Structured Creativity Liberates

 October, November, and December 2016


 

Imagination and creativity may be the source of tales, but without a logical way to present the story, the reader won't buy the book and the reader won't be able to suspend their disbelief in a fictional or fantastic world.

It's a fact that logic and creativity are at odds with each other. It's also a fact that logic will always trump creativity.

I believe writers should stop the battle between logic and creativity. The two can work together. The two can become a system that works to structure creativity and produce work in a timely fashion, which nets the writer less frustration.

One of the tools of structuring creativity is the development and use of cheat sheets. Such cheat sheets take the form of forms, lists, questions, and reminders. Reminders can be instructions to do this and not to do that. Reminders can be material taken from online or how-to book sources (sort of refreshing both the logical mind and the subconscious).

Ideally, such forms, such cheat sheets, will add just enough structure to avoid countless rewrites, going off on tangents, and ending up with a story that fizzles.

When drafting a story, most writers put down the first thing that comes to mind, which invariably turns out to not fit the story or scene or character. Once the writer realizes the problem, or has a critique partner point out the problem, the writer quits the tale. Why? Because they don't know how to fix the problem or it's just too much trouble to go back and make changes.

So, if you're finally frustrated with story ideas that dwindle to oblivion or minor characters taking over the story, or the story hanging a hard left turn into a corner, or you hate rewriting ad infinitum, then consider structuring your creativity.

One example of a cheat sheet that will prevent a secondary character from taking over the story is a "Master Character Work Sheet." This master form will be used solely for the story's protagonist, antagonist, and if you have one, the Second Major Character who is usually the Romantic Lead.

This master sheet can take whatever form you need. It might be a questionnaire or interview sheet or a list of key questions to get at the core of the characters values and morals. Those questions also cover appearance, family history, work history, education, likes and dislikes, and the way the character thinks and acts. No other character in the story gets such scrutiny or attention except the three main characters.

Best of all, you get to know those main characters and how they are alike and opposite. You'll discover what buttons to push to drive them and the plot and the story. You may also discover the theme of the story and realize the inevitable resolution. All of this done before writing that first draft. All of this done without wasting words or rewriting. And when you do write the draft, it will be so much better. And don't forget, there will always be rewrites because only a genius could turn out a perfect manuscript from the get-go.

Someone will say structuring creativity and creating forms is time consuming. They'd rather write and find out as they go. Okay, then as you finish your day's writing, post what you learned to your character worksheets and other forms or lists. That way you'll prevent contradictions and inaccuracies.

Keep in mind that all story worksheets must be tailored for you because no two minds create alike.

Although I discourage people from using online and forms in how-to books on writing, there is nothing wrong with picking out salient points and questions to form your own work sheets.

Lastly, every producing writer has a process. The definition of "process" is: a particular course of action intended to achieve a result.

If you want to write more fluidly, turn out completed stories that readers will enjoy, then consider how liberating it will be to have forms to keep you on track and which help you create twists and turns in a plot that will wow readers.

For a list of 2017 Topics, go to: http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/blog-schedules.html

 Click on the logo to get FREE Cheat Sheets for - 

What is Story?

10 Types of Writers

POV-Viewpoint - how hard is it to learn

Also available:  Terrific Titles - the all-inclusive Guide to Creating Story Titles

3 Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

for JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER 2016


There are lists published on the Internet and in many how-to write fiction books stating the biggest mistakes new writers make. Some lists deal with storytelling, others craft elements, and others are wish lists by editors and agents on what mistakes they wish novice writers would stop making.

I have my own lists, but in this blog post, I want to address the three things I see as handicapping new writers and the self-published writer. They are:

1) Illusion vs. Reality.  The illusion— just because a writer got A's in English or praised for their writing in school, that qualifies them to write and publish their work without needed input from editors or beta readers or even other, more experienced writers and authors.

The reality is this— becoming a storyteller, not just the average writer, means finding out and learning precisely what the rules and guidelines are for writing fiction that sells.

Here's another reality check— By my last count, there are one hundred and forty-four (144) aspects to writing good fiction and telling a story well. How many do you know? How many have you mastered until they appear naturally a you write?

Another reality— too many writers would rather write then learn fiction techniques and devices. Yet, here's the thing— talent will take a writer only so far. It is craft that enhances talent and liberates creativity. Best of all, craft can be learned.

Oh, right, the reality— Learning is not fun, it's hard work. Writing is the fun stuff. Look at it this way: if you wanted to learn to swim, would you go and jump into the deep end of a pool?

Not a good idea you say? Well, you're right. You're more likely to drown then learn to swim. Instead, you would start in the shallow end of the pool with people who know how to swim and who would coach you, or you would take lessons from professionals at the pool's facility. You'd start off learning to float, advance to swim strokes, and if you really liked swimming and were good at it, you would take more lessons to learn breaststrokes and butterfly strokes. In other words, your talent for swimming would be boosted tremendously. Why, you might even be good enough to swim with the big guys in the Olympics.

As a writer, it's the same thing. Don't jump into the pool of writing, floundering, drowning in the sea of millions of other writers publishing on the Internet.

Here's another reality check, a statistic. A few months ago I came across a statement that 4,500 books are added EACH DAY to the 15 million already out there. How is your book going to stand out? I likely won't unless it is a well told and well written story that appeals to readers.

So, make it your mission to become that special someone who has mastered fiction writing to become a true storyteller. Be that special someone who can grab and hold a reader's attention and take them on a fantastic journey.


