My Trusted Reader

Today I'm feeling grateful to my Trusted Reader. Some writers use the term Beta Reader or First Reader. I think every writer needs one of these, but they're hard to find.

Here's why I love my Trusted Reader:

She gets down to it

She reads fast. I recently gave her a three hundred page manuscript and she was emailing me that same day, asking if we could meet for lunch to discuss the book! There is nothing more frustrating than giving someone a piece of writing and having to wait for months and months to get a response. We get enough of that from agents and publishers!

She isn't hung up on the trees

My Trusted Reader always starts a critique with the forest or the 'long view'. We talk about story. We talk about feelings and where a plot line falls short. She doesn't get so hung up on the little stuff that she can't help me out with the big stuff. 

She gives me what I want

If I ask for a line by line edit, my Trusted Reader will give it to me. If I give her a first draft and ask her what she thinks about a certain character or an overall impression of the plot, she'll give it to me. She doesn't digress. I know I'm not a perfect writer. I make mistakes. But there is a time and a place for the grammar police! I'm not stupid enough to think I don't need the grammar police, but if I need some feedback on a story arc and don't want to waste time policing my grammar on sections I know will need to change, my Trusted Reader understands this.

 She is precise and specific

If she tells me something doesn't work, she goes on to tell me why it doesn't work. This is the most valuable asset a Trusted Reader can give a writer. I really don't think there is anything worse than being told, "I don't like this chapter/character/book, etc." and then not being told why. We can't fix it if we don't know why. Sadly, this kind of feedback is the most common kind.

She keeps personal stuff out of it

My Trusted Reader is a reader and like all readers, she brings her own prejudices and preferences to the page. However, she doesn't let those things get in the way of her critique. She'll even tell me, "There's nothing wrong with this, but it bothers me because...", and then lets me decide whether it's an issue or not. I'm always surprised by comments like, "Can you change this character's name? Because I had a friend named ___ and I didn't like her." Or, "This character's Dad did this and my Dad never did this...."

It's a small thing and sometimes (rarely) these comments will lead me to question a character's motivation or my portrayal of the character, but most of the time they're entirely personal decisions and as the creator, I reserve the right to create my characters and my story my way.

 She has no agenda

My Trusted Reader doesn't read my stuff to measure it against her own. She doesn't read it so she can get on her soapbox and play teacher for a day. She knows we've read all the same books on writing and that we're both trying to improve our craft, one story at a time.

She doesn't insult me

I had a professional editor once comment on something that was 'stupid'. Some readers are incredibly callous in their critiques. I've developed a pretty thick skin over the years, but sometimes words like, "stupid", "boring", "pointless", still hurt. They come in like scud missiles - loud, explosive, unexpected and painful.  My Trusted Reader is trying to help me make my work better. She knows that throwing darts isn't going to do that. It's just as easy to say, "This doesn't work for me because..." as it is to say, "This is stupid." And the words that come after because are the only words I really need and want to hear. The because will help me get my point across. The because will help me to become a better writer.

So, Trusted Reader - you know who you are! Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are my icon of constructive criticism and your feedback makes me a better writer! 

The Joys of Scrivener

Last week I started playing around with Scrivener. For those of you who don't know, Scrivener is a word processing program "designed for authors." While there is a definite learning curve, I think it might be a great program. I'll have to continue playing around with it and learn it before I can say for sure.

Here are some things I already love about the program:

• The index cards - these are virtual index cards and Scrivener gives you so many different ways to use them. You can create character cards, scene cards, research notes. Really, the possibilities are endless.
• The media option - you can use the index cards to store media information. For example, for character cards and setting cards, you can import inspiration photos! Even better....
• The split screen - you can split your screen. I love the option of having a photo on one screen and the 'editor' or writing screen on another. You can look at the setting you're trying to create or look at the character you're describing and write away. After you input all the information on these cards, you can use...
• The corkboard - Scrivener gives you three ways to look at the information you enter. One of these is the corkboard. This little tool is amazing! I'm in the early stages of learning this program and I haven't quite figured out how to do it, but once you enter all your scene cards, you can move them around on the corkboard. When you have them where you want them, click a little button that stores those scenes in that order in the text document. I can't think of an easier way to work out plot bunnies!

