Everything Counts

I'm writing this post because I just finished a book.

Good enough reason to to write a post, don't you think?

Actually, any time I finish a book, I'm either inspired, or horrified that certain things made it past an editor's scrutiny.

So! In light of these interesting thoughts of mine, I want to share a quote with you. I stumbled across it on Pinterest of all things, but it's poignant.

Make every sentence, every chapter, every thought and every character fight for their existence. 

Needless to say, the book I just finished was very slow.

But THINK about it. Really. Whenever you read a book that starts off slow, or throws in characters you don't care about, or tells you something irrelevant - you either finish the story out of pure stubborn committal, skip to the good part, or put the book away. It's frustrating.

So how do we fix this in our own writing?

It comes down to tension, I think.

Tension is what keeps your reader awake at 3 AM with a flashlight trying to get to a stopping point (but there is none). It's the panic induced speed reading because you are so concerned for the character's well being or success that you can't even pick up the details - hence a need for a second reading now that you know how it ends.

But knowing what tension looks like and creating it are two separate things. For some writers, it can be a serious struggle.

Here's a few things to try...

1. PLOT IT OUT

 Whether you are a Panster or a Plotter, this is a crucial skill to have down. While Plotters might be a bit more detailed in their story mapping, Pansters can learn a thing or two to improve tension. There is no room for meandering in a tension filled story. Meandering leads to rabbit trails and useless scenes (harsh, but you know it's true).

So, without cramping your panster style too much, write down some major plot points throughout your story. Make sure you get a good grip on how each point leads to another. This will help you stay on course as you write. No irrelevant plot points. EVERYTHING must add to the central story. Even subplots. 

2. CLIFFHANGERS

Whatever you do, leave things unresolved. Regardless of whether or not you write mysteries, each chapter ought to be like a clue that drives your character forward. BUT, your story cannot officially resolve until the end of the book. It's a bit like a trail of candy that leads to a gingerbread house. The candy is enticing, but it's building up to the real deal. Each chapter adds something to story - reveals a secret - that pulls the reader in. However...ALWAYS, always, always, leave something unknown. Keep your characters stubborn in that way.

 If there is still a stone left unturned, your reader will always have a reason to keep going. They want to see your character divulge their dirty little secret at the worst possible moment.  So leave off your chapters with more to be revealed.

 3. CHECK YOUR MINOR CHARACTERS

We all love a good minor character. If you get to know them well enough, they can often prove to be a springboard for a sequel. HOWEVER. Do not let your minor characters steal the show from your main characters. Sometimes we as writers brush this off as a subplot that adds to the tension - all will be revealed in due time. BUT. Be careful. Your subplots may be skipped over because your reader cares more about your main character. 

 Your minor characters ought to have just as much personality and life as your main character, but they don't get to have their own story, not yet anyways. Unless their story is consistently feeding into the MC's story, it adds nothing to the plot of THIS story. 

4. PACING... PACING... PACING

 Ask yourself, did I start my novel in the right place? If you didn't, your opening chapter will throw the pacing of your story completely out of whack. I can only say this because I've done it.

Sometimes, we start back a little too far because it's tempting to really get into the back story. Back Story, however, can be great material for tension. Where it would otherwise drag out the beginning, you can treat your back story like a big secret and slowly reveal it as it becomes relevant. 

General rule of thumb, there should be no boring chapters. Traveling, sitting, sleeping and chit chat are all stumbling blocks for good pacing. 

Now, I know this is going to hurt... but I beg of you to read through your manuscript and check your plot. Make sure every sentence, every scene, every character drives the plot in some way. If they don't, it's time to say goodbye. Save it for another story where is WILL matter. Have someone else read it. Get an outsider's opinion. 

We all want to write the next great novel.
 
 

How to Fix the Sagging Middle

We all run into this problem at some point or another.

You start off writing this amazing story. Your beginning is beautiful. You love your characters. And you know exactly where you want the story to wind up in the end. But somehow, in the middle of it all, you get a little lost along the way. You write that scene - it's fascinating to you, the setting of it and the way your characters interact and react, but it has no real relevance to the plot. It breaks your heart to admit it. Those scenes are the answer to all of the "what ifs" you ponder.

