#readwriteplan

I love this hashtag. It encompasses my take on how to improve as an author. Many of the writing tips I've accumulated over the years are from successful authors and other industry experts.

Read

Read, read, read. Read as much as you can. Read the genre you want to write. Read other good books. I love reading. I imagine most authors start out as avid readers who are inspired to create their own works. Reading actually helps improve your writing. When I read an amazing book, especially if it provokes the emotions I want to provoke in my own readers, it's inspirational. I want to write something as amazing. It's like the ultimate creativity charge.

Write

Practice makes perfect. Every book starts off as a rough draft. It's easier to edit something than nothing. And all the other appropriate platitudes. Improving as an author involves a lot of writing. It's about finding yourself, your unique voice. It's about writing for yourself, getting your story down (without getting caught up in semantics). It's self-expression in its purest form.

Plan

Whether you write a detailed outline or simply wing it like a pantster, at some point you need a plan. A writing schedule. A plot direction. An understanding that, despite best efforts, plans change. Making plans involves both time and story management. That's why even a pantster needs a plan. I consider myself a reformed pantster. When I first started writing (seriously as an adult), I incorporated zero planning into my writing. With a little bit of luck, my stories would come together at the end. But, more often than not, I would start and not finish stories. A Wizard's Choice (The Magicals Series, Book 2) was the first book I outlined. I was able to write the majority of it in a month, during NaNoWriMo. Ironically, my original ending didn't pan out, but that's another story.

Short post this week... Back to writing...

Dangerous Liaisons

How did I emerge unscathed?

In my pre-adult days... How many times did I put myself (unknowingly) into potentially dangerous situations. Unfortunately, more times than I care to remember. Except one particular incident came to mind this morning, and I’ve been trying to forget it ever since, quite unsuccessfully. When I was 14 going on 15, I became enamoured with an older guy, an 18 year old. Looking back, I wonder what in the world a, for all intents and purposes, man saw in a newly minted teenager, but it’s best not to overthink that.

It was 1995. The summer loomed before me, brimming with countless possibilities. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d be moving to a different town, several hours away, in the fall. I encountered him, “John” at a teenage dance. He asked me to dance to a slow song. I had a crush on him so I was thrilled. The next thing I knew, we were kissing in the middle of the dance door like there was no tomorrow. To my recollection, he was the second guy I’d ever really kissed so I totally fell into the inexperienced category. I wasn’t even sure if he was sober or knew exactly who I was. He may not have been sober, but he did know my name. I checked several times. That was good enough for me.

Throughout the summer, we’d meet around town and drive off to go make out in his truck. My friends told me he was bad news, but I didn’t care. I liked him. The river was a favorite spot to park. It had secluded going for it and a romantic atmosphere. My adult self screams, “what were you thinking parking with a guy, with probably only one thing on his mind, in such a secluded area?” to my 14 year old self. Young me was just over the moon to have this cool guy paying me any attention. Like I said, I was terribly innocent. And, to his credit, he didn’t really try anything with me. One night, he slipped his hand in my shorts, but the minute he reached the short and curlies, I pulled away in complete shock.

Then, I found out he was taking another girl parking on the same nights as me AFTER he brought me home. I confronted him and that was that. Except for one night, a few months later, when I had a moment of weakness, and we made out at a dance. He was a good kisser, and I really liked kissing.

If I hadn’t been such a prude set on protecting my virtue... oh the trouble I might’ve found in those days. Luckily, the few other dicey situations I landed in didn’t end badly either.

But it made me think about how my view of the world has changed since I was the innocent 14 year old. And, really, why kids take such risks with their lives. Lying down in the middle of the road to play chicken. Joyriding in the back of a pickup truck. Leaving the bar late at night to catch a cab alone. Not that I ever did any of those things.

Examining human nature becomes second nature to a writer. We’re always asking questions about what we observe around us. Why do people do the things they do? I postulate. And it doesn’t always make sense. Not by a long shot. But what would be the fun in that?

Writing Wisdom Series Recap

Congratulations to all you amazing authors out there who completed the #nanowrimo challenge! If you didn't complete the challenge this year... Keep your chin (and word count) up!

Here's a recap of my Writing Wisdom Series... 

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Once Halloween’s over, we start the fast track to Christmas, with stops—NaNoWriMo and American Thanksgiving—along the way. To mark the month many writers dedicate to completing the NaNoWriMo competition, I thought it fitting to feature some writing wisdom.

Writing tip #1: Use a style guide.

A style guide is a place to record details about your characters, stylistic choices, spelling conventions. I used style guides as an editing tool before I ever realized its potential application in the writing process. Using a style guide is an efficient and organized invention strategy. And it’s a convenient method to help prevent the inconsistencies—Mary’s eyes stay blue throughout the story, ‘e-mail’ and ‘email’ aren’t used in the same text—that drive a reader crazy.

