March 2015 — The Big Picture: Chapter by Chapter Revelations

 #3 Revision is a Process

This is Part 3 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved

An understanding of how techniques of writing work in the revision process can help you. – David Madden


So, you've completed the first read through of your manuscript and noted problems with how the narrative flows. Now it's time to look at the other half of The Big Picture, "seeing" the story and determining its theme.

Theme is the point of the story (also known as the "why you wrote that particular story" and not something else). Themes are stated as morals, adages, cliches, etc., but they don't necessarily jump out on the page of a story. For example, the theme of a romance might be, love conquers a hardened heart.

And, of course, that means at the story's plot will prove the theme. You might want to say: "plot proves the theme" a million times because your muse must understand there can be only ONE DOMINANT THEME in order for the plot of a story to work for the reader.

And, yes, this means that ONE PLOT DOMINATES (and all the other "plots" are subplots). That dominant plot goes with the dominant theme, and any subplot will have their own sub-theme in the story.

So, how do you cut the confusion and narrow the story down to the ONE DOMINANT PLOT and ONE DOMINANT THEME? After all, you don't want the story to be confusing for the reader, do you? Oh, you're saying you're confused by the plots and themes you think you have? Or are you thinking you don't know what the story's theme is. Maybe that's because the majority of writing is done by the the Pantser Method. That is, the writer sits down and writes the story, not knowing what will happen until it happens. This type of writing often generates confusing plots and themes. However, there are nine other methods of creating a story. (If interested in the "10 Types of Writers," I've provided a link at the end of this post.)

Regardless of how the story comes into being, the plot and its theme must be clear and flow in some sort of logical time sequence (even flashbacks must fit in). The plot and its theme must also be believable. To insure that, it's best to use a simple chapter by chapter summary or "outline." The revelations of such a summary nets many benefits, one being to reveal the essence of the main plot (and the number of subplots) as well as to simplify finding themes. All of which helps a writer see the story's weaknesses and strengths.

Okay, for far too many writers, doing a chapter by chapter outline sounds like a lot of work because they think they have to follow a formal outline. Forget that. I recommend a "booklet" format, however, some writers use giant desk calendars, or storyboarding, or use a wall full of sticky notes. The how isn't as important as generating a practical look at the story.

For the booklet method, what's needed are either 5"x8" lined index cards or, if using a computer word processor, using 5"x8" sized pages. FYI: 5"x8" is the size of a half sheet of paper. If computerized the 5"x8" sheets can be printed out for use.

Why such a small writing area? It's to prevent getting creative and rewriting the story or adding more characters or ideas. In essence, one 5"x8" page or index card or large sticky note will equal either ONE chapter or one scene in a chapter. In other words, all you need are the highlights, nothing more. Well, maybe a few extras that come in handy for later revision items. Those "extras" go in a "header" for each scene. That header includes:

-- who is narrating (that is, the "who" that has POV-Viewpoint)
-- which characters are in the scene
-- what the setting is (where the characters are)
-- what the time is (day, night, full moons, storms, etc.)

Here is an example of the from my Chapter By Chapter Revelation from my novel KARMA AND MAYHEM:


Chapter 1                                          Page 1 of 2
POV-Viewpoint: Janay
Setting:    spaceport city near ocean, warehouse district
Time: 2 hrs. before dawn, clear staru night, calm bay waters

Characters in scene:
    Janay (protagonist)
    Celinae (witch #2)
    Shelzat (darkon archangel) [a baddy]
    3 tormantratas [hell-beasts]
    Adrada (Archangel of Departing Souls) [good angel]
    Rowen (brother of the Romantic Lead)
    Tal (veed to Rowen) [energy symbiote in form of a great cat]

Scene #1 - [opening of the story]
    Suffering insomnia, and with her bad hip bothering her, Janay, an ex-peacekeeper, walks the night and inadvertently comes across a meeting of witch #2, 3 tormantratas, and Shelzat. Janay hides until they disband and they never noticed her.
    Rattled by memories of previous encounters with darkons and tormantratas in the aftermath of a battle against witch-generated creatures where she and her fellow peacekeepers fought alongside heavenly angels and archangels, Janay goes to a meditation garden dedicated to Adrada to calm her nerves. Only she meets Rowen, a teenage Zantharian warlock holding his veed, Tal. The teen is fighting drugs and a spell used on him. He's trying to get home to his brother, Tienan. When the boy passes out, Janay prays for guidance and Adrada appears. He tells Janay the boy and veed will die when the sun rises unless a reunification right is done by her and Tienan. Adrada leaves the choice to help Rowen or let him die up to her.
    Janay decides to help Rowen get home and to do the reunification rite.
***Note: these 176 words covered 24 manuscript pages

NEW PAGE:

Chapter 1                                            Page 2 of 2
POV-Viewpoint: Tienan
Setting:    Wolcott House (Tienan and Rowen's home)
Time: 45 min. before dawn

    Tienan paces in his home's office, worried about his brother (Rowen) roaming the night because Tienan knows his brother fits the profile of a serial killer who preys on teenage Zantharian males whose veeds are in their cocooned state.
    Tienan is also angry with himself for causing the argument that sent Rowen storming out into the night.
    When a rapping comes on the front door, Tienan thinks it's Rowen. When he opens the door, his joy is short lived. He sees Rowen carrying his veed--and behind him is a woman who's fighting tormantratas with dirks that seem to fly like boomerangs.
***NOTE: these 102 words covered 5 manuscript pages

***Additional Note: If one sentence sums up a scene, that's great and the rest of the page is blank. As you can see from the example above, Chapter 1 included two scenes so each scene had its own "revelations" page. Also, if there is a particularly long scene or a pivotal scene you may have an additional page for it.
    If within a scene, the POV-Viewpoint changes, then that needs to be noted by simply inserting POV-Viewpoint: (and name of the POV-Viewpoint). This will quickly "show" how often the POV-Viewpoint changes so you can "see" if you have a head-hopping problem, which often causes a jerky flow to the narrative.

I can't stress enough that if you truly want to improve your manuscript, taking the time to do a mini-version of your story:

1) helps you sort through the story to spot problems

2) helps you "see" chapter lengths, scene lengths, sequel lengths, back story, etc.

3) helps you uncover repetitions

4) helps you uncover pacing problems (POV-Viewpoint, or blocks of little action or blocks of too much action - which you might not have noticed on the first read-through but didn't know why the pace was "off" in some way)

5) helps you uncover unnecessary scenes or where you may have gone off on a tangent

6) helps you uncover a need to include or reinforce or foreshadow something


and the Chapter by Chapter Revelations is also useful for checking other aspects of the story and the writing, which will be covered in the next few installments of this series. For example: in April's "The Big Picture: POV-Viewpoint," besides head-hopping, you can easily figure out who's got how much POV-Viewpoint and which dominates.