So, that's what I've learned so far! If you're an author and you struggle with organizing your novel, check it out. Go through the tutorial and check out the how-to videos on YouTube. Let me know what you think!

Ps & Qs

&

Yesterday got away from me and I didn't get a chance to post, so today I'm combining P & Q. There is some debate about the origins of the phrase, minding your Ps & Qs, and today I'm going to use the interpretation of Please and Thank You. Fellow bloggers! We're on the home stretch of the A to Z Blog Challenge and I'm going to check out some more of your wonderful blogs and follow. Please do the same and thank you for following me back!

 

Writing Tip #1

O is for....Overused Words

Today I thought I'd start a thread called 'Writing Tips'. I'll try to post at least one tip per month. Since I'm doing the A to Z Blog Challenge, I'll start with....

Overused words!

Yes, it's annoying to read a piece of fiction and be bombarded with the same words over and over again, so we should all try to identify the words we lean on and overuse. There are plenty of websites with lists of these words and if you keep writing, you'll start to notice your own 'crutch words'. Some of mine are oh, so, just, see, look, and very - just to name a few.

We don't want to annoy readers with the same word choices, but I've learned that looking for overused words also helps me identify other problems with a scene. Here are some examples....

Oh
I tend to use this word in dialogue and I almost always mean to imply some kind of physical action or reaction from a character. During revision, I look at each oh and if it implies action, I replace the word with some kind of physical activity.

Look
There are five sense we can draw from, but I tend to lean on the visual. I always find way too many looks and eyes in my work. Look for these and see if you can replace the visual with a touch, an odor, a sound. Mix it up and let your characters experience events with all five senses. Watch out for words like gazed and glanced.

Try/About/Will/Begin
When you find these words in your manuscript, ask yourself if the character is really trying to do the action or actually doing it!
Sabrina tried to pull the door open is only accurate if she ultimately fails. Sabrina wrapped her hands around the heavy iron ring and pulled. The door was locked tight or Sabrina pulled with all her strength. The heavy door opened with a loud creak is more descriptive and more accurate.

Turn/Turned
I have a real problem with 'walking the dog'. Sometimes it seems impossible to move my characters from one side of the room to the other without explaining every detail of their journey. So I have characters turning, backing away, walking forward and yes, turning this way and that. Look for these words while revising and see how much of this direction your reader really needs. You can usually cut most of this prop movement.

When you're writing your first draft, I think you should ignore all rules and just get your story down on paper. I'm sure there are writers out there cringing as they read this, but if I try to remember every writing tip and rule, I'll never finish the story. Overused words are definitely something you should look for during revision and replacing them with more thoughtful choices can add depth to your story.

H is for Horror

So I wrote a little book about a zombie. I love horror stories. My favorite author is Stephen King. But am I horror writer?

I never thought so, but recent reviews of my book have given me pause. Could I be a horror writer and not know it? I know my stories always seem to take a turn toward the dark side. Death always figures as a central theme or figure, even in my ‘romance’ stories.

I don’t think of myself as a straight-up horror writer, but according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, horror fiction is…

intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, scare or startle viewers/readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. Often the central menace of a work of Horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society.

This definition does encapsulate just about everything I write.

Except I don’t really try to gross people out or scare them. I don’t think. In any case, my newest piece of fiction is a Gothic novel that leaves my heroine plumbing some pretty dark depths of the human mind and soul. And according to Wikipedia,

The horror genre has ancient origins which were reformulated in the eighteenth century as Gothic horror

So, holy crap, I might be a horror writer after all…..