But they're the reason for what you might call, "a saggy middle."

The beginning is great.

The ending is perfect.

But the middle just sucks...

And how on earth do you fix that? How do you get where you want to go with a story without getting lost along the way? Plotters are so much better at this than Seat-of-the-pantsers. Still, it's an important question. As a Panster myself, I'm going to share someone else's advice with you:

I took a workshop on this at a writer's conference and the speaker suggested an idea. You probably think the answer to this lies in the hero's journey - somewhere along the way, you forgot a few steps. But what about this:

Have you ever tried writing your story from the middle?

Picture your character in a moment of adversity - not quite the black moment. But a moment where their good intentions are in question and they're wondering, "How on earth did I wind up here?"

"How did I get here?"

Hopefully you know how to get from this moment to your black moment. First, it gets hard, then their friends rally around them, they come up with a plan, they execute, all hope seems lost, then your character does something they couldn't have done when the story starts out (a lesson learned). The day is saved and happy ending commences.

All right, now we work backwards.

From the moment of, "How did I get here," work back. Ask yourself what kind of person your character has to be to find themselves in the situation. How did they get out of their comfort zone? What went wrong? What was their intent? This will bring you to your, "Day everything changed," The moment that set them on their journey.

There. No more saggy middle.

I'm sure you all have your ways of fixing a saggy middle. But this is mine. And if you think about it, it's probably the way you came up with your story to begin with. We all ask the question, "What would happen if a character who ________ faced _________?"

And that, my friends, is actually the middle.

The Who's Who of Voice

Dialogue is the foundation of expressing a character's thoughts and opinions. It can show the ways that they interact with other characters, or even give the reader a sense of where the character comes from based on their grammar. Each character's dialogue is unique and differs from the others characters. Ideally... their speech should be so unique to them, that a "he said" or "she said" is not necessary.

But how can you do this? Seems a bit... hard, right? Well, think about the last REALLY good book you read. Maybe one of the characters had a bad childhood experience and is hesitant to speak about themselves too personally. This could be key in that character's dialogue. This character will be a dodger, someone who only talks about other people and things that won't require them to give anything about themselves away. This makes your character different from another character who feels free to talk about say... their dog or their grandma or what food they like.

What about a character who comes from the slums (exaggerating here). This character will have poor grammar and limited vocabulary. They won't use words that you might find a college professor using. On the contrary, a character who comes from a very educated background will be better able to express themselves using good grammar and vast vocabulary. (stereotypical example) Someone from Texas will use words like, "ya'll," a Mainer will drop their r's and someone from West Virginia will say the "wash" as "warsh." Vocabulary and grammar are very simple ways to make them distinct.

But THINK about it. A character who has anger or lying issues will also speak differently. An angry character will jump to conclusion and accuse others regularly. They might also be the King or Queen of interjections. A lying character will say things that don't always make sense with the other character's opinions and statements. On the other hand, if say... a dog... is speaking, the dog will discuss things like food and being petted, toys or rawhide bones. A teenaged girl will prefer to talk about her boyfriend who offended her the other day, or whether or not she likes the shirt she's wearing.

So here's something to try...

1. write out a conversation in which two or more characters are having an argument, but don't use "He said" or "she said" to tell them apart. No beats either (short action phrases, aka "Connor wiped the sweat from his forehead.") Just dialogue. 
2. Read the conversation out loud and listen to see if you can hear your characters' distinct voices. 
3. This done, now add some "he saids" and "she saids" 
4. Read it again.
5. Now you can add some "color" to the conversation: add some beats now. Make your characters DO things. Throw chairs against the walls if they need to. 
6. Read it out loud again. I hope you're proud of the dialogue you've just created =) 

Remember, no two people are alike, even twins. When you create dialogue, we don't want a dry comments about the weather unless the character really is a dry person. Make your characters colorful and unique.