Another advantage of the Chapter by Chapter Revelations pages, cards, or stickies is they can help you locate information in the story without having to thumb through the entire manuscript. For example: In my latest work-in-progress, I realized a character, the leader of a clan, was to be called by his title, but I'm not certain I had the main characters call him by his title. So, I opened a new file on my computer that I call "fixes-rechecks" and added that note to myself. When I'm done with the story, I'll be able to check. After all, I don't want to stop drafting to go back and look for where the scenes are. But when the story's drafted, I'll have the chapter revelations be able to locate which chapters that particular character was in, check those scenes, and fix things (or reassure myself that I didn't goof up, which is always a welcome relief).

By the way, it's a good idea to keep each of your novel's chapters in separate files to prevent a disaster, like a computer crashes or corrupted data in one sector prevents a file from opening. Smaller files are also easier to work with. Once you have all your corrections done, you merge the chapters into one document for marketing.

Lastly, some editors and agents want a "Chapter-by-Chapter Outline" instead of a synopsis. Which means, if you already have your chapter by chapter revelations done, you need only clean it up, tighten the language, and use it.

*** This blog is updated the 1st of each month. Don't miss next month's: THE BIG PICTURE: POV-VIEWPOINT by following this blog or Connect with Catherine

*** Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.

*** LINK TO the Cheat Sheet "10 Types of Writers"

*** Permission is granted to forward a link to this blog or mention it on any social media.

*** IN 2016, these posts will be put into one file for downloading. To be notified when this is available, Connect With Catherine

*** "Terrific Titles—an all inclusive guide to creating story titles" and other Writers Cheat Sheets are available HERE.

# # #

February 2015 - The How-to of Revising

#2 Revision is a Process

This is Part 2 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved
 
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
  - Maya Angelou

Last month, you learned about the need to switch from creative to editor mode and about setting your work aside to break the vicious cycle of frustration with creativity versus logic (editing).

This month we'll look at the tactic of going through a manuscript for one specific item, maybe two (if they are closely related) and noting the problem, but not fixing it. Why not fix-as-you-go?  Because there may be some other spot in the manuscript that will be affected and you won't realize that until you find that other spot (or spots).

It also goes without saying that multitasking doesn't work when revising because you get distracted by other elements, like grammar and punctuation, and forget what you were supposed to be looking for. Enough said. Onward.

When ready to do the first edit, a good way to break the enjoyment cycle (that is, being creative) is by printing a hard copy of the entire manuscript. That's right, you don't work on the computer for this step because you want to read the work like a reader, not the creative author. You want to look at each word and hear how it sounds, how the narrating voice on the page sounds, how the characters' voices sound. You want a symphony, not off-key kazoos.

Here's a tip: Since you'll read the text, single space it. That will help discourage writing on the page. Using a mono-faced font like Courier New in 12 points will cut down on eye fatigue and actually help you see every letter that constitutes a word. One caution: only print on one side of the page. (See ** below.)

It's also a good idea to punch holes in the hard copy and put the work in a three-ring binder. Placing a colored sheet of paper between each chapter aids in quickly finding chapter beginnings and endings. You could also use the sticky style of file index tabs and number the chapters, or use address labels folded in half over the long edge of the colored paper to form a "tab" that you can number.

When you find a problem on a manuscript page, immediately number it. Next, make a note. This note can be:

1) ** written on the backside of the left-hand page (since it is blank).

2) use a 3x5" index card or a 2x4" piece of paper, or even a sticky note. Using such small notes means you won't be tempted to write volumes, or rewrite something.

In all cases, number the note to match the number on the page you're working on.

Here's another tip: if you use index cards or slips of paper, punch a hole in the upper left corner and insert the note onto one of the binder rings for that page.

As to numbering the notes, you can start with 1 and go to 1,000+ or you can begin at 1 again when you change chapters, but be sure to indicate the chapter, like CH1-1.

Yes, you can write notes in the margins of the manuscript, but that will eat up the margin space when there are multiple notes. What's better is bracketing the sentence or paragraph (or highlighting it) and assigning a number to it and making your note. However, some items you can put a "code" in the margin to designate:

       LS = long sentence

      AWK = awkward

      RUE = Resist the Urge to Explain (that is, there's too much explanation or description that slows the pace)

      HT = heads talking in a vacuum (meaning beats and stage business are needed for the dialogue)

Although you should be using proofreader's marks, sometimes you'll use your own code. In that case, make a master list of your personal codes so you'll remember what they mean when you edit your next project.

What else will you need for this first read-through? A colored pen (like red or purple or green) so notations vividly stand out against the text. You may want highlighters, again ones that vividly stand out on the text.

Now, take that hard copy in its binder along with your note taking material, pens, highlighters, etc. and go somewhere that you don't associate with creating or writing a story. Why? Because doing so reinforces your desire to read objectively, not create or get lost in the story again. For example, my office is upstairs. When it's time to do edits, I take my hard copy downstairs to my dining room. I know writers who go to their local library for an afternoon and others that go to a local bookstore that has comfy chairs and tables, even refreshments.

So, exactly what are you looking for when you go through this first read? Look for:

a) How the words, narrative, and characters sound. Is the work interesting to read or are there tongue twisting phrases, repetition of vowel and consonant sounds? (Note: the creative self loves rhymes and repetitions, some may work, most don't.)

b) How it sounds also has to do with pace, tension, urgency, suspense— the things that keep a reader turning pages to find out what happens next. It's paying attention and picking up on boring spots (places you, or a reader, will skip over to get "to the good stuff"). These are often huge blocks of text on one page or which carry over to other pages. It's recognizing the drone of information dumps, explanation, and descriptions that slow the read.

c) It's about recognizing when you stop and go back to reread something that you've uncovered an awkward or confusing aspect that will need clarification, or deletion.

d) And, lastly, is there too much going on too fast that is confusing? This often happens in high action and fight scenes.

If you're making yourself a Master Revision Check List, it might look like this:

      FIRST READ THROUGH -

     [ ]  Voice (narration and characters)
     [ ]  Pace, tension, urgency (page turning, not boring stuff)
     [ ]  Awkwardness (having to re-read a sentence or paragraph)

As you make this first pass through the work, keep telling yourself to make notes. Once you've read the story completely through, do not fix anything. Go to the next step, the chapter by chapter look at the plot itself and the time line. Remember, you want to find the problems with the big ticket items before you handle the nitty-gritty little things that can turn readers off.

By the way, as you went about making notes for things to fix, your creative self will be alerted that those areas need adjustments. When you go to actually make the fixes, your creative self should have words and solutions ready. That beats making something up on the fly that later proves unusable and which causes many more revisions and skews other aspects of the story.
*** This blog is updated the 1st of each month and the next topic is CHAPTER BY CHAPTER REVELATIONS

*** Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.

*** Permission is granted to forward a link to this blog or mention it on any social media.

*** IN 2016, these posts will be put into one file for downloading. To be notified when this is available, Connect With Catherine

*** "Terrific Titles—an all inclusive guide to creating story titles" and other Writers Cheat Sheets are available HERE.

# # #

January 2015 — Revising Fiction

#1 Revision is a Process

When you race to get books up before they are ready, or not care that the manuscript is not your best work, that stuff stays around forever—and hurts you.  — Susan Meier, Author


Nothing causes more aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration then having to revise and rewrite. Editing in all its forms seems like a never-ending torture. But here's the thing— clarity trumps all rules. If the story isn't clear to the reader, then you have failed to share your stories, your views, your characters, and your plot's twists and turns.