 

I’ve realized during letters A through G of the A to Z Challenge that I’m a very green writer still defining herself. Thinking about the letter H has led me to this possible realization that I’m a horror novelist. I wonder how that would change my approach to writing? Hmmmmm.

I also wonder where the next letter will take me?

G is for German Water Castles
 

My current WIP is a romantic suspense with Gothic elements set in a German water castle. I have been fascinated with these castles since I was a young girl living in northern Germany. We lived near Munster, sometimes called The Land of 100 Moated Castles. The land is marshy bogland. I used to traipse around with my friend Gustel in muck and mud that called up images of Sherlock Holmes’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, so it’s a wonderful place to set a novel.  

A water castle is simply a castle surrounded by water. There are brightly colored water castles and dark, medieval water castles. I love them all, but am going to set mine in a dark medieval, of course. So today I’m posting a few pictures of Burg Lehenich…a little inspiration for my Monday.

Construction began in the 14th century.

 

 

This next one sparks all kinds of fun images for my novel....yep, I'm inspired already!

 

Have a wonderful Monday!

 

Storyboarding Sunday

Today I'm working on my storyboard for The Monster at Water Castle (tentative title). This is probably my favorite part of the writing process.

I don't begin with a storyboard. I've already written about 15,000 words or so. This lets me get to know my main character and play with the story idea. Once I get some words down and have a general idea of what the story is about, I do a storyboard. My storyboards change constantly. Right now I know who my main character is and what she wants. I know some details about the setting, which are important for this story.  I know the tone I want to set and I have a very clear vision of the last scene.  The rest I will fill in as I go. Here is an inspiration photo for the setting...

 

Yes, that's me! I'm cheating a bit here...this is actually an Italian castle and my story is set in Germany. Lucky for me, I write fiction! For some reason this staircase wants to be in the story, so why fight it?  Now I'm off to fill all that white space with multi-colored Post-It notes...see you on the other side!

 

 

 

 



 

F is for Fart Reviews and Fun with Writing

Some writers have egos the size of the continental United States, but I’m not one of them. Nothing I write ever comes out quite the way I intended. When I read my stuff, all I can see are the flaws.

And for me, getting published only made things worse. Soon after my book came out, a family member told my kids that she tried to read my book, but couldn’t get through it because it seemed to be all about farts. Ouch. Now, I know my first book isn’t for everyone. It’s a little gruesome…after all, it is about a girl morphing into a walking corpse! But that review hurt. Yes, there are some farts in my book, but I thought there was also a story!

 

Harsh reviews, mean reviews, cutting reviews…I will forever after call them ‘Fart Reviews’…come with the territory. If I’m going to keep writing, I have to find a way to stand by my work, to own it and let it go. I’m starting to believe that the only real way to deal with the pain of a Fart Review is to go back to the fun in writing. I’m a person that likes to do things the ‘right’ way. I’ve read tons of books about writing, taken classes, and asked for lots and lots of critiques. Now, I’m not saying a new writer shouldn’t do these things, but somewhere along the way to becoming a ‘serious novelist’ I started taking myself way too seriously. Apparently this seriousness is the kiss of death where my writing is concerned.

 

It’s taken me a few months, but I’m gradually getting back to the fun part. The old maxim is true – working on a new project helps tremendously. I recently received a tweet from a reviewer, asking when my next book would be out and that definitely took away the sting of the Fart Review. I also just received a copy of my paperback and my publisher added a positive review on the back. I’d like to get that framed and hang it in my office. And thankfully I have the undying support of so many people.

How about you? What was your worst Fart Review? How did you deal with it? Do reviews give you writer’s block?

C is for CHILDREN: WRITING WITH KIDS IN THE HOUSE

I love, love, love my kids. But kids have a way of eating up time and leaving precious few hours (or minutes) for writing. I think this is true whether you’re a stay-at-home Mom or working outside the home. I’ve done it both ways and it’s a challenge to find writing time either way.