2)Failure to understand what a story is and where a story actually starts.  In a nutshell, a well-told story is about an interesting character in an interesting setting, facing an interesting problem. That interesting character is, of course, the protagonist and by the end of the tale he or she has solved the problem and learned a life-lesson or have achieved something valuable.

Unfortunately, it's not easy to get to the point of a story (the plot's theme). Stories tend to come in bits and pieces, what-ifs, and so on. There's figuring out the setting, who's who in the story, ad infinitum.

Rarely are the first words written down the beginning of the story. In actuality (the reality), ninety-percent of what the writer knows won't go into the story. That's right, only ten percent of all that information a writer has to know to figure out the story ends up being what is necessary for the reader to know to enjoy the story.

However, the story can't be distilled and knitted into a tale worth a reader's hard earned money without the writer's explorations into plot and extrapolations of characters.

Think of it this way— writing is like looking at an iceberg. Ten percent floats above the sea. The ninety percent below sea level supports the visible. 

Or, you might think of it as the writer writes a snowstorm of words but a storyteller is master of sculpting that snow, compacting it, into brilliant worlds of wonder and awe.


3) Failure to join a writer's group before attempting to publish (be that traditionally, self-publish or independently published) and to understand the quality of fiction writing needed for a story to appeal to readers (including editors and agents).

The reality is that only another writer knows what a writer goes through from the idea that sparks a story to the finished, camera-ready or digital-ready copy. In the current publishing world, it's also necessary that writers market their own work, regardless of who publishes the book.

And again, drawing on the analogy of learning to swim from earlier in this post— it's a lot easier to learn to swim with others who are learning and from those that have already mastered how to swim.

In addition to joining a writer's group, a writer can teach themselves about the various aspects of a novel or short story. However, to test that knowledge or to figure out the full impact of an aspect, it helps to know people who have successfully used it, understand the pros and cons of it, and why and how to tweak the "guidelines" or "rules" because there is a valid reason to do so.

Another reality check— a writer should be a voracious reader. This helps avoid cliched or tropes that are unsalable.

In addition, reading helps learn things by osmosis. That is, by reading good storytelling, the subconscious mind better understands the underpinnings of a story or a character's arc (even if the conscious mind doesn't).

Another aspect is to fully understand that words have weight, connotation, denotation, and a sound. There are even degrees, like pique is not the same thing as wrath (the two are extremes of anger). Same for love, hate, etc. In other words, a storyteller is a wordsmith.


Some reading this will keep their blinders on because the fantasy of writing and creating is what gives them a life-high. Reality burst such bubbles. And yet, reality is the key to success. Learning can be fun. And nothing beats the fireworks-burst of joy when readers crave your stories.

***********
NEXT UPDATE TO THIS BLOG: October 1 —  Structured Creativity Liberates 

 Click on the logo to get FREE Cheat Sheets for - 

What is Story?

10 Types of Writers

POV-Viewpoint - how hard is it to learn

Also available:  Terrific Titles - the all-inclusive Guide to Creating Story Titles

Said is dead... Really?

Another list of synonyms and words to substitute for "said" came in my email box recently. From time to time, I copy such lists and file them in my "verb" binder because they remind me not to follow such rhetoric.

However, before I hit the delete button on this latest list for said substitutes, I realized the words came from a list being used in grade school. Students who are given such lists are being encouraged to broaden their verb vocabularies, which is a good thing. Only what is good for the student isn't necessarily good when writing fiction.

Okay, so technically said is a verb, but it can also be an adjective. More importantly, when writing fiction, said is part of a speech tag that shows who's talking. The trouble with most substitutes for said is that they constitute "telling" not "showing." When writing fiction, showing is better than telling. For example, if a person wrote: "You did it," John said, pointing his finger at Matt. This is a basic bit of dialogue with a speech tag that has a beat (or stage business).

Yet, what really shows the accusation is the dialogue itself, "You did it" coupled with the stage business (or beat) of "pointing his finger at Matt." Then again, this can be shown even better as: John pointed his finger at Matt. "You did it!"

On the other hand, if you follow the rhetoric of swapping words, like "accused" for said, you get: "You did it, Matt," John accused. This is not only awkward but also blatant telling. Sadly, I see too much of this in newbie writers' manuscripts and in self- and independently-published novels.

Other things I noticed on the list of said substitutes were such words as barked, bawled, bleated, and bubbled. You can't bark and talk at the same time. That's a physical impossibility. Okay, so commands can be "barked out" by someone giving orders. For example: The sergeant barked out, "Give me twenty!" Every recruit dropped to the ground and did twenty pushups.

Out of curiosity, I checked a more lengthy list (four pages) that was in my file. I wondered how many were "telling" verbs, and how many could safely be swapped when writing fiction. Here's what I discovered:

    Total words on the list: 397
   
    Number of words that worked as listed when swapped out for said: 8 (hollered, yelled, shouted, whispered, muttered, mumbled, replied, and answered).
   
    Number of words that worked if "out" was added to them: 35  
(examples: barked out, cried out, blurted out, hissed out, and wheezed out).
   
    That left a balance of 354 synonyms for said.

Some of those remaining synonyms were rather odd words that should be avoided, like: bossed, preached, professed, empathized, acquiesced, ad-libbed, advocated, foretold, granted, decreed, nagged, itemized, and resumed. (They are "telling" not "showing.")

There were also some baffling words on the list. One was exclaimed, which is so cliched because if there is an exclamation point, the reader knows the words are exclaimed. Then there was whistled. I would like to hear dialogue whistled, wouldn't you?