Readers are the judge, jury, and executioners of books and stories. Most writers realize this when their books don't sell, or they see one-star reviews that basically say, "there's a story here, but it's not well told."

So, if you're mindful that readers only have the words on a page to go by to visualize a movie in their mind of your story, you must face the reality that all manuscripts benefit from editing. Of course, there's the expense of hiring developmental and copy editors (who are worth every penny), but it is best to hire them after you've self-edited your story and made it the very best you can.

To be proficient at self-editing means taking time to educate yourself on the aspects of storytelling and learn all the craft, techniques, and devices of fiction you can. After all, writers are self-taught— and basically self-educated. How-to books on writing fiction, storytelling, and craft techniques abound. Notice I said books, not those blog entries and essays you'll find online. Those short pieces cannot delve into every aspect of a technique or device, but a book does. Knowledge is power— and it can help your work stand out to readers and give you an edge when submitting to publishers.

Such knowledge also means self-editing minimizes the aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration because you can change your mindset and adopt the mantra of—

                         REVISION IS A PROCESS

That's right, "revision is a process." A logical, straightforward process where you don't try to fix everything at once. You break down the monumental task into component parts and work on only an item or two at a time.

Okay, so the reality is that creative people, especially writers, hate logic and straightforwardness. And it's a fact that logic and creativity have always been at war with each other. After all, creativity gives a writer a buzz, a high like no other. It's the fun part of writing and storytelling. On the other hand, revising, rewriting, and self-editing are linear, logical, objective— and absolutely no fun.

But writers can find a middle ground. Revision-as-a-process actually enables you to be creative because you not only create a one-of-a-kind (it works-for-you and only you) "Revision Master Cheat Sheet" or "Revision Master Plan," but you also employ creativity to fix problems, add depth to characterizations, and create better scenarios that wow a jaded editor or reader. In other words, let the editor-self point out the problems and let the creative-self solve them.

Revision-as-a-process starts with big items and works down to the final edits for punctuation and grammar. As I announced in December, each of the 2015 Writers Cheat Sheets' blog posts will deal with an aspect (or a how-to step) of the revision process.

However, there is one thing a writer should do before self-editing anything. And that is to develop a way to switch from a subjective, creative writer to a logical, objective, editor-mode. The best way, and the most recommended way, is to set the manuscript aside for a few weeks, maybe a month or longer. That's so the highly creative joy of the characters and the story's plot fades. You see, at some point, the creative mind will tire of the story and want to move on. Which means, the creative-self won't aggressively interfere with or shun the editing.

This also allows the conscious mind (the logical, editor-self) to objectively look at and analyze structure, flow, and the actual meaning of the words, punctuation, and grammar in the manuscript.

So, if you've been struggling with revisions or editing your work, how about setting your story aside and take time to put together your very own Master Revision Cheat Sheet? Maybe begin a computer file or, better yet, a three-ring binder in which you put a hard copy of this post (and the ones to follow) to refer to when needed.

The 2015 posts will be —

January 2015 — Revision is a Process — An Overview
February 2015  — The How-to of Revising
March 2015 — The Big Picture — Chapter by Chapter Revelations
April 2015 — The Big Picture — POV-Viewpoint
May 2015 — The Big Picture —  Plot
June 2015 — Characters Who Matter
July 2015 — Show Don't Tell —  What to Cut
August 2015 — Show Don't Tell —  Adding Essentials
September 2015 — Show Don't Tell —  Dialogue
October 2015 — Special Checks
November 2015 — Punctuation Pitfalls & Grammar Glitches
December 2015 — Read it Again


*** Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.

*** This blog is updated the 1st of each month and the next topic is "The How-to of Revising" 

*** Permission is granted to forward a link to this blog or mention it on any social media.

*** "Terrific Titles—and all inclusive guide to creating story titles" and other Writers Cheat Sheets are available HERE 
 
***@2015 by Catherine E. McLean, All Rights Reserved

December 2014 - Don't underutilize the dictionary and thesaurus

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

-- Mark Twain, The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

Words have meaning.

That seems straightforward and obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many writers put the wrong word down on a page. What am I talking about? Well, here's a little quiz— What is the root word that applies to this list:

pique
indignation
pissed off
rage
ire
wrath
irritated
annoyed
enraged
vexed
choler
go ballistic
livid


Answer:  It's "anger."

What I've just pointed out is that anger comes in many forms. There are also many degrees of anger. In it's mildest form, anger amounts to annoyance or pique (indignation). In the extreme, anger is livid rage that may be extremely violent.

If you haven't grasped the idea yet, let me state it this way:  using the precise word, the correct word for what is actually happening or going on, insures that the reader immediately understands just how emotional your character actually is.

Of course, "angry" is just one of many words that writers tend to slap on a page when drafting. In revision, the wise writer will ask "how __angry, sad, etc.__ was he?" Which often means going to a dictionary and looking up the exact meaning of the word to test if it's the right choice. In other cases, it might mean looking through a thesaurus until you hit on the correct word.

As to other words like "angry?" Here are a few—

anxious
fearful
sad
terrified
surprised
shocked
frustrated
perplexed
happy


You might want to add angry and the words above to your Master Revision Check List Cheat Sheet, do a global search through your work, and see if you have any in your manuscript. If you find one, evaluate it by asking: does this correctly and accurately convey the meaning or emotion or action taking place?

After all, a reader only has the words on a page to go by to form images in their mind. Isn't it time you use the most precise one, the most vivid nouns and verbs in your storytelling?*** THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH

DARE TO BE A GREAT WRITER -- January 2015 will start a year-long series on "Revision Is A Process." Each month I'll post the self-editing steps to revising fiction that will cut down on the frustration of revising and help insure bloopers, glitches, typos, etc. are caught before sending a work to readers, critique partners, or editors.  For those who aim to self-publish, self-editing is the first step in generating a worthy book.

To follow this blog --  Connect with Catherine at her home website HERE or follow by e-mail using the box at the upper right on this blog page. 

***Christmas Gift Idea for yourself or a fellow writer:
"Terrific Titles--an all-inclusive guide to creating story titles"

*** Christmas Gift Ideas for Readers (all available at Amazon.com and other book outlets):

ADRADA TO ZOOL an anthology of short stories
JEWELS OF THE SKY, a futuristic (sci-fi) adventure
KARMA AND MAYHEM, a paranormal fantasy romance

# # #

November 2014 - Don't go overboard and drown in descriptions

"To live through a story . . . a reader must capture it with his own senses." – Dwight Swain




For a reader to be anchored in a time and place, to feel the urgency and drama or the mood of any scene, means writing with vividness and economy. It means showing, not telling. But how much description is too much? How much telling is too much?

