Showing posts with label writing advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing advice. Show all posts
On the Editorial Process
After finishing the first draft, the first thing I do is absolutely nothing. You heard right. Nothing. I sit on the piece for as long as I can - ideally at least a month. If I can't do that, I still give it as much time as I can.
I then read through it again, start to finish, in Word, making changes and notes. Here are some simple things I look for that all writers should at this stage:
- Remove as many occurrences of "that" as possible.
- Check for long, wordy, stringy sentences.
- Also check for short, choppy sentences (especially if they're close together).
- If need be, read dialogue aloud to make sure it sounds natural.
- Check for incomplete sentences and run-ons.
- Revise passive writing if at all possible.
- Try and notice repeated words/phrases and awkward/clunky sentences or phrasing.
- Watch for any inserted exposition that could grind the narrative to a halt.
Bonus Tip: If you have to stop and reread a sentence, it likely needs to be revised.
It's exceptionally hard for authors to notice potential issues with characterization or logical fallacies in their own stories because we're so close to our writing, so while I keep an eye out for those, I also address them in the next step.
I then send the story to both my editor and a close friend. My editor checks the story with a professional eye and my close friend reads the book and tells me what she thinks as a casual reader. Both viewpoints, in my opinion, are of equal value. Their edits are considered and implemented or not.
(As an aside, I also offer editing services, if anyone is interested.)
The last step is the final read. To do this, I convert and load the story onto my ereader. I then read through and highlight words, phrases, or even scenes I still think might need edits. Once done, I then get back into the main document and make those edits.
After that, I begin the formatting process for the ebook and print versions of the piece, and release them on the date they're due out.
So that's my process. Is yours different? Discuss in the comments!
To Pen Name or Not To Pen Name?
Despite the fact that I use a pen name, I actually advocate using your real one if at all possible for a number of reasons and to avoid several complications.
In my opinion, authors should really only use a pen name for one of the following reasons:
- You have an extremely common name (i.e. John Smith).
- You have written a book or write in a genre that you don't want connected to you for personal or professional reasons. (Example: if you primarily write children's fiction but want to try your hand at erotica)
- You share your real name with a reasonably famous author (this one's my issue and why I use a pen name).
- Previous books you have published have had a negative reception and you're trying to restart.
- If you really, really just hate your name, are transgender, or are better known by a nickname.
Bonus Tips:
- While it used to be true that books written by certain genders in certain genres didn't sell, I think this trend is largely going away and so it is not necessary to use an opposite-gendered name, unisex name, or initials. However, if this is still an issue for your gender/genre, you might choose to use a pen name.
- If your name is difficult to spell or pronounce, you might want to use a pen name, even though I personally think it's better to use that uniqueness to help build your brand and stand out from the crowd.
- It's an extraordinarily bad idea to use a pen name to hide from people (Examples: while writing non-fiction that lambastes real people or to avoid breaches of publishing contracts). You will likely be found out and could be sued for libel or breach of contract.
If you're self-publishing, it's really nothing to use as many pen names as you want. It will, however, make it harder to build an audience with readers because there will not be as much name recognition. Book marketing is largely personal these days, so consider how you will accomplish that if you don't want people to know who you are.
If you are publishing traditionally, using a pen name is a little more involved. You do not want to only use your pen name when communicating with your agent or publisher. Make it clear up front that you want to publish your piece under your pen name, but again, use your real name for all formal communication. Advances and royalties can get complicated if you use a pen name as well.
For registering copyright, you can use your pen name or your real name. It is generally recommended to register so both names are on record, but if you can only pick one, use your real name for maximum protection.
As for how far you should go with an assumed identity, I think that is up to the individual author to determine. For example, if you are writing under a pen name of the opposite gender, it might be pertinent to come up with a vaguely factual fake biography for your back cover. Jury's still out on how appropriate it is to use opposite gendered pronouns. Don't claim credentials you haven't earned or outright lie. Major lies, if discovered, are likely to make readers lose faith in you.
So that's what I have to say about pen names. Agree? Disagree? Anything I missed? Any interesting pen name stories? Be sure to say so in the comments!