Happy writing =)

Mirror, Mirror

Have you ever seen a movie in which the acting is terrible? The lines seem forced and unreal, the actor’s tones and facial expressions are either too cheesy and cliché or not dramatic at all, and you go away from the movie theater wishing you didn’t waste ten bucks on the ticket. Believe it or not, books can be the same way.

We’ve all read books in which we read something (a phrase, an action beat, even the whole plot) that was unrealistic or poorly written. It leaves us thinking, “No way would a person in real life say/do that.” And when a character in a book is unreal, readers don’t get a chance to bond with him or her. And that’s what the main objective in a book is, isn’t it? I don’t know about you, but if the character is unreal, says ridiculous things, and “giggles” out her words every four sentences (really, how many times do you “giggle” while you talk?!), chances are, I’ll put the book down, because I can’t connect with her.

So, what is one of the things you can do to keep from making this error in your own book or story? Mirror, mirror! I got this idea from Christine Tangvald, a wonderful and enthusiastic writer and writing teacher from Mt. Hermon. I had her edit some of my children’s book, and she suggested that I take my work into the bathroom and act out a scene in a mirror. Before long, I was giggling myself because of the ludicrous and highly cliché things that I had put in my manuscript. By doing this, I was able to fix a lot of things and make them truer to every day life. And yes, there were times where I realized I had to spice things up a bit. It also gives some great ideas for those action beats (character’s actions that go before a quote) in which you can’t figure out what to say. Instead of saying, “She/He scratched his/her head” several times, you will be able to come up with things that have to do with the plot. Things come naturally in the mirror.

So, print out your work, head to the place in your house with the largest mirror, and act away. First, though, I would highly recommend you do it when family is not around (that’s another story).

Esther Seim

The Way You Move

Every scene has something we in the writing world call "balance," and at its essence, scenes are composed of beats, narration, and dialogue. If a scene lacks any one of these things, most readers are left disappointed. Scenes that are purely composed of dialogue are confusing. Scenes that lack dialogue are "introverted." And Scenes that lack beats (action) don't go anywhere.

Some other time, I'll talk about narration and dialogue. But what I really want to get at this moment, is beats.

beat: a sentence before, after, or breaking up dialogue that describes a character's response or action.

Often, action coincides with dialogue. For example, after saying something, or hearing something, a character will have a physical reaction. However, many writers will have their characters move just for the sake of moving. In order to tell a good story, we have to be intentional about everything.

So, as our characters move throughout each scene, we ought to be setting the goal of being believable and purposeful.

THREE RULES OF THUMB

1. do a mirror check

Have you just finished writing a scene? Great. Congratulations. Now, do me a favor and go into your bathroom, or even your bedroom (if you have a mirror there). Stand in front of your mirror and act out the scene you just wrote. Close the door if it makes you feel more comfortable. 

I heard about this trick at a writers' conference a year or two ago. Sometimes, we write about our characters doing things like putting their hands to their cheeks and gasping when they're shocked. Or hugging their bellies when they laugh. But honestly, have you ever done either of those actions in your own life? Is is realistic or hyperbolic? Check your characters' actions by trying it out for yourself. 

Perhaps, if your character is nervous, you might give them a twitch, like nail biting, scratching, or adjusting their clothes. What do you do when you're nervous?

2. law of follow-through

It goes without saying that if you pick up an object, you must put it down or use it at some point. Or if someone follows you somewhere, eventually, you will part ways (unless, perhaps, you have been hand-cuffed together, but even then, at some point the lock has to be broken or unlocked). 

Every action must have a follow through. 

I once read a scene where the MC was walked to class by her boyfriend, but then, as far as the text suggested, he never left. The author left him hanging. 

Or, for another example, one author wrote about a character who picked up a cup of tea, but never set it down. Did the character take it with her when she left the room? Did she ever drink from it? I'm not sure. 

Remember what was said before about being purposeful. If you are attempting to show an everyday, normal action, make sure your MC behaves accordingly and doesn't carry their toothbrush with them everywhere. 