Of course, if pages of fiction are peppered with saids, something should be done to not only eliminate as many saids as possible but to also convert most of those "telling" words into beats or stage business.

However, if you've drafted a story using synonym substitutes for said, perhaps you should resurrect a few saids. After all, to most readers, said is as invisible as the word "the."

For the remaining synonyms you've used for said, consider those red-flag words of warning to revise and show instead of tell. 

 Click on the logo to get FREE Cheat Sheets for

What is Story?

10 Types of Writers

POV-Viewpoint - how hard is it to learn

Also available:  Terrific Titles - the all-inclusive Guide to Creating Story Titles

# # #

2016 - New Year, new format

January, February, March Edition

In order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take the time and care to cultivate it.  –Julia Cameron

Do you believe a writer is born not made?

Do you believe that something as intrinsic as storytelling cannot be taught?

Do you believe that there is something mysterious about the creative process?

Well, I'm a realist. I believe that the true definition of a writer is what Sol Stein said: "A writer is someone who cannot not write."

That is, regardless of whether or not said writer ever gets published or self-publishes, they cannot stop writing the story or the stories of their heart.

But here's what strikes me as curious—newbie writers think what they've been taught about English and prose is good enough for writing fiction. It's not. Why? Because it takes a step-by-step learning process to master techniques and devices of fiction writing to tell a story so well that readers cannot put the story down until they get to "the end."

And let me be the first to burst the bubble about creativity. It's nothing more than your imagination. That imagination is part of your subconscious. That imagination is part of who you are. It's not to be feared or put on a pedestal like some god. So, get to know that imagination, your child within who thinks outside the box to create stories.

Now, think about this:

If you want to swim and compete in a swimming contest or Olympics, do you go to the nearest pool and jump into the deep end, expecting your instinct will allow you to swim lap upon lap like a pro?

Chances are you'll sink to the bottom and drown. To learn to swim you might go to the Y and take a fundamental swimming course, then you advance to other courses that teach techniques and styles of swimming. You practice. You learn to swim well, and then you enter a meet and test yourself against other swimmers to see where you stand.

If you want to win first place in a horse competition, you don't buy a horse and then enter a horse show. You buy the horse, you get someone to teach you the basics of how to ride and control the horse. Then you advance to a riding instructor that teaches you to be one with the horse, to sit properly in the saddle, to balance properly, to control the horse with your body movements.  Then you test your ability in the show ring.

If you want to learn to break boards with a karate chop, you don't just slap a plank. You take karate lessons, starting with the fundamentals and working up to that chop.

Can you name any endeavor that doesn't require understanding techniques? 

Oh, so you think because you got A's in English and your teachers say you have a flare for prose that you know fiction writing? Think again. I have cataloged 144 aspects to fiction writing. All have to be mastered in order to tell a story well and which are needed to engage a reader and submerge them in a story world.

So if you want to go from writing the ordinary, pedestrian, and amateur stories and novels to writing ones that will stand out among the 4,500 new works being added each day to the already fifteen million books currently being published, isn't it time to learn the craft elements of fiction and storytelling? 

And here's the beauty of it—

            Writers are self-taught.

The information is out there. The courses, classes, tutoring, mentoring, and self-help books, videos, workshops, and conference. There are even writer's groups that should be joined in order to learn craft elements, bounce ideas off of, and get the facts about storytelling that works.

Talent only takes a writer so far. It's craft that enhances and liberates creativity. Craft can be learned.

May your New Year be one of where your writing resolutions are fulfilled.

Wishing you much success with all your writing,

Catherine E. McLean

***Comments are always welcome. Questions are always answered.
 
Connect with Catherine HERE  and join her private email list for updates to this blog and for notices of upcoming courses and workshops.

****As announced last month, the Writers Cheat Sheet Blog is going to a quarterly update this year so I have more time to write stories as well as making time for the many workshops and courses I'm scheduled to present.

Next topic (April, May, June): Said is not Dead    

Upcoming online workshops -
"Hooks" for NEORWA, January 10-24, 2016
"Cause & Effect Sequences" for Pennwriters, Feb. 1-29, 2016  
...........

December 2015 — Read It Again

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

When revising, the focus should be on clarity, with vigilance to the exact meaning of words and how they provide vivid imagery. - Catherine E. McLean

A first draft holds the possibility of what will be a great story. Revision turns that rough diamond into a spectacular gem worth a reader's money and time.

If you have systematically gone through your manuscript and made changes for all the elements covered in this year's twelve-part series on revision, now it's time to print a fresh hard copy to read it through.

This read-through is to make sure all the changes you made worked to better the flow and to create vivid word pictures. As you read, use a red pen (or other vivid colored pen) to mark any  typos or spelling or homonym errors you might discover.

Once done fixing those final read-through glitches, you may think your manuscript is the best you can make it, but it isn't ready for the world just yet. Now it's time to give your manuscript to someone who will give you honest, "reader" feedback. That's right, you want "fresh eyes" to see the story. You want beta readers.

How do you find beta readers? One way is to network on blogs for your genre, or by going to writing conferences or workshops and making friends with people who like to read your genre.

If you're planning on going the self-published or independently-published route, you need not only beta readers but also the best fiction editor you can afford. With 4,500 books a day being added to the already 15 million available, your works needs to stand out from the rest, and that means quality storytelling that's been ruthlessly self-edited and then edited professionally.

As always, persevere in telling a story well.