On Good Writers
Labels:
authors,
creative writing,
writers,
writing advice
·
This seems like a no-brainer. After all, if you’re not good, you’re bad, and if you’re bad at something, you shouldn’t do it, right? But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think this bit of advice needs to be qualified a bit.
First off, what is a good writer? Is it a writer who can create masterful prose, full of intelligent symbolism and metaphor that is praised by all the critics? Or is it a writer who can always touch something inside of people that keeps them coming back to buy the author’s books? Or what about someone whose work just makes you feel good after you’ve had a rotten day? Is it a writer who is successful by selling a million copies, or one who isn’t because they refuse to “sell out?”
The fact of the matter is, I’m not convinced there IS a single definition of what makes a good writer. And that’s why I don’t think, in all cases, the quality of your writing is all that important.
Sure, if you’re writing literary fiction and your goal is to win the Pulitzer Prize, of course you’re not going to want to write a book like Fifty Shades of Grey. However, most writers aren’t writing to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Most are writing because they enjoy it, because, as just about everybody knows, writing fiction is one of those industries where you have to enjoy it to stick with it.
And here’s another secret: art is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Something one person likes someone else is bound to hate. There is simply not a piece of writing in existence that doesn’t have its detractors. Not your favorite work, not Shakespeare, and not Twilight. Because everyone has different opinions, there really is no set definition of a “good” writer vs. a “bad” writer.
And even if you DO happen to be a bad writer: someone with no grasp of sentence structure, doesn’t know where to put a comma, no clue what a run-on is... It’s only willful ignorance that keeps you from learning and improving. People CAN learn the basics, and become at the very least serviceable, even if they have no natural talent. Because I think just about everyone has some miniscule amount of storytelling talent in them. It’s just something we do as human beings: we tell stories. From cavemen around the fire to filling your best friend in on what happened last night.
So maybe that piece of poetry is bad by nearly every standard in the book. So what? There’s likely to be someone who enjoys it, and if the author likes it too, I fail to see much of a problem. Since criticism of art is so subjective, I think it’s hard to say something is concretely good or bad. We all have our opinions, of course, and are certainly entitled to them. Publishers and magazines are of course entitled to throw out manuscripts with run-on sentences or tons of adverbs. But as a whole, art is art—even if it’s messy and ugly. There’s bound to be someone who will appreciate it, even if it’s not flawless.
And that’s why I don’t think the words and the sentences themselves matter as much as many would have you believe. What matters is whether someone genuinely likes it, and you make their day just that much better.
The Most Overlooked Important Element of a Story - The Ending
Labels:
creative writing,
fiction,
writing advice,
writing endings
·
How many times have you thoroughly
enjoyed a story but despised its ending? Yet, many authors and
creators don’t seem to worry too much about how they are going to
end their story. This is particularly a problem with series that go
on for years. Whatever the reason, it is hard to deny there is a glut
of shows, books, and movies with unsatisfactory endings. Perhaps it’s
because of the notion that an ending will “write itself” once the
rest of the story is in place.
I would like to talk about writing
endings. I’ve been formally educated in the art of creative writing
and follow many writing advice blogs, and I’m always struck by how
infrequently writing endings is mentioned. Everyone just assumes the
right ending will come naturally, even though an ending needs to be
just as carefully thought out as every other important aspect of a
creative work. Why? Because the ending is the last thing you leave
your viewer/reader/consumer with. When done correctly, it leaves your
audience feeling satisfied with the work, perhaps even elated or
deeply touched. When done wrong, however, it can even negate the
impact of the rest of the story, leaving an audience to only remember
the sour note at the end.
Here are some things to consider when
thinking of how you’re going to end a creative work, whether you’ve
already written the rest of the story or are just beginning an
outline.
How You Want the Story to End
You’re the author, it’s your story.
How do you want the story to end? Generally speaking, there are four
kinds of endings: happy endings, bittersweet endings, downer endings,
and ambiguous endings, with lots of flavors in between.
Happy endings are pretty
self-explanatory and classic, and they seem to be sort of out of
favor at the moment for being “too unrealistic.” However, when
executed just right, a happy ending can make your audience feel
elated that the characters were able to overcome the horrific
obstacles that stood in their way.