The most challenging time is when they’re infants because then you’re adding sleep deprivation to the list of reasons why you can’t write. But even teenagers invade writing time in their own special, irritating way.

So, how can you write a novel with kids in the house? Here are some things that have worked for me:

Use a voice recorder

My Olympus digital voice recorder has been a godsend for me. I wrote most of my last novel this way.  These days I use my smart phone because I can go hands-free. The beauty of the voice recorder is that you can use time that might otherwise be wasted. You can write during your commute or while driving the kids to and from their various activities. You can take it on walks and write while you work out. This works especially well when you have young ones strapped into a stroller! You can write while cleaning – which is my favorite part because cleaning always feels like a giant time suck. I’ll admit, in the beginning, I felt like a complete fool but give it a try. If you can get past that initial awkwardness, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish with this tool. Just be careful on the road!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

If you can afford it, hire a babysitter and head for the nearest library or coffee shop to write. We never could afford sitters when the kids were little, so I leaned on friends and my always supportive husband. There were days when he came home from work and I was waiting at the door, computer and coffee in hand. If you have friends or family that offer to watch the kids, don’t be afraid to accept the offer. It’s hard not to feel bad about this, but there are ways to reciprocate. Bake a pie, buy flowers, or offer to exchange sitting services with a fellow Mom. She may not be a writer, but every Mom can use a free hour here and there – even if it’s just to take a much needed nap!

Skip TV time

Or reduce it. At the end of a long day, a couple hours in front of mindless television can act as a drug on your frayed nerves, so I’m not saying quit cold turkey. Even if you reduce TV time by half an hour, you’ll get at least a page written during that time.

 

Take advantage of nap time

Here is another segment of time that can be filled with writing. I think the most daunting thing about writing with kids is the realization that you don’t have the luxury of huge blocks of time. This slowed me down for years. The idea that to write well, to really get into a story, I needed hours and hours of time. Here’s a tip – even if you have hours and hours of time, you probably won’t use it all for writing. I don’t. My kids are in school from 9 AM until 4 PM, and I can’t write the entire time. There are still errands, cleaning, laundry and countless other tasks to complete. I’ve also discovered that my creativity engine has about a four hour battery. After four hours of writing, the words start to blur and my characters shut down. So don’t be afraid to use small chunks of time. When the kids were little, I needed nap time as much as they did (if not more). If you need a nap, take one, but think about taking a short nap and then writing for half an hour or fifteen minutes.

Keep track of word counts

The downside to working in small time segments is the feeling that you aren’t getting ‘enough’ done, so keep track of every word you write. I do a lot of journaling to get my initial thoughts down on paper. I ramble on about characters, what they might look like, want, need, etc. Count these words, especially if you’re just starting out. At the end of the week, add them all up and see how you did.  This shows how much work you’re getting done and what goals you might want to shoot for the following week. Some weeks are better than others. My husband and son were home sick this week and it definitely affected my productivity. Don’t worry if you have a bad week and be sure to count every word. Even if you write six words, you’re still writing. And that’s the goal. Any writing time is better than no writing time.

Give yourself a break

If you have a bad day, week, month or even year, don’t beat yourself up about it. Mothering is a full time job. I think it’s the hardest job and that Moms are superheroes. Trying to do anything else, to accomplish the huge task of writing a complete story and being a mother is an enormous undertaking. So take baby steps. If you write at all, you are a writer. I’ve been writing novels for fourteen years now. It took me five years to complete my first. I had two kids during that time. Looking back, it’s not hard to figure out why it took me five years! The good news is, writing gets easier as you go. Finding time to write gets much easier when the kids go to elementary school….so if you manage to write anything while they’re toddlers, you’re way, way, way ahead of the game!

A is for AFRAID

I'm joining the A to Z April Blog Challenge in the hopes that it will abolish my fears of blogging! (Always the overachiever, going for two A's instead of one.)