One last thing, in 2016, the Writers Cheat Sheet Blog will be updated quarterly instead of monthly. I'm changing the schedule because of the increased workshop and course instructions I'll be doing. I also want time to write and market my own fiction. So, the topics for 2016 will be:

     January, February, and March 2016 - Become the writer you want to be
     April, May and June 2016 - Said is not Dead
     July, August, and September 2016 - 3 Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make
     October, November, and December 2016 - Structured Creativity Liberates
 

Have a Happy Holiday Season and a Wonderful New Year,

Catherine E. McLean   

**** WARNING – the free PDFs that went with this series will be removed Jan. 1st, 2016.
 
*** 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.

*** Upcoming 2016 Workshops: 
             January - HOOKS
                    February - CAUSE & EFFECT SEQUENCES
        Information is at:  http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/upcoming-workshops.html

*** IN 2016, these posts will be put into one file for downloading. To be notified when this is available, Connect With Catherine at
http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/connect-with-catherine.html
 
*** "Terrific Titles—an all inclusive guide to creating story titles" and other Writers Cheat Sheets are available HERE.
 
***Free Holiday Recipes! http://www.catherineemclean.com/giveaway.html
# # #

#11 Revision is a Process

 November 2015 --- Punctuation Pitfalls 
                                 & Grammar Glitches
 This is Part 11 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 - Catherine E. McLean - All Rights Reserved
 
Voice won't matter if the reader can't get past grammatical errors flaring brighter than fireworks on the 4th of July. — Flo Fitzpatrick


You don't have to be a grammar guru or an English major to be a good writer. However, what you need to become, and strive for, is the awareness of the sound of silence or the pause of emphasis that punctuation adds to the narrative and how they make the words flow.

To put it another way, you have to develop an inner ear that hears the pause and a mind that knows whether that's you mentally taking a breath or it's a legitimate pause that requires a piece of punctuation.

Punctuation provides the road signs for the reader so they can grasp the sound and flow of the words. So, let's look at—

PUNCTUATION MARKS:

Period = Halt/Stop, then go on

Comma = a "brief-breath pause" to separate or set off words, clauses, or phrases

Ellipses = RED FLAG - DANGER: When writing genre fiction, an ellipses means TO TRIAL OFF (nothing else). If your text or dialogue isn't trailing off to nothingness, don't use ellipses. Likely you need a period or a dash or the sentence restructured.

Italics = emphasis, telepathic conversation, answering oneself, foreign names, unfamiliar terms, etc. Resist using italics for one word or words with three or fewer letters. Why? Because they go unseen. You might hear the emphasis, but chances are your reader won't. And, do not pepper a page with italics or fill pages with italics. (Yes, there exceptions, there are always exceptions.)

Underlining = on hard copy it indicates italics (see italics above)

ALL CAPS = shouting (to be used rarely). When combined with an exclamation point, it is yelling, rage, or extreme excitement.

Exclamation Point = emphasis, surprise, excitement (sounds two to four octaves higher when read) RED FLAG DANGER: it's overused to the point of peppering pages and dialogue. Limit yourself to one exclamation point per chapter.

Dash = an abrupt truncation of dialogue or thought— or an interruption to add in a new thought, explanation or information. (Like I just did.)

A pair of dashes usually sets off inserted material—like this—but again, don't pepper pages with dashes. PLEASE NOTE: Dashes dash along so the reader keeps reading. Dashes take the place of semicolons and colons in informal writing and genre fiction.

Question Mark = a question has been asked

SYMBOLS –RED FLAG DANGER: Do not use symbols when storytelling, it stops the reader in their tracks and takes them out of the story.

Parentheses = same general use as for dashes but usually used for irony, a first-person, or stream-of-consciousness narrative, etc.

Asterisk = one asterisk could be placed at the start and stop of telepathic conversations that are italicized. Three asterisks with a space between on a line is a mechanical device that indicates a major scene break in a story, however, for the reader's sake, use words of transition whenever possible.

RED FLAG DANGER—UNSUITABLE FOR GENRE FICTION: Colons, semicolons, brackets, bolding, and a change of font or text size

Now for a closer look at the piece of punctuation that gives writers headaches and drives editors nuts—the comma.

THE COMMA TRAUMA

Although the comma is the workhorse of fiction and most writing venues, writers often suffer "comma trauma." As mentioned earlier, in the heat of drafting a writer hears a pause, but in actuality, that pause was the writer taking a breath.

That's why it's important to do one revision pass and look at every comma used. Verify that each is necessary. If in doubt, remove the comma. Does the passage or sentence still make sense and how does the rhythm of the sentence change as a result?

Another pitfall of comma usage is the "comma conjunction." There are two basic problems with comma-conjunctions: 1) the comma is necessary but it's missing, and 2) a comma has been inserted but it doesn't join two sentences.

When revising, do two separate passes for the comma conjunction.  One will be for "and" and the other will be for "but."  You see, those two words link most compound sentences. When you find "and" or "but," triple check that you have two separate sentences. If you have two, insert the comma. If you don't, continue searching and verifying.

But wait a minute. If you joined two sentences, how long is that combined sentence? Long sentences tend to be convoluted and awkward, which forces a reader to stop and go back to reread.  And as has been said many times in this year's posts, you don't want the reader stopping. You want them to stay immersed in your story.

Now, the average sentence is twenty words, or so the experts claim. It's okay to have long sentences but if in doubt, here's a simple test: read that combined sentence out loud. Did you run out of breath? If so, it's too long. Break the sentences apart. And when you read such combined sentences out loud, do listen carefully for how the words flow. Does anything sound awkward? Maybe you need to not only break the sentences part but restructure them for better flow.