Bittersweet endings are somewhere in
between happy and downer, and are possibly the most popular type of
ending. Worried about your ending being too happy or depressing? I
recommend some sort of Pyrrhic victory ending or a middle of the road
one, where characters only get some of what they want.
Downer endings are also pretty
self-explanatory. You must be careful with these, however, as they
can alienate and depress your audience if not done well. Even downer
endings must be satisfying to be appreciated.
Ambiguous endings can be a lot of fun,
but should probably be used sparingly. Audiences are used to closure,
and having no closure can irritate them. On the other hand, some of
the best endings in fiction are ambiguous, and sometimes you may not
want to provide a concrete answer.
How Your Audience Expects the Story
to End
This one might be the least important
because your fans (if you’re lucky enough to have some) aren’t
writing the story, you are. But it is certainly something to
consider. If you don’t know your audience, I highly suggest you
figure it out quickly, or else marketing the work, either to a
publisher or on your own, is going to be very difficult.
A good author can write a balanced
ending that will remain true to their vision while still satisfying
readers. And in some genres, certain types of endings are more or
less expected, and your audience will be disappointed if you don’t
deliver. People don’t read romance novels to see every single
character to die a tragic death at the end. Children’s literature
and YA don’t tend to have downer endings, either. If you’re
trying to be groundbreaking in your genre, fantastic, but make sure
you know what you’re doing. Otherwise it’s going to be a mess.
What Kind of Ending the Narrative is
Leading Up To
This is probably the most important
consideration you need to make when planning and writing an ending.
You’ve written your entire story, now what kind of ending makes the
most sense based on what you’ve already put on the page? If you’ve
already planned out your ending in advance, make triple sure it still
works well with the completed story. Narratives and characters change
throughout the creative process and pre-planned endings that aren’t
adapted rarely work.
I personally love stories where an
author can write an ending that ties everything together. Seemingly
unimportant events, conversations, or characters become critically
important (these all need to be adequately foreshadowed, however).
Character development, prior events, and logic all have a very
important role to play when you think out an ending to your story.
Try and think of all the ways the scenario you’ve created could
play out, and pick the best one.
What Kind of Ending Your Characters
Want/Deserve
You may want one ending, your audience
may be expecting another. But your characters have a say in this as
well. Most authors claim their characters come alive for them and
I’ve found that to be very true.
It’s obviously important not to put
too much stock in what your characters want or deserve. Sometimes the
character you love as if he or she were your own child has gotta go
or the impact of the story is weakened. On the other hand, it can be
downright unsatisfying for your audience if your characters don’t
“earn” the ending they deserve. This can work the other way too,
as I’ve seen works where a character doesn’t do anything to earn
the ending they get and thus the ending comes off as a giant deus
ex machina. So be careful.
So I’ve Thought About All These
Things, Now What?
Now you decide on an ending for your
story. I believe it’s very important to think about every possible
way your story could end so you can choose the one that works the
best. Even if you’ve had an ending planned from the beginning, or
you think there’s only one perfect ending, I still encourage you to
think of other alternatives to make absolutely sure it’s the best
one.
I know you’ve heard it everywhere,
but practice really does make perfect. Read/watch/play a lot and see
what kinds of endings work well in the types of fiction you’re
creating. Or if you want to go bold, do something completely
unexpected. Just remember what I said about audience expectations
above. It’s a risk that could pay off, or severely hurt you.
Remember, whether your ending is happy,
bittersweet, a downer, or entirely ambiguous, it must fit with the
rest of the story. That’s the most ironclad rule of all.
Creating and Building Good Characters
A good character is a well-rounded
character. It doesn’t matter if the character is good, bad, or
morally ambiguous. It doesn’t matter if the character is male,
female, or somewhere in between. What matters is that they are a
well-rounded, well-drawn character that feels organic to your
audience.
Elements of Good
Characters:
- A well-defined personality.
- They want something.
- They have relationships with other characters.
- They have flaws.
- They change and develop over the course of the story.
This article is not just for fiction
writers. My advice applies to any art that requires
character-building, from video games to role playing.
Creating a Character
Things to keep in mind when creating a
character:
- What will this character’s role in the narrative be?
- What does the character look like?
- What does the character want?
- What are some base personality traits of this character?