There are no easy answers.

On the minimalist side, the average sentence is considered twenty words.  One "rule" says no more than three sentences (that's twenty to sixty words) in any given spot. At the other extreme is someone who uses such a unique, narrative voice and such evocative language that a reader would happily listen to a detailed description of an ocean and become lost in the feel of the waves coming onshore, the smell of salt air, and the squawk of gulls.

There is also Point of View and Viewpoint to consider. The omniscient narrator (God or The-Fly-On-The-Wall) tends to tell all and describe all. On the other hand, first person and the deepest third person narratives filter everything through the character's highly opinionated voice, which means the character is not going to stop and describe a lot of things in detail. The character can't take that kind of time because the character is on a mission or quest to achieve a story or scene goal, or solve a problem.

And, of course, there are thousands of blended points of view with varying degrees of showing and telling. One size does not fit all.

But there is a "tipping point." At some point, the description will either slow the story to a crawl or stop the action. When that happens, the reader skims to get to "the good stuff" and that means action or dialogue.

My advice is— do not stop the initial draft process to edit or limit descriptions. Write what you must. Once that draft is done, make one pass through the work looking for wall-to-wall words, that is, any page with four or fewer paragraphs. When you find a page like that, use a highlighter and highlight every word of description. That way you "see" the bulk of words. Next is to cut adjectives and adverbs or replace them with one, vivid, image-producing noun or verb. Lastly, determine if there is a way to say the same thing better, and with more economy of words, but which doesn't violate the point-of-view or viewpoint.

Revision is a process. Describing to show more with less wording, is a matter of using good writing craft devices and techniques.

Craft can be learned. And craft enhances talent!


 ***THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH --- December 2014 - Don't underutilize the dictionary and thesaurus


***Christmas Gift Idea for yourself or a fellow writer:
"Terrific Titles--an all-inclusive guide to creating story titles"


*** Christmas Gift Ideas for Readers (all available at Amazon.com and other book outlets):

ADRADA TO ZOOL an anthology of short stories

JEWELS OF THE SKY, a futuristic (sci-fi) adventure
KARMA AND MAYHEM, a paranormal fantasy romance


***Connect with Catherine at her home website HERE
# # #

October 2014 - Don't put your whole story into one file because...

I like things broken down into manageable increments, so when I draft a story, each chapter has a separate file. After the final polish of all the chapters, I'll merge them into one document for submission. 

When I was writing short stories, one computer file sufficed —  UNTIL — I was into writing novels.  At a writers' conference, the after-hours topic came up of one file or chapter files for novels. Well, the floodgates of stories about computer crashes, hard drives having damaged sectors, dropped laptops, floppy disks (and later the 3.5" ones) being damaged by  unintentional exposure to heat/cold, and so on, was my wake-up call. A few conferences later, there was the "theft" stories that then had me backing things up. So, I'm all for—

1) keeping one hard copy around of all completed work (I keep the drafts and the backup paperwork, sketches, research, etc. in a Banker's Box) but the final, finished document I put in a 3-ring binder.

2) keeping a backup disk (CD or USB) copy (which is in an environmentally safe place so it will last the eight years, or so, that's their average lifespan before they have to be recopied)

3) keeping a backup on my external hard drive (my own "little cloud" because I don't believe in or trust The Cloud)

and—

4) one hard copy always goes to my daughter who lives out of state (in case of an unforeseen natural disaster - fire, tornado, etc.)

Have I ever had a problem with losing a story? Not the entire story, but yes, a long, long time ago, one story had no Chapter 13 because the computer developed "a bad sector."  Was I devastated by the loss? No. I had a hard copy (at the time I didn't have a computer with floppy disks). Of course, I didn't like having to retype 5,000 or so words, but at least it wasn't the entire novel.

So, have you ever lost a story or a piece of one to a computer glitch? Lost a USB drive or CD with your story on it? What happened and how did you remedy things so it wouldn't happen again?

 ***THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH November 2014 - Don't go overboard and drown in descriptions

*** MY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE CAN BE FOUND HERE

September 2014 - Don't Shun How-to Books Because—

My pet peeve is the writer who says they don't read how-to books on writing because: 1) they don't want to write like someone else or b) they'd rather learn as they go and just write (the frustrating trial-and-error method).

Okay, so there are how-to books that basically say "write like this and you'll sell a blockbuster." There are also far more how-to books by authors that spout the rhetoric of bygone fiction philosophies. I should know, I've read some 400 how-to books on fiction writing over the years.

For those wondering, my shelves hold a meager forty keepers in the way of how-to books. Those are the books that teach concisely and clearly. Interestingly enough, the best of the best on my shelves are by multi-published authors who teach writing at universities known for their fiction writers. And, hey, good teachers know how to teach. I consider each of those author-teachers to be my mentors.

Which brings me back to the old trial and error learning, the write-as-you-go experience. Trial and error is a time-sucker. It  creates frustrations and causes stories to dead-end or get completely out of hand by going in first one direction then another. Another thing about trial and error is that it actually reinforces bad writing habits. And I know first-hand that bad writing habits are darn hard to unlearn. However, you can't learn fiction techniques if you don't know what they are and, more importantly, why they work and when to use them.

Now, some will say they can get writing how-to's at online blogs and writing websites. Trouble is, the information isn't going to be very comprehensive. The Internet is known for brief blogs and essays, which gives an overview of just an aspect of the device or technique. The best how-to books are tens of thousands of words that cover all aspects of a fiction-writing device or technique. So, the more you know, the better choices you can make for your style of writing fiction. And to know means not just reading a how-to book, but STUDYING the technique and doing exercises to convince your story-telling self to use them in your stories. This is part of "the learning curve."

If you think I spent a fortune on how-to books, well, that's not so. I always go to the local libraries and get a copy or request a library loan for one. If I discover a "keeper," I'll buy myself a copy and study it, adding tools of the trade to my repertoire.

If you ask me which of my keeper books tops my list as the very best one, it is ON WRITING WELL by William Zinsser. It may be billed as a book for nonfiction writing, but it actually changed my thinking and attitude on writing well and telling a story well— and it had advice on writing good fiction.

So, do you read — or do you read, study, and practice — fiction writing techniques from how-to books? If you do, what's the one book that top's your list?

 ***THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH - October 2014 - Don't put your whole story into one file because ...

  ***My September and October workshops:

--Candid Characters (what's hidden in the answers to those character questionnaires)
--Writing Believable Dialogue
--Bloopers and Writing Blunders
--Characters, Clues and Creativity
--Prologues–do you really need one?
--The Master Project Bible
--Show, Don't Tell


Information is at —  http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/workshops.html

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August 2014 - Don't write for your college professor

 
Who do you write for? Is it your grade school teacher? Is it your high school teacher? Is it your college professor?