However, the more common problem with conjunction commas is that they are missing. Again, to locate where those commas should be added in, find "and" and "but" and see if you have two sentences that need to be joined.

Moving on, we come to the pitfall of the introductory clause comma-trauma. An introductory clause needs a comma to separate the clause from the main sentence. Seems easy enough, but in the heat of drafting, those commas often go missing. Again, do a separate pass through your work to check the beginning of your sentences. Do you have clauses that need commas? If you are not sure of what an introductory clause is, maybe it's time you brushed up on comma usage with a grammar manual.

GRAMMAR GLITCHES

As to grammar glitches, the main one is the use of passive verbs and passive sentence constructions. Not all are bad, but a high percentage weakens the vividness of the storytelling. Examples of passiveness are:

The man was bitten by the dog.
The mailman was going down the sidewalk.
The children were happily playing hopscotch.
The flowers looked pretty in the sunlight.
The tree shaded the riverbank.
She wore a hat.

Passiveness is also a hallmark of telling. It's better to show:

The Doberman bit Mike. (Better is: The Doberman sank its teeth into Mike's ankle.)

The mailman strode up the sidewalk toward Mrs. Black's cottage.

As they played hopscotch, the four sisters laughed so hard none could complete their turns.

Sunlight glossed the ruby-red tulips and gilded their yellow centers.

The oak's ancient branches, newly leafed, offered a mottled shade along the river's bank.

A pink pillbox hat perched on top of Mrs. Brown's head of curly gray hair.
Here are the red-flag words that often indicate passiveness:

                was
                were
                LY ending words
                ING ending words

Then look for abstract words like:

generic descriptions of colors (you want to be specific and give a visual of the shade or hue of the color— it's not red but crimson)

generic flora and fauna (not a flower but a rose, not a tree but a hemlock)

not small but as small as an ant
not tall but as tall as a skyscraper
not big but as big as a bus
not short but knee-high


Let me repeat— to tell a story well is to cultivate an inner ear that "hears" the way words flow as well as the imagery specific words that help the reader see a vivid movie in their mind of the story you envisioned. Reading a manuscript's text out loud can help uncover problems.  Reading great storyteller's books out loud can help you better hear good writing.

*** This blog is updated the 1st of each month and the next topic is December 2015 — Read It Again

----MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR these workshop—both are open to all writers:

 JANUARY 10-24, 2016 "HOOKS"–an online workshop I'm doing for Northeast Ohio Romance Writers

and

FEBRUARY 1-29, 2016 CAUSE AND EFFECT SEQUENCES sponsored by Pennwriters.

 More workshop listings are available at http://www.WritersCheatSheets.com
 (click on WORKSHOPS & COURSES)

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

*** If you'd like recommendations on how-to books about devices and techniques of fiction, contact me.

*** 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."  Other Writers Cheat Sheets are available HERE.

# # #

 #10 Revision is a Process

This is Part 10 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 - Catherine E. McLean
All Rights Reserved



October 2015 — Special Checks


There are innumerable ways to write badly. The usual way is making sentences that don't say what you think they do. - Jack Hamann


Consider the magic spell that reading casts on the reader.  You see these words of mine, and although you do not see me, you "hear" my voice as you read. 

Now, consider how many times you've read a book and been so engrossed in the story that you were transported to that story world and forgotten what time of day it was. Wasn't that a wonderful story?

As a writer, you want to be the great magician, one who casts that very same spell on your readers by hypnotizing them with the words on a page. So, you can see that it's not enough to be able to write— you have to become a sorcerer with words.

Which bring me to a secret about being a good writer who can tell a story well. That secret is to be hyper-alert and hyper-vigilant so that no distractions occur. You see, every typo and every sentence (or even a word in a sentence) that makes no sense or which ruins the "movie" unfolding in a reader's mind is a hiccup, or worse, that flaw immediately jerks the reader out of that story world.

Yet, there are more subtle distractions that a writer leaves on the page that diminish the reader’s enjoyment. Author and writing teacher Gary Provost listed a few of the most common spell-breakers in his book MAKE YOUR WORDS WORK. These are:

1. see, dear reader, here I am thumbing through my thesaurus

 [using a word that's wrong for the text or that's not in the vocabulary of the Point Of View narrator]

2. see, here, dear reader, I am trying to impress you

[being wordy (purple prose or taking poetic license), using "big words," adding in too much industry or political jargon, and overusing "brand name" items]

3. see, here, dear reader, I am trying to fool you

[overuse of punctuation or typographic trickery that breaks the readers concentration--like colons and semicolons, bolding, a change of font, phonetic spellings, etc.]


4. see, here, dear reader, I am telling and repeating this so you get the point

[saying the same thing over and over out of fear the reader will miss the point— in reality, the reader got the idea from the get-go]


If you can’t spot these common problems, then it may take a beta reader, a critique group, or a critique partner to point them out to you. That’s because as a writer you’re too close to the words. It's the old can't-see-the forest-for-the-trees syndrome.

So, do one revision pass for each of the four. Your reader will appreciate it tremendously.


*** This blog is updated the 1st of each month. The next topic is: November 2015 — Punctuation Pitfalls & Grammar Glitches

 Learn the key elements that make a story worth a reader's time and money. In this online course, I’ll walk you through the must-haves that lay the foundation for and which builds solid, marketable short stories and novels. So, mark your calendars! Tell other writers for November 1-15, 2015 -- Hosted by and information: Pennwriters online course .

