Pressing SEND: Second Thoughts, Separation Anxiety, and Setting your Baby Free.

For the first time in my writing life I have pressed the SEND of no take backs and no returns. My book has received its final edit and is off to the press. This post hit me anew. Showing me not only how far I've come, but also how much I can still relate. Apparently it never ends! :) Is it just me????

 

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Sharing the story you have lovingly labored over for months, sometimes years, can give you an odd mix of anticipation and anxiety.

For me, since I still have toddlers and my stories can tend to become something like “my babies,” pressing send is the closest thing I know to sending my baby off to college. (And yes, I realize that makes me quite loony… I’m okay with it.) J

After you’ve finished your first draft, then proceeded to edit, and re-write, and nip, and tuck, and tweak, and polish ’til your eyes are crossed, you may wonder if you will ever get up the nerve to remove the training wheels and see if your baby has what it takes to cruise through to publication. Before any of that can happen we have to take that final deep breath, cut the cord, and submit.

But very often we can be gripped with uncertainty, doubts. Fear. Is it ready? Did you miss something? Are your first three chapters simply irresistible? Will the agent or editor keep reading long enough to get to the good stuff? Let’s face it, combing over 80K+ words is no small task and all you get is one shot to make the right impression.

 

So how do you know when you’re ready?

- When your edits dwindle down to word substitutions.

- When you can read through and those typos no longer leap out at you.

- When you are certain you’ve started your book in the right place. (i.e. Right in the action.)

- When your crit partner has talked you off the ledge for the 100^th time. (Love you, Pepper!)

- When you have dedicated a round of edits to trimming out EVERY—and I do mean every—extra, unnecessary word to make your story as tight as possible.

- When you’ve cut so much backstory from the first fifty pages you’re basically bleeding while you are stitching up your manuscript.

- When you’ve had several people read over it and find the storyline sound. (And preferably enjoyable!)

- When you’ve actually applied the feedback you’ve gotten from others.

- When it’s not simply “good enough” but the best you can get it.

- AND when you’ve prayed long and hard.

I just pressed send on my third manuscript. And I’m still not sure it get’s any easier but with a good support system and a lot of prayer, being an empty-nester can bring some relief and rest before it all begins again with your next story.

What about you? What were your greatest worries when you pressed send? What tips do you have for other aspiring writers facing separation anxiety? Whether your story coasts beautifully to the top or crashes and burns at the bottom of that hill, putting yourself out there is half the battle. Be bold! Give your stories a chance to find their place.

Happy submitting!

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes Romantic Suspense that is heavy on the romance, unapologetically honest, laced with sass and humor, and full of the unfathomable Grace of God. She is the completely sleep deprived mama to two little mischief makers and would challenge anyone to a cutest family contest. Represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc.

Before You Hit Send...

You've been working on your manuscript for weeks... months... maybe years. You've gone through bags of Godiva chocolate and endless Frappuccinos. You've dreamed about these characters, argued with these characters, and maybe even talked with these characters (while no one else was around, that is).

Photo by  Ambro, from freedigitalphotos.net

And so, it's only natural to say you're desperately ready to send these characters off into the world. Whether that world be your agent, or a potential agent, or your editor, or a potential editor-- you're dying to know what other people think of these world you've been hanging out in. And, let's be honest, you're also ready to sell this story!

So, you hit "Send" while you still have the courage, right?

Wrong.

Bad idea. Trust me. Bad idea.

Sit back down, do some laundry or watch a rom com movie, and give your brain a little break from thinking about this book. I promise you, within a few hours, new ideas for revisions will flood in. And if you're already sent your book off into the world... well, that's the best it'll ever be.

This week, I sent my new manuscript to my agent after taking a loooooonnng stinkin' time to work on it. With every book, I've always spent time editing at least several drafts. But this one is my heart book. This one really matters to me. So I wanted it to be as strong as possible, even before sending it to Karen. I want to know that every fiber of what I'm capable of is coming out in this manuscript.

You'll hear people say that you want to get a submission in to an agent or editor as soon as possible if they request it. And yes, in part, that's true, because you don't want them to forget you. But quality always trumps quickness.

Consider this. You've (usually) only got one chance to capture your reader with this story, whether your reader is an agent, editor, or actual regular reader. One chance! And once that chance is gone... well... it's gone for good, unfortunately.

So with that in mind, here are a few things to ask yourself before hitting "Send."

1) Have other people read this story and given me feedback? Don't send your story to fifteen people and ask for their thoughts. Trust me. Too many irons in the kettle. But do find one, two, maybe three people whom you really trust, and ask for their feedback. A good critique partner can spot plot weaknesses you never would've noticed.

2) Have I let my book just sit for at least a few days? See what thoughts come to you after the initial adrenaline of I-just-finished-my-book-and-ate-a-pint-of-gelato-to-celebrate wears off. You'll be surprised by how much you come up with!