Okay, so over your lifetime, you likely wrote for all three of those teachers. They taught you to use words and symbols (the English language) to convey ideas. Yet to write good fiction, you will write for a different audience— "the reader." Your reader.

When writing genre fiction, you write "informally" rather than formally. Formal writing is for literary, academic, or business. But you need the diction, syntax, and vocabulary that a mass-market reader will easily understand. The key words here are "easily understand." How can you tell if you write for the reader? By getting a Flesch-Kincaid score. Just google Flesch-Kincaid and pick one of the free online test sites like https://readability-score.com/.

That F-K score tells you how simple or complex comprehension will be for what you wrote. Dr. Seuss comes in at 1.02 for GREEN EGGS AND HAM. That's first grade level. A grade level of 22 would be grad level.

Now, here's the thing— for fiction, you want a score between fourth and eighth grades. That's where the greatest comprehension level for genre stories is said to be. Otherwise, you're writing for yourself— or professors.  By the way, this blog entry came in at 6.21.

So, if curiosity got the better of you and you took the F-K test, won't you share your score, revelations, or thoughts?

***THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH -
September 2014 - Don't shun how-to books unless . . .

WRITE BETTER, LEARN CRAFT --- isn't it time you attended one of my in-person or online workshops?  This fall's schedule is posted here.

Connect with me  so you are notified of updates to this blog.



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July 2014 - Don't blatantly talk to the reader (Author Intrusion)

Quack, quack, quack . . .


Author Intrusion, or the "intrusive narrator" happens when the author inadvertently or deliberately steps out of the story and directly addresses the reader. Doing so is as intrusive as a quacking duck waddling across the page. You see, Author Intrusions make the reader suddenly realize another "voice" is narrating— or the author is now speaking directly to them (the reader). When either happens, the action of the story stops. The writer is not longer invisible, or working covertly behind the scenes but is center stage.

Most annoying and distracting are Author Intrusions in the form of "spoiler alerts." A phrase like: "little did he realize he'd be dead tomorrow" is such an Author Intrusion. It's a blatant one because that's information the narrative character would not know, see, or realize but which the author, knowing the story or plot, would— and gleefully, it seems, feels compelled to share the information with the reader about what's about to transpire. Thus the drama, the anticipation, and the curiosity that's been keeping the reader reading is gone. Such "spoilers" are not foreshadowing. They actually ruin the story for the reader.

Another type of Author Intrusion is when the writer expounds on themes or takes a stand on an issue (and pontificates or lapses into their personal dogma). Those opinions have very little to do with the character's point-of-view and viewpoint. That's why it is so very important to know the story's characters before writing the story— to know the character's personalities, their "voice" (their diction, syntax, and vocabulary). Such things make characters individuals and independent of the author's interests and opinions.

Coupled with the above is when a writer saturates a story with facts and data (which said writer found so fascinating while doing research or speaking with "experts"). Setting details that bring a scene to life are one thing but swamping the story with too much detail bores the reader.

However, my pet peeve concerning Author Intrusions is when a character of the opposite sex than the writer sounds like the writer’s sex. This happens a lot in romance fiction when the female author portrays her Alpha Male Romantic Lead acting emotionally and angsting like a woman. Worse yet is that female author having this hero spout "feminine" words, which readers recognize and shout, "a guy would never say that!"

It's not easy to identify Author Intrusions because they can be subtle. However, an excellent way to find Author Intrusions is to have critique partners and readers who "hear" the differences in narrating characters and who will note when the author steps on the page or the characters deviate from being "real story people."

Best, of course, would be for the author to develop and cultivate a keen "inner ear" that hears the different narrative voices of the characters and also recognizes words and phrases that are not part and parcel of that character's characters. Again, to know a character before writing the story is an asset.

So, what's your pet peeve when it comes to Author Intrusions?


***THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH -
August 2014's topic—  Don't write for your college professor

ANNOUNCING: I will be giving a hands-on, online course, "Characters, Clues, and Creativity," October 1-31, 2014 hosted by Pennwriters. Details are currently HERE.
 
***  Make sure you're notified when this blog updates by joining my private e-mail list at Connect With Catherine
***Comments and questions on craft are always welcomed and answered either here or, if you prefer, by private email (go to Connect With Catherine)
 
# # #  

June 2014 - Don't repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat . . .

Have you gotten feedback on your writing that says you're repeating words? Okay, so critiquers will often cite repetition of "red flag words" like: was, were, there, so, and, as, just, or but.

However, what I'm addressing this month are words and phrases not so easily found. It's the old can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees syndrome.

You see, every word or phrase leaves an echo in the reader's mind. Words like "the" scarcely leave an echo, but use a word like fortuitous and the "echo" lingers. And lingers.

Now, the Muse, which is your storytelling subconscious, loves rhythm and rhyme. That's why it will latch onto words just to hear them resonate again. And again. Which means that if you use an "echoing" word (like fortuitous) in the next sentence, or the next paragraph or on the next page, the reader has not forgotten that word. The reader, on a subconscious level, begins begins to wonder—  and anticipates— if there will be a payoff when the third repetition occurs. This is also an example of the Rule of Three, which is a good thing if there is a payoff. Not such a good thing if there isn't.

What's the Rule of Three you ask? It's about deliberately repeating something three times, and the third time is a payoff or offers a surprise or results in a wow factor. For example: mention a Winchester rifle in chapter one, then mention the Winchester in chapter eighteen. With that second appearance and "echo," the reader thinks the rifle is VERY important (because it has been mentioned a second time). The reader now anticipates that the rifle will be used a third time. When the gun is used, and in a significant way, that's the payoff. 

Do you know what happens when the reader pays attention to the rifle after the second mention, but the rifle is never brought into play again? On a subconscious level, the reader is irritated— and not likely to enjoy any more stories by that writer.

How do you know if you're repeating words or phrases that don't generate a payoff? Self-editing with a keen internal ear and listening carefully helps.  Better yet is to read passages out loud or have someone read the story and you listen. Even better is to join a critique group or find critique partners who can see the forest for the trees and hear the echos across the valleys of words.

After all, craft enhances talent and craft can be learned. And here's a tip: craft makes the difference between a ordinary writer and a great storyteller.

***This blog is updated the first of each month. Next month: July 2014 — Don't blatantly talk to the reader (Author Intrusion)

*** Note: Act now! 
Make sure you're notified when this blog updates by joining my private e-mail list.

***Comments and questions on craft are always welcomed and answered.






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May 2014 - Don't be a grammar slave master with dialogue

Stop . . .    Stop!      Stop,     "Stop."   'stop' 
Stop—         Stop.      STOP!     Stop!    Stop?


Effective dialogue relies on the placement of punctuation and appropriate grammar (not necessarily correct grammar) so the reader "hears" the tone of the words or thoughts, which, in turn, makes for the distinct voice of the person speaking or thinking those words.
   
