedly realized, he hadn’t even asked - or one of the other managers might wash up right at his feet. The thing, whatever had hit them, faded into a tiny blue flash far on the horizon. Russian missile? Errant weather satellite? Meteor? Or was it meteorite. He couldn’t remember, but eventually roused himself and - dredging up rusty memories of shipwreck books - managed to get a fire started. I suppose they'll find me tomorrow. What a story for the girls at the office! How his wife would clutch him and sob and then laugh herself sick, that she had stayed at the hotel while they went on their la-di-da island-hopping trip.

Fancy that thing hitting his seat instead of the row behind him. He would have been sliced clean in half, he thought. Whoosh! Like that fellow in the market chopping papayas with his machete. The seeds shining and round as buckshot.

American missile?

Half-asleep under a handful of banana leaves, he woke to a sweet, high hum from far out to sea. He sat up and pushed his leaf blanket into the fire, brightening the feeble glow. "Hello?" he called.

Down the beach, a golden light glimmered, the ordinary glow - it seemed - of a flashlight. Rescue! He piled the rest of the leaves into the fire and ran, waving his arms. "Hello! Hello! I'm over here! I'm not hurt!"

But as he trotted down the slope towards his rescuer, he saw that the light was coming from beneath the surface - as if someone had dropped a huge candelabra that inexplicably burned on, Liberace, wishing his brother George were there, beneath the Paciferace. Marcus froze as other lights became visible - blue, green, gold. Something that looked like tentacles - no, could not be - spiralled up, symmetrical and hypnotic. As they rose he saw that they were precisely that, wrinkled, glowing hawsers, reaching to a sky he now saw was equally tentacled, equally alight, shining through a great rent in the precise line of the fireball’s flight. The hum grew in power and pitch until he collapsed to the sand, hands over his ears.

And so it was that Marcus B. Collins, Logistics Manager, became the first witness to the end of the world.

***

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Premee (is that the name you want on your badge? let me know if you want it changed), and the next time you can win is December 18--although I haven't decided if I'm going to do one that week or skip it because of the holidays.

This week's contest was also inspired by my daughter, believe it or not.

So this past week, Morrigan has spoken her first clear and distinct word... Wait for it... Waaaaait for it... "FIREBALL." *headdesk*

— S. L. Saboviec (@Saboviec) September 19, 2015

I've been burning candles, and she's mesmerized by the fire. But of course, my husband and I can't just say, "Fire." We have to quote Pitbull. And now, so does she.

I hope to see everyone Friday, Oct. 16, for the next contest! I'm really excited about that one, which has nothing to do with my daughter, but instead, is themed around the upcoming holiday that will occur on the last day of this month.

Mwahahahaha.

I think you're going to love it--or, at least, I'm gonna love it--so come back then!

Flash Fiction Contest #2

**Flash Fiction Contest #2 is CLOSED. The winner post will go live in a new entry at 10 p.m. ET on Sun., Oct. 4. The next contest runs from Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 at 6 a.m. Eastern to Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015 at 3 a.m. Eastern. Check the #OAFlash hash tag for sneak previous starting the Monday before.**

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us! If you're here for the first time, might I suggest having a gander at The Rules, etc.? I've made a couple of updates that previous participants might also want to check out (noted in red bold so you don't have to reread the whole darn thing) . Because I have much less to say this time, let's get right to it.


Flash Fiction Prompt For Friday, October 2, 2015

Lemme have it!

Solving Story Problems Collaboratively

I’m a big advocate for writers’ groups. I figure that drawing on the wisdom of eight brains will certainly get me further than the limited wisdom of my single brain. 

One of the things we like to do in my writers’ group, The Anita Factor, is help each other brainstorm when we have a story problem.

I’d come up with a new concept for a novel. I was pretty jazzed about the idea, but I lacked one thing—a disaster. A major one. One that would level a huge portion of a town and result in the deaths of thousands. As you can tell, I’m all giggles and butterflies over here. I was stumped as to what that disaster should be. This is where novels can become trite, where authors choose something that’s been done hundreds of times. I needed a unique disaster.

I decided to take my problem to my writers’ group. I explained the main character and the premise of the story and, for the next 20 minutes, we brainstormed. I wrote down all of their ideas, no matter how silly, unusable or ridiculous. When we were done, I had 32 disastrous ideas. None of them stood out as, “the one,” but I had pages worth of material to ruminate on.

That night, when I went to my car, still thinking on all those potential disasters, I came up with idea number 33. It was THE idea! While my group may not have come up with it, I needed to go through all of their ideas to stumble upon mine. I also have the assurance of knowing that if these highly creative people didn’t come up with my idea, then there probably are not hundreds of novels out there structured around the same disaster.

Are you a part of a writers’ group? How do you help each other? Do you brainstorm with friends or beta readers when you’re stumped? Leave a comment.

Melinda Friesen writes middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction. Learn more about her and her novel, Enslavement, at www.melindafriesen.com. 

NaNoWriMo Prep: Character Interviews

Hello again, and welcome to the next installment of preparing for NaNoWriMo. November is barely a month away, and I hope your fingers are itching to get typing. By now you've been spending time brainstorming all kinds of ideas for things you want to include in your novel, and naturally that's going to include characters.

One of the things that drives me nuts when I'm writing is when I've forgotten a detail I know I've already written about. I can't handle having it wrong, on the off chance that I forget to go back and fix it later. So I have to stop the flow, go back in my document, and figure out what that minor character's brother's name is, or what year the main character's dog died.

Creating a "character bible," or a set of documents with information about your characters, can save you a lot of reference time. When used with character interviews, it can also deepen your understanding of a character's motivations and help you create conflict in your writing.

The writing program Scrivener has some pre-created character sheets where you can fill in what a character looks like, important dates, etc--but it's easy enough to create your own if you don't use or (gasp!) don't like Scrivener.

Take your main character. Make all the notes you need about things like what color their hair is, or when they graduated from high school. But then go deeper. "Ask" your character about their relationship with their parents. Their siblings. Who was their favorite teacher in school? WHY? How did they choose their career?

Go more specific to your book. If you know that you are going to kill one of the main character's friends, ask about them! Why are they friends? What will it mean to have that friend gone?
Figuring out these feelings helps you develop individual character voices as well as their unique feelings towards important events. Then when you sit down to write these events you have a feeling for how your characters would react, and how that might propel the rest of your plot.

Obviously there is room to be surprised, which is one of the most fun things about writing. It's okay if while writing you have an epiphany that completely changes things. But at least you are thinking about your characters and their feelings instead of writing a machine that just goes through plot.

An example from my very first NaNo project:
My main character was a 20-year-old girl who lived at home, and the main focus of the book was on having her open up to experiences that would allow her to leave home and strike out on her own.
She needed a reason to have stayed at home in the first place, so I killed her mother and made her dad a widower. Now she's sympathetic! She stayed home to be with her dad so he wouldn't be lonely!

And not a single time in the whole book did she have any feelings toward her mother whatsoever.

So when I rewrote the book, I talked to her. I learned that not having a mom made her feel isolated, which informed her choice of friends. She felt great pressure to go to the same university as her parents, because of how her dad felt about meeting her mother there. And on, and on. It made the book and character so much richer.

So before November, take some time to get to know your characters. Check back in two weeks to learn more about the benefits of both outlining AND pantsing.