Last year I was told by several well intentioned fellow writers that I should be blogging. I've tried it, in fits and starts, but I'm ashamed to admit (two more!) that blogging does not come naturally to me. I feel like I'm standing on an empty stage, facing an empty auditorium. I feel like I should say something meaningful, something witty, something funny, something interesting, something unique.....and I end up with nothing.

I'm at the point where I either need to give it up and admit that I'll never be a blogger...or I need to jump in with both feet and forget about being anything but little old me.

When I'm writing fiction, I have no problem being me. Maybe because I get to play all sorts of other parts through my characters and in doing that, I see myself pretty clearly. But writing about writing? Who the hell am I to tell anyone anything about writing? I thought it would be easier to write about books, but I have such eclectic taste. There is no over-arcing theme to what I read or write. I'm all over the place, as far as genre goes. So, I'm not here to tell anyone how to write, what to read and I'm certainly not here to tell you how to blog! But I do like to talk about writing and reading, and I think if I could get over this damnable stage fright, I would enjoy blogging about those things. So, here's my shot. Thank you, Arlee Bird from Tossing it Out, for the opportunity to rise above my fears and have some fun! Maybe by the end of April, I will be able to leave 'afraid' behind and blog with abandon!

Sharing Books

So, my "marketing moratorium" didn't go as planned. I fully intended to write yesterday, but when I sat down at my computer I had a large number of emails to respond to from readers and writers. I realized something immediately. I'm not really into marketing, but I am into sharing books. I love to read them, of course, but I also love to talk about books, authors, writing, story ideas. Most of the "marketing" I do is really just about meeting other bibliophiles and sharing stories.

I'm something of a perfectionist. I like to cross all my 'T's' and dot all my 'I's'. When my book came out, I was anxious to do my publisher proud and hold up my end of the bargain by marketing The Corpse Goddess. What I learned yesterday is that I can relax. The book will have its own path. Mine is to be myself, immerse myself in books, talk about them, make new friends and relish the fact that I can do this all day long! I didn't get much writing done yesterday, but I'm making up for it today - and I still happened to make some new friends on goodreads and talk books with half a dozen people. So it's all good!

Marketing Moratorium Tomorrow!

My first book was released about two weeks ago and I'm already a marketing addict. How did this happen? I'm about as far away from 'salesperson' as a girl can get! And yet, the wide world of internet marketing has consumed me. I wake up every morning and check my Amazon ranking - seriously, I do. Then I plunge into the book marketing world. I check out new blogs, hustle for reviews, research giveaways and blog buttons. I chat with authors and bloggers, making new friends and learning more about computers than I ever thought possible. My eyes are sore, my head is literally spinning and most mornings I'm not sure what to focus on first.

It reminds me of my last trip to Italy. My husband and I had the map spread out, trying to narrow down our choices. We couldn't see it all, so we waded through guidebooks and websites, picking and choosing. Marketing on the web is not so different. There are so many sites to choose from, so many bloggers to hook up with, so many reviewers and giveaways and tweets! I love it - and it's exhausting. Also, I'm not writing. I haven't written more than a paragraph since The Corpse Goddess was released. For obvious reasons, this is not going to work for me. I have a stack of writing projects waiting for me and I seem to be on the Net all the time.

So, it's five minutes to midnight here in the great state of Texas and I'm pledging to avoid all marketing lures for one day. Tomorrow, July 16th, I will not contact generous reviewers, comment on blogs or 'like' anybody! I will sit down and get back to what I love most. I have ghosts and a high strung scientist waiting for me on a ghoststory.doc file. I'll see you on the other side and let you know how it goes!

My first author interview!

Thank you to the lovely Sarah for interviewing me on her blog, You May Say I'm a Dreamer! This was my first author interview and I have to say, it was a blast! We talk about my debut novel The Corpse Goddess. We also chat about writing and how to stay motivated as a writer. Come and over and join the conversation! http://youmaysayimadreamer-sh.blogspot.co.nz/