With dialogue, the simplest change of a punctuation mark or italics or capitalization can affect how the words are translated by the reader. So, pause a moment and go back and look at— slowly look at— and read each "stop" out loud using the pause or emphasis that the pieces of punctuation call for.

Do you hear the differences?

If you don't, it could be because you are skimming as you read.  In other words, you are just reading the words and ignoring the power and connotation of the punctuation.

You see, in order to "hear" your characters or the story's narrator as they speak or narrate, it's necessary to understand the silence and pause of punctuation marks. After all, readers are not mind readers. They only have the words— and the punctuation— to transform what they're reading into a "visual" and "audio" that is the movie unfolding in their mind when they read.

For those who wonder why I did not include a colon or semicolon among the punctuation, that's because in all the years of my being a secretary, taking dictation and listening to people speak, I have never heard a person use a semicolon or colon (and some of my bosses were very highly educated). But there's also the fact that when a reader sees colons or semicolons on a page of informal/genre fiction, the reader is, for a split second, jerked out of the story world and reminded they are reading. Which means that the colon's and semicolon's use has put a flickering glitch in "the movie" that is a story. Too many glitches and suddenly the story isn't worth reading, is it?

So, when next you revise your fiction, take a look at the punctuation. Does it serve the narrator of your tale? Does is give an accurate voice to your characters?

****AVAILABLE MAY 2, 2014:    (Click the books for more information)

***This blog is updated the first of each month. Topic for June 2014 is --  Don't repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat . . . 

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April 2014 - Don't warm up with a prologue

   

Remember Alice in Wonderland?  Her story started in her ordinary world with her sitting under a tree, reading a boring book. The instant Alice saw the White Rabbit, her life changed. Great stories begin with a protagonist (a hero or heroine) going about their regular life only to have some "white rabbit" appear, plunging them down the rabbit hole of change--and into a wonderland of adventures.

    Alice's story didn't need a prologue. To be honest, a prologue is ineffective for two basic reasons: 

a) the writer has a misconception about what the true purpose of a prologue is, and
b) the prologue has no value to the reader because it is a messages-in-disguise from the writer's storytelling self, which was meant strictly for the writer in order that they could write the story.

     So what is a prologue?  A prologue is a writing device that introduces or foreshadows a foreboding element— one that cannot be incorporated into the main story but which is essential to the reader anxiously worrying, or becoming keenly curious, about what will happen in the story.

    The five "foreboding" elements are:

1) An aura of violence, such as a murder, a heist, a stalker, or the evil emperor about to blow up the universe. The reader anticipates sitting on the edge of their seat to know the story's outcome. The explosive opening of the movie Die Hard With a Vengeance is an example.

2) A sense of the romantic, such as "matchmakers" (children, meddling relatives, friends, neighbors, angels, fortune tellers, etc.) who plot from the onset to get the hero and heroine together.

3) A historical event (real or imaginary depending on the genre) that must be explained to the reader to set the stage. For example, certain time periods in the Crusades, or say the Civil War, where the story is based on a little-known political, moral, ethical, or social issue or the norms of that era. This also applies to science fiction and fantasy where the reader requires an anchor in a new "universe" or an unfamiliar "world order."  Recall the opening of the movie Star Wars. Without that lead-in screen of words, the viewer has no idea where--or when in time--the story takes place.

4) An incident that foreshadows the entire novel. In my novel, KARMA AND MAYHEM, the samurai's reincarnation had to be explained to the reader because the samurai didn't make an actual appearance until Chapter 22. However, because the prologue dealt with the story's stakes and the samurai's part in it, the reader understood the behind-the-scenes actions of that samurai when the characters did not. (By the way, this is the only story I've ever written that needed a prologue.)

5) A sense of drama with a characterizational sketch or vignette that is so important that without it the story would fail for the reader. The ideal use of this technique is to foreshadow the story's antagonist (the villain), leaving no doubt in the reader's mind about the menace that villain poses. If a prologue is a sketch about the protagonist, then that's back history and should be incorporated into the story as the story unfolds. 


    So why are prologues used so promiscuously?  I believe it is a direct result of writers who have not learned to distinguish between what a writer needs to know to form the story and what the reader needs to know to enjoy the story.

    Let me put it another way:  When an idea transforms into a story, the storytelling self provides a bounty of information, much blatantly obvious, some disguised in metaphors and imagery, and an initial "prologue dump." Sure, every word acquaints the writer with the characters and the story's plot and conflict, but does the reader need to know all of that from the very start? No.

    Dealing with what the writer must know, and the reader needs to know, is like having a conversation between Alice (the writer's logical self) and the Cheshire Cat (the paradoxical storytelling self). In the confusing banter, a prologue may initially seem worthwhile, but unless it meets the criteria of one of the five foreshadowing elements, the reader isn't likely to find the rabbit hole.

    So, when a story begins, isn't it better to forgo the use of a prologue and, instead, produce a White Rabbit for the reader to chase through the pages of a grand adventure?

***for a copy of the complete article "The Purpose of Prologue" go to: http://www.rimstoneconceptsllc.com/Purpose-of-Prologue-PUB-0005.htm


**** This blog is updated the first of each month.  May's topic: Don't be a grammar slave master with dialogue

****Be sure to use the contact form for my private mailing list, which will notify you when this blog is updated, just go  here or join me at my author's group (they get the news first!)
    # # #

March 2014 - Don't get cute with spellings or names

Photo by C.E.McLean@2013

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet is commonly quoted from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet argues that the names of things do not matter, only what things are.

    If you're a writer, I can't stress enough that a name is the first tag of identification a reader SEES when they read a story. That name makes a first, and a lasting, impression that doesn't allow for do-overs.

    You see, the moment a reader's eyes alight on a name, the voice inside their head sounds out that name. As the sound resonates, the mind calls forth references accumulated in the subconscious over a lifetime of media input (TV, books, movies, etc.) and real life encounters of real people. The mind then conjures "a person" to belong to that name. The question is: does the reader's image match the one the author had in mind?  For example:       Eli   or   Elli  
    The first name, Eli, is a male name.  The second, Elli, is a female name. One L is the deciding factor between a male and a female character to the reader.

    I share this with you because I once found the above name in a published short story. When I came to the word Eli, my mind went to an archetype of characteristics for a male protagonist (a proud man, with a dynamic nature and with the drive of a biblical man of authority.)  It took several paragraphs before I realized that the name I was sounding out in my head was doing feminine things. That confused me. Then, in one telling sentence with pronoun references, it became clear that the name was misspelled and should have been Elli, a woman.

    My reaction was to stop reading right then and there. My second reaction was "how dare the author confuse me!" Well, such reactions are typical of most readers. Once "hoodwinked" like that, readers become skeptical about the author's credibility to tell a story. The result is that hoodwinked readers avoid buying or reading by that author again. 