....And for you intermediate writers, mark your calendars for my CAUSE AND EFFECT SEQUENCES, an online writing course sponsored by Pennwriters. The date is February 1-29, 2015. Information is at www.pennwriters.org

*** Questions and comments are welcomed for this blog and are always answered.

***If you'd like recommendations on how-to books about this subject or any writing subject, feel free to Connect With Catherine

*** 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.

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September 2015 — Show Don't Tell: Dialogue

 #9 Revision is a Process

This is Part 9 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved



Are you writing the dialogue of fiction or of the reporter? 
 (Paraphrased from William Noble's "SHUT UP! HE EXPLAINED, A WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE USES AND MISUSES OF DIALOGUE)


I would amend that quote to: "Are you writing the dialogue of fiction or of the reporter or of an English teacher?

You see, dialogue, whether spoken words or an internalization, should mimic the speech of a real human being but filtered to get rid of extraneous elements, like "ah" pauses and redundancies.

When proper English rules are applied, the speech becomes stilted and unrealistic sounding. That's why it's said that the rules of grammar and punctuation don't necessarily apply when it comes to dialogue (in all its forms). So it's wise to do one revision pass looking only at dialogue passages, reading them aloud, and listening to how the words sound.

However, there is another factor about dialogue to consider— dialogue is action and often in the heat of writing that action, paragraphing gets skewed. Good paragraphing of dialogue shapes pace and makes the reading flow. But when to paragraph dialogue is often confusing. To understand when to paragraph, think of paragraphing like this:

The reader is in a theater seat watching a 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. Immediately, the reader switches their attention to what Character B is doing or saying.

When Character A replies or reacts to Character B, the reader switches their attention back to Character A.  

In other words, if you're writing genre fiction, every switch of the reader's attention means a new paragraph.

And, that includes any worthwhile distraction that the reader must pay attention to will get paragraphed.
Now, here's something you should know about paragraphing spoken dialogue and that is, despite being taught that every new speaker gets a separate paragraph, in fiction you have beats and stage business—or even thoughts of the character and those USUALLY STAY TOGETHER
WITH THE DIALOGUE OR INTERNALIZATIONS, which means, they are kept in one paragraph.

Yes, there are some editors and teachers who insist all spoken dialogue be paragraphed all by itself. The trouble is, doing that means the reader doesn't know who is talking or thinking. Since the reader is confused, they stop reading and must reread to try to make sense of things.

And, as I've said many times in this series, when writing fiction, the idea is never to stop a reader from reading. Of course, as with everything about writing, you'll hear pros and cons on this.  My advice is twofold:

1) know the rules before you decide to break them or tweak them
 AND

2) do research on your own and decide what you want to do FOR YOUR READER'S SAKE
Again, dialogue isn't real speech but mimics what may be said by a real human being. Which means, you need to know the mechanics of presenting dialogue. And that's a workshop unto itself. However, your best bet is to read SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Browne & King because it's the best book I've ever found on dialogue mechanics.

Another aspect of show-don't-tell when it comes to dialogue is punctuation. Do a revision round through your manuscript for exclamation points, dashes, and ellipses and mark each with a different color. Do you have clusters of colors? Do any dominate or pepper a page or pages? If there is a justifiable reason that those punctuation marks must remain, that's okay. If not, find a way to minimize or eliminate as many of them as you can.

Also do a pass to rid your manuscript of colons and semicolons. If you're writing genre fiction, with is informal writing and storytelling, those symbols will stop a reader and jerk them out of the story. And, again, the rule is to do nothing that stops the reader from reading. I can just hear someone reading this saying, "I know how to use colons and semicolons. I'm not changing any of them." Well, let me ask you a few questions:

a) who do you know talks or thinks in colons and semicolons? (I've never met or heard a person that used them, and I was a secretary/stenographer for years.)

b) when you read a story and come across a semicolon aren't you more likely to skip over it and keep reading rather than stopping to figure out what "rule" it signifies?

c) were you told there is a pause of silence or a sound of silence to a semicolon or colon? How do you actually make that sound in your mind? (I bet you get confused trying to do that, which is one of the reasons readers skip over the semicolon and colon when they see it in a story. Then there's the twenty-something who told me a few years ago that when she sees a semicolon, she considers it the writing winking back at her. Ah, the emoticon generation!)
Of course, the decisions you make about what to keep and what to change are yours to make, but make those decisions for the benefit of your readership.

And, let me stress one last time— when presenting dialogue, you need to show both spoken and internalizations with words that mimic a real person's voice, and so the rules of grammar and punctuation do not necessarily apply.

*** This blog is updated the 1st of each month and the next topic is October - SPECIAL CHECKS

*** Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.  If you'd like recommendations on how-to books about this subject, feel free to contact me HERE

*** 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

*** UPCOMING WORKSHOPS are listed HERE

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August 2015 - Show Don't Tell: Adding Essentials

 #8 Revision is a Process

This is Part 8 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved


There is no better way to spot room for improvement in your manuscript than by looking at it with fresh eyes. — SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS

Showing takes lots of words. More words than telling. Here is an example—

Telling: The man was bitten by the dog.

Showing: The Doberman's teeth clamped down, piercing through John's leather jacket.


Telling is a summary. In the heat of drafting, writers often grab telling words and phrases and construct passive sentences. Showing is vivid because it uses image-provoking verbs and nouns. It's about being concrete and specific and keeping to a cause-effect sequence that is believable and easily understood.