- What are this character’s strengths and weaknesses?
- Who/what does this person care about, if anyone/anything at all?
- What is the gender/race/religion/species of this character and how might that affect his or her life experiences and world outlook?
- How will this character’s experiences in the story change him/her, or will he/she change at all?
Ideas For Inspiration
Not sure where to get “inspired”
for a certain character? Here are some common methods for gaining
ideas:
- People you know. Authors will say this a lot and it’s true. You undoubtedly have noticed aspects of people you spend a lot of time around. Take bits and pieces of them, from their interests to their weird habits, and incorporate them into your new character to give him or her more depth.
- People you don’t know. People you don’t know are just as much a source of inspiration as your close friends and family. Watch people in a public place and see how they interact with one another, or take inspiration from the weird store owner down the street.
- Your life experiences. Never underestimate the power of including snippets of your life experiences in your writing. Most people do this subconsciously without realizing it. Perhaps your character and you have nothing in common except for the fact that you both like coin collecting or that you both have a daughter. It helps give your character depth and it’s something you’re personally familiar with.
- People you’re interested in. For example, even if you’re not a Native American, you can be interested in Native American cultures or issues. Do a bit of research. Interview people. But remember that people are people, like you, no matter their gender, religion, or ethnic origins, and you need to write them as such.
- Fictional characters. You’ve got to be a little careful with this one because you can’t just copy someone else’s character. On the other hand, well-drawn fictional people are people too, and there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by traits of your fictional heroes.
Building Characters Within the Story
When you’ve started writing the
story, here are some ideas for how to continue building a character
as you write:
- Determine how, or if, the character reaches his or her goal. Perhaps they don’t get what they were searching for but gain something much more valuable instead.
- Have them change over the course of the story based on events that happen. Note this does not necessarily mean they become a better person. It’s just as possible to have a character who becomes worse as the story goes on. They might not even change at all, and that might be the point. So do what works for the character and for the story.
- Know what the character’s afraid of. You don’t need to necessarily come out and say this in the narrative, but it can certainly be helpful in determining a character’s actions.
- Give the character interests, and not just one or two. This is a problem I’ve seen a lot recently. People have interests outside of the big things in their lives.
- Have the character tell an anecdote or two from his or her past. Don’t overuse this one, but I’ve found having a character say or think of things that have happened to them helps flesh them out. Our minds wander and think of the strangest things, even at random times.
- Develop the character’s relationship with other characters. By this I don’t necessarily mean romantic relationships. If your main character has a best friend or someone they’ve just met, they’re going to interact with that other person. Put these two characters in the same room and have them have a conversation. See what happens.
- Have the character’s flaw(s) REALLY screw something up. A flaw isn’t a flaw unless it causes problems for the character and/or the people around him/her.
Other Tips
- Don’t be afraid to experiment! The old adage “write what you know” is actually pretty bad advice when taken too literally. Unless you really just want to write one type of character, you’re going to need to expand your horizons. And the only way to do that is to try new things.
- Just start writing the story and see where the character goes. This may not work for some writers but for others this is the best way for them to write. You can always go back and edit later to fix continuity issues.
- Don’t be afraid to cut characters. If a character isn’t working in your story, they might need to go. Perhaps you can find room for them in a future work. Inversely, don’t be afraid to add a character if you need to. Just be careful that he or she fits into the story.
- Write a character sheet. Again, this isn’t something all authors do, but it certainly works for some. A character sheet can help you keep track of your character as you write the story by giving them basic information, personality traits, and goals. It can also help you visualize different characters relationships with each other.
- Be careful with dialects and accents. Having a character speak with a strong accent can be effective, but make sure it doesn’t detract from the writing.
- Don’t get too caught up on flaws/a tragic backstory. A person is more than their problems.
- Get feedback. This is true about any creative expression, but if a character isn’t working or you’re not sure what to do with them, bounce ideas off someone else. This doesn’t have to be a writer, and in fact, shouldn’t always be. A casual reader’s outsider point of view can be invaluable.
- Details, Details, Details! It’s not the grand, sweeping character arcs that set your story and characters apart from the rest. It’s the details of their lives and their behavior. If you’re worried your character isn’t “original” enough, add details about them to make it so!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