    Now if you're thinking: why didn't the editor catch this before publication? I have no idea—and that short story was not an e-published one but from a reputable hard-cover press.

    So, here's a cheat-sheet worthy bit of advice:

    * avoid incorrectly spelled gender names (don't let the reader think it's a woman when it's a man)
    * avoid using gender-neutral name if at all possible for they can become extremely confusing (for example: Sidney and Noel had a date. Which is female? Which male? Or are they of the same sex?)
    * avoid names that are impossible to pronounce except by the author
    * avoid names that sound alike and/or start with the same letter of the alphabet, thus creating sing-song names (for example: Bill, Jill, Phil, Lil, Will)
    * avoid innovative spellings of names that can't be quickly sounded out by syllables (in other words, no Zacoetkatanahtku which will make the reader work so hard they end up calling the character "Bob" or "Z" or "Zaco")
* avoid inventing names because they will have no obvious meaning  (every name has a hidden or obvious meaning associated with it, for example: Sarah, Sara, Sarrah, Saree, Xara, Jada, Sorcha, and all the other forms of Sarah mean "princess." In other words, no matter how her name is spelled or in what language, a Sarah will embody some aspect of a princess. Whether that "princess" quality is good or evil, well, that's another story.)

    So, strive for simple, archetype names, and names with built-in characteristics of character (not stereotypes). Strive to use names that resonate consciously and subconsciously by their sound quality. And, lastly, strive for spellings that look as good as the name sounds. That's triple insurance to insure heroes, heroines, and villains vividly come alive on the page for the reader.

    After all, a rose by any other name just might not smell the same.



**** This blog is updated the first of each month. 
         April 2014 - Don't warm up with a prologue

To be notified of updates to this blog, join me at Starscape Fiction  (at -  http://tinyurl.com/StarscapeFictionGroup )

PS - I'm thinking about giving a workshop on "The Noise of Their Name" - everything a writer needs to know about generating and using names for characters (heroes, heroines, villains, sidekicks, etc.), places, props, weapons, gadgets, businesses, ships, aliens, fantasy creatures, etc. If you'd like to be notified about this workshop, please go here.




@ 2014 Catherine E. McLean


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01 FEB 2014 - Don't ignore story and scene structures

Readers don't care how a story is structured as long as it's enjoyable to read. However, as a writer who wants to generate a story that readers will enjoy, that means using story and scene structures.

So just what is a story? Basically, a story is about someone going on a journey. Yep, it's as simple as that. But here's the thing: that "journey" can be heart rending, mind-blowingly psychological, or even life-threatening. As to who takes that journey, it's the protagonist. No one else. Lastly, that journey will have a beginning, a middle, and an ending.  And the journey will actually begins where something happens that necessitates an interesting protagonist, in an interesting setting, making their goal one of confronting an interesting antagonist.

Did you notice the key words "interesting." After all, not just any protagonist will do. Not just any setting will do. Not just any antagonist will do. You see, the reader wants larger-than-life protagonists, heroes and heroines.

Also, most of the story hinges on what opposes the hero or heroine. The antagonist is that opposition. But here's the thing: an antagonist can be a single dastardly villain or a series of "complicating characters," who may or may not be evil per se but who make life miserable or difficult for the protagonist. Antagonist also run the gauntlet from aliens, entities, evil monsters, Nature, and, yes, even to the protagonist being his own worst enemy.

Keep in mind that it's in the significant confrontations that a protagonist's and an antagonist's true ethics and morals are put to the test. Such confrontations also have dire consequences, which is called "high stakes" — it's what's "at stake." 

A marketable story showcases characters in conflict utilizing a series of happenings called scenes. Again, the reader doesn't see the structure of a story let alone the scene's structure, but the writer needs to hone their writing skills in order to pull off a good-to-great scene, and then know if that scene should be followed with a sequel. Scene structure is: a character (usually the protagonist) going after a goal, but their efforts are thwarted, and they end up failing. However, maybe they get the goal they sought, but then something unexpected happens and the character is in bind. Sequel structure happens after then "scene disaster." This is when the protagonist goes off to regroup or lick their wounds and tries to figure out just what went wrong and why. It's an emotional reaction followed by analysis of ways to fix the problem, and ends with a new goal being set. Which is then followed by the scene to obtain that new goal. Here's a tip: sequels can flow like a scene. Here's another tip: not all scenes are followed with a sequel.

Here's a third tip: Using scene-and-sequel structure ensures the reader understands what's going on and becomes immersed so deeply into the story world's characters that the reader forgets what time of day it is and keeps turning pages. In other words, scene-sequel structure paces a story.

Scene and sequel structure is not a topic easily condensed. There are books on the subject. So, if you're a writer who wants to become a good storyteller, then isn't it time you read a few how-to books on the subject and learned the art and craft of scene-sequel structures?

***THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH -
March 2014 - Don't get cute with spellings or names

January 2014 - Don't write wall-to-wall words

Seven years ago, I started writing these 'cheat sheet' posts. Looking back, I found the first year's series of do's and don'ts was so worthwhile that I'm going back to that theme. Let's begin with: Don't write wall to wall words.

Just one caveat: if you write literary fiction, you probably don't have to consider wall-to-wall words. That's the nature of literary writing. However, if your aim is genre and mass market fiction, then you will want to avoid wall-to-wall words, which amounts to a visual brick wall to a reader when they eye a page.

Want to know if you have a wall-to-wall word problem? There's a simple test for it.  Print out five pages to a chapter of your short story or novel. Why a print out? Because you need to line the sheets up to see the paragraphing flow. Next, take a highlighter and mark those five or so blank spaces of every paragraph's indentation. Now, count how many indents you have to a page, and watch to see whether a big paragraph at the bottom of one page continues as a big paragraph onto the next page. If you have four (4) or fewer paragraphs per page, you likely have wall-to-wall words.

If you discover you have wall-to-wall words, what do you do? You go back to the basics of what a paragraph is. A paragraph is a unit of one topic sentence followed by a few sentences that deal with that topic. When the topic changes, that's a new paragraph. Often what happens in those big, long paragraphs is that too many "topics" or "ideas" or "actions" were put together.

When writing fiction, think of paragraphing like this:

The reader is in a theater seat watching the story play out on a stage. Onto that stage comes Character A. The reader is fascinated by Character A and keeps their attention on Character A while he handles props, moves about, thinks, breathes, and speaks.

Now Character B comes on stage to interact with Character A. The instant that Character B entered, the reader immediately switches their attention to what Character B is doing and saying. When Character A replies or reacts to Character B, the reader must switch their attention back to Character A. In other words, every switch of the reader's attention means a new paragraph.

Such switching also applies to a noise or other stage business happening either on stage (like a phone ringing) or a car backfiring on the street outside.  In a nutshell, any worthwhile distraction that the reader must pay attention to gets paragraphed.