So, in the heat of drafting, writers either don't describe things in vivid terms, or the writer skims over elements to blatantly and passively tell.

One indicator of telling is descriptions and descriptive passages. If they exceed three sentences, which is 60 to 80 words of description, at any given point, that's likely too much.

It's far better to sneak in descriptions in the action and flow of the story. Here's an example from my new novella HEARTS AKILTER:

“What?” He glanced out into the darkness beyond the lift. Giant machinery stood silhouetted and veiled in shadows. “Where are we?”

To locate telling descriptions in your manuscript, take hard copy and use a highlighter to mark all descriptions. If you have a sprinkling, well done. If you have a block? Then you might want to reword or revise.

One other thing to look for is sensory perceptions. Or rather the lack thereof. Most drafts are sight-heavy, that is, things are described from the narrator looking at them. There are five basic sensory perceptions: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Some "rules of thumb" I've seen are to use a different sensory perception every page, every three pages, every five pages. Of course, those "rules" are not written in stone. All depends on the type of story being told and who the narrator is and how that narrator filters the sensory input and gives it to the reader.

So, take a highlighter of a different color than you have used before and look for sensory perceptions that are not "sight." If you have great gaps between colors, why is that? Then look for places where you can add in sounds and smells, etc., but do it so it flows naturally and is in the narrator's voice.


*** This blog is updated the first of each month. The next topic is September 2015 — Show Don't Tell: Dialogue

♥ *** Join me for HEART AKILTER - the Release Day Celebration and $50 gift card giveaway! Details at http://www.CatherineEmclean.com


*** Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.
 If you'd like recommendations on how-to books about this subject, feel free to contact me.

*** 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.

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July 2015 — Show Don't Tell—What to Cut

 #7 Revision is a Process 
This is Part 7 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved

Every word is optional until it proves to be essential, something you can only determine by removing words one by one and seeing what is lost or gained. - Jack Hamann

One "rule" of fiction is to show more and tell less. What does that mean? A very simple examples is that saying it's "a flower" is telling but to say it's "a white rose, whose petals are edged with a mist of ruby-pink" is showing. Showing means providing an instant, vivid image so the reader "sees" what was meant.

Yes, showing requires more words than telling, but how much detail is too much detail when showing? Keep in mind that readers will stop reading and skim over sentences and paragraphs of details in order to get "to the good stuff" of drama, action, and "something happening of interest." So it's best to choose those descriptive words carefully. In the heat of drafting, the shorthand version, the telling, usually ends up on the page.

So in this revision stage, the guideline is to highlight all bland, telling words and to highlight all descriptive phrases and passages to determine what needs to be rewritten for visual effect and what is too lengthy.

I'm of the school that one to three sentences (or twenty to sixty words) maximum be used at any given spot where descriptions appear. In other words, no paragraphs describing or explaining how something looks or works. That includes "laundry lists" of right-to-left or left-to-right layouts of what rooms or landscapes look like.

So how do you put such detail in without overdoing it? It's not that hard. Just pick the one or two most vivid, relevant details. For example, Character A walks into an old house. What is the first thing they see, smell, hear, or touch that immediately tells volumes about the state of the house? Maybe it's the antiques that smell of orange furniture oil? Maybe it's the stench of a dead rat because wallpaper is peeling off the walls.

Then, as the character moves about, add in another "vividly showing" detail. Perhaps it's the creak of the floorboards when the character walks across them. Maybe it's the cobwebs hanging off a chandelier dripping with grime-covered prisms. Using sensory perceptions helps the reader draw conclusions. Obvious conclusions. And those vivid images adds tone and mood to the scene.

To restate: Succinct, vivid, instant-images won't stop the action. Describing something in detail does. So I can't stress enough that in revision, it's the important and vital things that should be dramatized. Which means that if you have a character who is alone and the character is taking a shower or a bath, preparing or eating a meal, doing dishes, or driving somewhere and thinking, that's mundane stuff and boring stuff. It's too ordinary. So cut straight to the point and simply state he ate breakfast or she drove to the library mulling over all that had happened.

Also, and this is very important, when showing action or describing things, be sure the words (the vocabulary, diction, and syntax) are those of your story's or scene's narrator and not you, the author (that's called an AI, and Author Intrusion). Readers hate Author Intrusions.

Next, are there items or details in your story that will date the work? Better to use a tissue than a Kleenex, or a black stiletto than a black Prada shoe. Of course, if you're writing about a certain era, then you'll need some of the hallmark trademarks of technology and everyday items of that era. Just don't overdo them. What's overdoing it? It depends on the story, but you can't go wrong with keeping it down to one to three items per chapter or scene.

One more caution—when showing or describing items or actions, look for unintentional repetitions of actions or descriptions, especially colors (not all shoes are black). And do note that not all dishes are china. Not all trees are oaks. Not all flowers are red roses.

So, on your Master Revision Checklist for this step of the revision process you might have:

CHECK FOR TOO MUCH DETAIL—

[ ] Are there any paragraphs of description, details, explanations?
[ ] Have I woven vivid details, particularly sensory perceptions other than visuals, into the action or have I stopped to catalogue (make a laundry list of) the setting or landscape?
[ ] Is my character alone doing mundane things and thinking? If so, why? Can that passage be deleted or a transition used to get to the good stuff of drama or action?
[ ] Am I using my own vocabulary, diction and syntax instead of the character's or narrator's?
[ ] Have I used too many name brands, trademarks, etc. and used them too frequently?
[ ] Are there repetitions of colors, actions, details of any kind?