3. ask why

Back to that cup of tea. Here's something to think about: does your character even like tea? Maybe your MC is only a social tea-totaler. Or did they spend a summer in Europe where the coffee is terrible and fell in love with Earl Grey somewhere along the way? Is your MC even thirsty? Is he/she tired and needs caffeine? Or maybe you're working on a story set in Victorian England or the American colonies where it was the social custom to accept whatever the host/hostess put before you. 

As writers, often we get a little confused when writing a scene. Sometimes, all we have to offer is dialogue. Two characters really need to talk about something, so one goes to the other's house and they talk in the kitchen. But what on earth is there for them to do besides shout a little bit and maybe kick a chair? Let's just face facts, we run out of ideas on occasion. 

When we run out of ideas, there's a tendency to insert action just for the sake of action so the scene gets a little more interesting. And so, one character will proceed to wash the dishes and the other will eat an apple that is sitting on the countertop. Really? Those actions, in no way, in and of themselves will drive the scene, or the plot for that matter, forward. 

Unless... 

what if a plate gets broken and interrupts their conversation, so they both bend over to pick up the broken pieces. Instead, they bump heads, or one cuts a hand on the glass and it forces them to work together, when they were previously upset about something. 

See how that changes things?

Ask yourself WHY your character is doing something. If the action doesn't serve a purpose, change it. Make it purposeful. 

SOME OTHER TIPS:

Consider this...

• Symbolism: does the action/movement have a bigger part in the story? Does it represent an inner conflict?
• Mystery/Clues: if the character fiddles with an object, does that object suggest anything? Will it come up again later?

Pet Words

I see it all the time... Writers have pet words. Those little phrases or words we like to use all the time. A common one is, "suddenly." But then you might have a pet word all your own. Some will say things like, "she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach," and use that phrase over and over again. After a time, it starts sounding odd, though it is a very descriptive comment. Avoid Cliches too. Those are no bueno!

"Was" and "had" are horrible ones. When many first begin writing, they are very easy words to slide into almost every sentence, but same as before... they SOUND ODD when used AGAIN and AGAIN.

My new favorite trick is this little thing called, "right-click." If you right-click a word and select synonyms, your Word program will give you a whole list of words that mean the same thing. "Was" and "had" are just as simple to get rid of. They often appear just before words with an "ed" or an "ing" on the end. 

for example:

"She [was working] for that company" becomes "worked"

"She [had worked] for that company" becomes "worked" 

It all means the same thing. Get rid of the excesses!

"Ly" adverbs can be your downfall too. Use them sparingly... get it? And please don't put more than two adjectives in a row.

Well, there's your editing tip for the day. Get rid of pet words!

Love and Hugs

Easy Edits

Let me start out by saying that it's important to weed out words like "was," "had" and ly adverbs in your manuscript. But just do a word search in your manuscript and you'll quickly find that the task isn't as simple as it may seem. There are two different instances in which we find "was" and "had," one of which is easy to fix, the other, not so much.

the first is like we've mentioned before:

"He was singing in the choir until September of last year." becomes, "He sang"

Easy right? Well, what about that other instance where you can't simply conjugate the word? Well, that is where we all learn to become better writers...

"The sky was grey and overcast."

Hmm... can't just conjugate that one. But let's think about this sentence for a moment. It's just fine grammatically, but for a work of fiction, it's just not very descriptive. It's shallow. So let's dig in a little deep and watch that "was" disappear.

"Alisa looked up into the clouds and noted the way they sagged with the weight of rain. The blue sky all but disappeared as the clouds moved into place, preparing to drench the parched ground."

Well! How about that? We just took a simple sentence and created something beautiful and descriptive with feeling! Our characters only comment on things that are of some importance to them, or effect them in some way. FEELING and description is a crucial part of setting the scene. So don't be so scared of rewriting. It takes work... but your story will come alive.

WAS, HAD and LY ADVERBS are crippling to your descriptions! They cut the picture off at short, sweet and simple. We don't want that! So delve in a little deeper and give your reader a better picture.