All those paragraph indentations add white space to a page. And if you're writing high action scenes, you'll have very short sentence and lots of paragraphing. If the pace is to be slower, you'll have longer paragraphs and longer sentences.

So, did you take the test, and if so, won't you comment on the results?

****This blog is updated the first of each month.  February 2014 - Don't ignore story and scene structures

-SPECIAL NOTE- January 8, 2014, is the deadline for registering for my online workshop, "Revision Boot Camp" which runs Jan. 13-31, 2014.

 # # #

December 2013 - Why write as well as you can?

Why write as well as you can?  Because (you fill in the blank).

In truth, it doesn't matter what your reason or motivation for writing is, what matters more is— are you writing as well as you possibly can? But how do you know if your writing stacks up to publication quality or reader satisfaction?

If you're a writer who cannot not write, and writing is important to you, then you have probably sought out people and critique groups, shown them your work, and wondered about, hated, or loved their feedback. I call it feedback— a word with kinder and more helpful overtones than critiques and their harsh criticisms.

Now, writers form or join both in-person and online groups not only for feedback but also for comradery. After all, only another writer understands a writer, their problems with the writing life, and with storytelling— especially how to get the words onto a page that are coherent and immediately understandable.

I must confess to having run the gauntlet of writers' groups as I strove to become a published author. I have experienced everything from the blind leading the blind (all novices who had no clue what fiction is about) to the social-only groups (food, drink, and be merry). And over the years, there have been the smattering of genre specific groups, like RWA (Romance Writers of America) and OWW (Online Writing Workshop), but only one organization has saved my sanity and given me feedback on my work and the industry that has made such a difference in my writing life.

That group is comprised of an eclectic mix of novice to multi-published and award-winning storytellers who represent all facets of writing—fiction, nonfiction, journalists, memoir, poetry, screenwriting, and more. It's a network of people who believe in their organization's creed to help a writer achieve their writing goals. That organization is: Pennwriters (www.Pennwriters.Org).

I'll even confess that I've belonged to Pennwriters for 18 years now and that the members honored me with the 2010 Meritorious Service Award for volunteering my time and talents to the organization.

By now you might think I'm rambling, but the point I want to make is this: if you are serious about knowing how well you write, keep seeking writers who can help you learn, improve, and achieve your writing goals. Yes, you might find a group that is too focused and too brutal in their criticism. Then again you might find the opposite type of group, the "hand holders," who only give praise, not constructive feedback. But you need feedback in order to achieve your publishing dreams, so network among your fellow writers. In this holiday season where New Year's resolutions are pending, why not make your 2014 New Year's resolution to find one group. Just one. And if that one fails to help you, find another, and another and another until you discover "the group" that enables you and your writing. 

Wishing you all the best with your writing endeavors,

Catherine E. McLean

Copyright Material @ 2013

~~~~~

This blog is updated the first of each month. 

JANUARY 2014 - DON'T WRITE WALL-TO-WALL WORDS

* HATE REVISING YOUR FICTION?  
Then enroll in "Revision Boot Camp" - an online workshop, January 13 to 31, 2014. Click here for details, fees, and registration information. Early-bird discount until January 1. Limited enrollment.  Act now!
# # #

NOVEMBER 2013 - Rewriting or Revising, are they the same?

Rewrite means to write from the beginning and make significant changes, or to redo the same theme or idea or story but differently.

Revising means to edit, reorganize, update, improve, refresh, retool, amend, paraphrase, rephrase, or reword.

So, technically rewriting is not revising. Trouble is, writers often use the terms synonymously. Yet, we writer know we must rewrite and revise, cut and paste, trim, and make changes so that the person reading our words can understand the message, or thes tory, we intended for them.

But are we good self-editors? I think that all depends on the individual's mindset, how they learned to write, and, more importantly, if they understand that writing to communicate and writing fiction take a different skill set.

In school, we learned to write and use the English language. We learned and used punctuation and grammar rules. We increased our vocabularies. We learned to report and be factual, unemotional. That's fine for nonfiction, journalism, and the corporate world but not good when it comes to fiction. By my count, there are 144 aspects to writing fiction, and they cannot be learned overnight or in one fell swoop.

You've probably heard me say it a dozen times that these days anyone with a computer thinks they can write The Great American Novel or the next New York Times Best Seller. The reality is that millions do write a novel. However, instead of learning fiction devices and techniques to present a story for a reader, they self-publish and then wonder why their stories don't sell. Or they offer their stories for free. I came across a statistic last month: there are estimated to be 15 Million new titles published/self-published this year online. For readers, finding a good book among them is equal to searching for a needle in a haystack.

So, how does an author rise above the masses? They do it with ruthless editing. And, again, we are not talking punctuation and grammar. We're talking about various aspects of great storytelling. To the serious writer, editing means switching from creative mode to self-editing those first rounds of revision and rewriting passages for clarity and vividness. And now, as you might have guessed, I'm going to plug the "Revision Boot Camp" online workshop that will showcase the self-editing process and how to handle it step-by-step instead of en masse. That workshop will be held January 13-31, 2014. Oh, and there is an early-bird discount available until January 1. Registration fees and details are at http://tinyurl.com/RevisionBootCamp2014


This blog is updated the first of each month. Comments and questions are always welcome.

December 2013 - Why write as well as you can?

@ 2013 Catherine E. McLean
Join me at Starscape Fiction to be notified of updates to this blog- at -
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October 2013 - Fear and Confidence

Halloween.

Fright Night.

Being afraid keeps us safe, makes us hyper-alert, cautious.  Yet fear often undermines us, our intent, or embarrasses us. It's what we don't know or refuse to see or listen to that will undo all the best of intentions. Or so it seems. Confidence is knowing. Knowledge is power. Identify the fear and we can confront it, deal with it, and grow as a writer.

So, how about we compile a list of spooks -- writer's fears? As a writer what is your fear? Is it a spooky thing or a monster? Why is it your worst or nagging fear? Is it writer's block? Is it the embarrassment of writing up-close-and-personal about a character or a steamy sex scene? Is it a fear of being criticized, humiliated? Is it __________ (you fill in the blank).

Well, don't sit there, staring at this page. Put your hands onto that keyboard and post your fear-comment with a comment, or do a journal entry for yourself that need not be shared with anyone. But in doing that writing, maybe you'll discover your fear isn't the monster you think it is.

Oh, if you're wondering if I have a writing fear, well, yes, I do. My fear is that because no one leaves a comment on this blog, no one reads my posts. No one hears me. I am alone on the page. Then again, if the comment feature isn't working, would someone please report it to me by clicking here.

***This blog is updated the first of each month. NOVEMBER's topic will be Rewriting or Revising, are they the same?

HATE REVISING YOUR FICTION? Then enroll in "Revision Boot Camp" - an online workshop, January 13 to 31, 2014. Click here for details, fee, and registration information. Early-bird discount until January 1. Limited enrollment.  Act now!


@2013 by Catherine E. McLean  * www.CatherineEmclean.com
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