Before you write your first draft, think about using a style guide. I know I will.

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Writing tip #2: Block the critic.

Last week, I suggested using a style guide—an invention strategy. This week, I encourage you to block the critic (yourself) during drafting. I am guilty of editing and revising as I draft. Writing on a computer (with spell and grammar check) makes it easy to do so. Did you know that habit actually slows down, and stifles, the writing process? You invest precious time into sentences that may hit the chopping block later.

Recently, I wrote a short story using the writing process of invent, draft, and revise.

Gathering ample information—my story was historical fiction—before drafting allowed me to write without constant interruption. I know that a rough draft doesn’t have to be perfect, even factually correct. For this story, I highlighted sections I wanted to verify later—the date of such and such battle or when pockets were invented—without doing ad hoc research as I wrote. My story still required revision, but it’s easier to make changes than create.

As you draft, block the critic and just write.

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Writing tip #3: Protect your writing time.

A book is written one word at a time. The other day, I found this awesome quote about books… oh here it is…

Isn’t that amazing? We select the 26 letters in our alphabet over and over to form words—with new words added to the dictionary every year—and the combination of those words become sentences that become paragraphs that become chapters that become a book.

But your book will never get written if you don’t actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and make it happen. So, protect your writing time and write your book.

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Writing tip #4: Follow submission guidelines.

The end is near. The end of the month. The end of the year. It’s amazing how fast time flies. I started buying Christmas presents weeks ago. And now we’re a month away from Christmas Eve.

Four years ago, I received about the best Christmas present ever—a publishing offer. It marked the end to an intensive six months of manuscript submissions—researching publishers, writing query letters, receiving rejection notes—and marked the official beginning of my writing journey.

Writing a book is an accomplishment. Not everyone will write a book in their lifetime. We all have a story within us, but it takes a certain amount of drive and desire to capture it with the written word. Most authors write with the intention of publishing. There are options—self-publishing, indie publishers, the “Big Five” (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins—who owns romance heavy-hitter Harlequin® Books, Macmillian, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette)—in the wonderful world of publishing. For us newbies, who don’t want to self-publish, indie publishers offer the best opportunity.

•       Research perspective publishers (i.e. don’t submit your adult romance novel to a children’s book publisher).

•       Follow their submission guidelines (i.e. if they ask for a query letter and blurb, then don’t send them the first chapter).

•       Don’t submit your manuscript to more than one publisher unless the publisher has indicated they accept simultaneous submissions.

Select the most appropriate publishers for your book. Take the time to personalize each submission request. Supply all the requested information (in the correct format). Put your best foot forward. Think of your book as a job and your submission as a job interview. And, keep in mind, the ability to follow simple instructions is a surprisingly effective way of getting a publisher’s attention.

“The waiting is the hardest part.”

- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

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Writing tip #5: Just write. That's it.

Writing Wisdom Series - Writing Tip #4

Writing tip #4: Follow submission guidelines.

The end is near. The end of the month. The end of the year. It’s amazing how fast time flies. I started buying Christmas presents weeks ago. And now we’re a month away from Christmas Eve.

Four years ago, I received about the best Christmas present ever—a publishing offer. It marked the end to an intensive six months of manuscript submissions—researching publishers, writing query letters, receiving rejection notes—and marked the official beginning of my writing journey.

Writing a book is an accomplishment. Not everyone will write a book in their lifetime. We all have a story within us, but it takes a certain amount of drive and desire to capture it with the written word. Most authors write with the intention of publishing. There are options—self-publishing, indie publishers, the “Big Five” (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins—who owns romance heavy-hitter Harlequin® Books, Macmillian, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette)—in the wonderful world of publishing. For us newbies, who don’t want to self-publish, indie publishers offer the best opportunity.

•       Research perspective publishers (i.e. don’t submit your adult romance novel to a children’s book publisher).

•       Follow their submission guidelines (i.e. if they ask for a query letter and blurb, then don’t send them the first chapter).

•       Don’t submit your manuscript to more than one publisher unless the publisher has indicated they accept simultaneous submissions.

Select the most appropriate publishers for your book. Take the time to personalize each submission request. Supply all the requested information (in the correct format). Put your best foot forward. Think of your book as a job and your submission as a job interview. And, keep in mind, the ability to follow simple instructions is a surprisingly effective way of getting a publisher’s attention.

“The waiting is the hardest part.”

- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Writing Wisdom Series - Writing Tip #3

Writing tip #3: Protect your writing time.

A book is written one word at a time. The other day, I found this awesome quote about books… oh here it is…

Isn’t that amazing? We select the 26 letters in our alphabet over and over to form words—with new words added to the dictionary every year—and the combination of those words become sentences that become paragraphs that become chapters that become a book.

But your book will never get written if you don’t actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and make it happen. So, protect your writing time and write your book.