● This blog is updated the 1st of each month and the next topic is August- Show Don't Tell: Add essentials


●●● Pay it forward: permission is granted to forward a link to this blog and mention it on any social media.

   If you don't wish to follow this blog, consider requesting to be added to my private email list for notification of when the blog is updated (which is done the first of the month), Connect with Catherine

● Upcoming workshops: Online and in person are HERE  

● Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.  If you would like recommendations on how-to books about this post's subject, feel free to contact me.

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


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

  



Hearts Akilter - Love, vengeance, attempted murder, and a bomb...No reason to panic.   This lighthearted fantasy/sci-fi novella is to be released soon. Go here for details on how to win a $25 gift card.
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June 2015 — Characters Who Matter

#6 Revision is a Process

  
 This is Part 6 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved


There are characters in fiction so real, so palpable, that we can reach out and touch them our whole lives.
 — Nancy Kress, DYNAMIC CHARACTERS

So, you wrote your story or novel and now in the revision process, it's time to look at the most common things that might have happened to your characters from when you began the tale and when you finished it.

The first item is NAMES. Both the spelling and the sound of names affects a reader as favorable, unfavorable, or neutral, which happens on a subconscious level more than on a conscious one. That's why it's a good idea to review all the names of characters, things, places, weaponry—everything that you gave a name to.

If you did character and setting worksheets prior to writing, bravo. You only have to do a verifying "word list" to look for misspellings, rhyming, overuse of consonant and vowel sounds, and the penchant for using the same letter of the alphabet too much.

If you are a pantser who has not done a word list (also called a style sheet), now is the time to take a hard look at all the names in your story by using one. If this is your first attempt at a word list, I suggest using lined 3x5 index cards. Use one card for each name of a character, thing, place, weapon, tool, gizmo, etc. That's right, every named item or person gets a card.

As you work through the pages of your manuscript, be on the lookout for misspellings. If you have some oddly spelled words, and you prefer one particular spelling, mark that as the "correct spelling." Why do that? Because it's easy to reverse an "i" for and "e" etc.

Once you have gone through your story, sort the cards alphabetically.

Now, for clarity's sake, no names of people should hold the same alphabet letter as the protagonist, antagonist, and the next major player in the story (usually the romantic lead). Why? Because blocking all other people names from those three letters of the alphabet conveys to the reader that those major story people are exceedingly important. Another benefit is that you avoid confusing the reader as to who is the true protagonist and antagonist.

Yes, you can have a few street names or thing names for the same alphabet letter as your protagonist and antagonist, etc., just not other people names.

Now, back to your sorted cards. If your story has 11 characters, how many alphabet letters did you use? If you have 6 of the 11 names beginning with M, your reader is going to get confused at some point in the story. I lost track of how many times the mix of H names in the Harry Potter series caused me to stop, go back, and reread to make sense of who was doing what.

Here's the thing: the subconscious (your muse) loves rhymes and rhythms. The subconscious also likes to repeat the sound of certain vowels and consonants. By having a word list (or card list) you can sort and "see" what's happened and catch things like Jill, Bill, and Phil.

Then there are syllables to consider. Do you have a mix or do 80% of the names have the same number of syllables? Variety is a good thing. Especially true for your protagonist and antagonist.

Oh, by the way, just how many characters cards do you have? Are you overpopulating your story? You might want to download the free "Characters Per Story Cheat Sheet" (link is below) so you avoid a "cast of thousands."

Here's a tip: before you write your next story, use a word list. That way you can avoid misspellings, rhymes, etc. You can also use a word list after you draft a day's work.

Next, be sure to cross reference the names, that is, put the last name first followed by the first name. This ensures catching repetitions, rhyming, and overuse of an alphabet letter.

Now, on the character cards only, add the following:

Eye Color
Hair Color

Do you have duplicates? Do you have various shades of the same color? Again, the muse-subconscious loves repetition. A good storyteller knows it's bad to use repetitions of anything without a specific purpose.

As to eye color? Make sure the character who began with gray eyes has gray eyes all the way to "the end." You'd be surprised at how many writers get confused in drafting and suddenly the eye color changes.

Do the same for hair colors. The same things that happen to eye colors also happens to hair color in the heat of drafting.

Some may think doing a revision check for such things is a lot of work. It can be for a pantser, but a little forethought before writing by using a word list could prevent this revision step.

Some writers will say that the plot is more important then the names of characters, places, or things. The reality is that a plot won't work unless the characters are believable story people who have names that, on a subconscious level, are befitting the named item or character in the story.

In summary, here's a quick "Writer's Cheat Sheet" for this revision check:

CHARACTER NAMES CHECKLIST

□     spellings of names
□     overuse of alphabet letters
□     overuse of syllables
□     overuse of vowels and/or consonants
□     rhymes
□     rhythms
□     color of eyes
□     color of hair

● Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.  If you'd like recommendations on how-to books about this subject, feel free to contact me.

● This blog is updated the 1st of each month and the next topic is SHOW, DON'T TELL - what to cut

● Upcoming workshops: Online and in person are HERE  

● 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" --it's a must-have for generating titles that hook a reader and can be found by search engines. Go  HERE.

● FREE "Characters For Story Cheat Sheet" available HERE

  
$25 gift card - in anticipation of publication of 
HEARTS AKILTER - a lighthearted fantasy/sci-fi novella, 
I've started an advanced notification list and anyone
 signing onto it will be eligible for a $25 gift card! 
Details are HERE


 
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