3) Have I done my research about this agent/editor? Have you met this person at a conference, or do you frequent his/her blog? How can you best prepare yourself to pitch this story? Do you know what particular genres this agent/editor is looking for?

4) Have I read other books in this genre? All too often, we get caught up so much in our own story that we forget the value of reading others'. Reading not only broadens your creativity and sharpens your mind, but it also works as market research. You need to be conversant about other books in your genre. It's okay if you don't have time to read twenty books a year, but you should at least know about a few books that are similar in style so that if you're asked by an agent/editor, or just another writer, what you write, you have something to compare your story to.

5) Do any of the scenes in this book give me pause? You know, this happens to all of us. At least, I like to pretend it happens to all of us, because it certainly happens to me. I'll be going along my merry-editing way, when I stumble across a scene that is just... well, not good. It's like a tofu scene. Nothing is really happening. Or maybe something is happening, and it's just not working with the surrounding scenes. These scenes are PAINFUL to delete/edit, because doing so sometimes means huge revisions. But just imagine how much more painful they will be if your book DOES get published, and you have to look at that scene every time you open your book. Don't leave anything in there that you aren't proud of.

6) Have I done a spell check, as well as searched for key pet phrases? I can't tell you how many times my characters cross their arms, run their hands through their hair, and smile. While editing, I always try to be aware of phrases I use repetitively, and then do a phrase search (which is so easy to do in Word!) for those particular words. It's oh-so-easy to replace them with more vivid descriptors, and it makes a huge difference for your writing.

7) Have I let the writing "gel" enough to see similarities through the book? After spending enough time with your characters, they would have personal habits, traits, and quirks. Maybe your character loves popcorn or hates country music. Be consistent in these behaviors/preferences, and develop them so that characters seem life-like to readers.

Your turn! What questions would you add to this list? What do you always check for before hitting "Send"?

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Ashley Clark writes romance with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Self-Editing Checklist: Word Choices

Would you believe this is the final installment of our self-editing checklist series?! Whew, we've crammed a lot into our brains, but hopefully our manuscripts are sparkling clean as a result.

Today we're getting down to the nitty gritty details--our word choices. This is the very last step in self-editing, after we've taken care of the big-picture items like plot and structure and medium-picture items like setting details and dialogue.

Specifically, we want to analyze our word choices in the following ways.

1) Do we use words that are understandable? Would the average reader understand them, or would they have to keep a dictionary handy? For more on this topic, including some exercises to strengthen your word choices, check out this post.

2) Do we use words that are vibrant? Do our word choices sparkle with our unique voice and create clear images in the reader's mind? Have we used strong verbs and nouns rather than relying on excessive adjectives and adverbs? For more exercises and tips, visit this post.

3) Have we avoided cliche phrases and descriptions? Hopefully we've eliminated cliche characters and plot lines, but now we want to look at each sentence and eliminate anything that even hints at a cliche, putting our own unique twist on it.

4) Have we eliminated unnecessary words? Rachelle Gardner wrote a blog post a few years ago where she listed actual words to search for and eliminate. Here's the link.

5) Have we read our scenes aloud? Doing this enables us to catch awkward phrasing and word choices, and it helps us create a beautiful flow of words.

Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Analyze each sentence and word choice, weighing their value. Check out Rachelle's blog post, and do a search in your document for certain words that can be eliminated. And finally, read it aloud and listen for those breaks in flow.

So that's it! You've survived the self-editing checklist. Congratulations! :) If you need to go back and revisit certain points, you can find them all together here.

Do you ever read your scenes aloud? What word choices do you tend to get stuck on? Have I missed any important points in my self-editing checklist that you'd like to add?

*Book photo by vichie81 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
**Reading photo by Graur Codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Conflict and Tension

"Cinderella woke up one day and decided she wanted to be a princess. So she went to the prince's ball, danced with him, and fell in love. And they all lived happily ever after."

Errr, back it up a minute. What's wrong with this picture? Maybe a lack of conflict?

Can you imagine what the story of Cinderella would be without a wicked stepmother who makes Cinderella scrub and clean until her knees are bare? And who can forget about the evil stepsisters who taunt her whenever they can? Oh, and let's not forget about the lost shoe. I mean, what girl wouldn't be traumatized after that whole ordeal?

Without conflict and tension in our stories, there's no reason to come alongside the characters, to cheer them on to victory, to laugh and cry when they finally fall in love and live happily ever after.

Simply put, without conflict and tension, there is no story.

So now that we've analyzed our scenes until our eyes are blurred (If you're not seeing fuzzy lines yet, read the rest of this series here), we want to take a step back and look at the overarching conflict. Specifically, we want to look at the following components.

1) Does every scene (or even every page) contain enough conflict to move the story forward? It might be internal conflict or external conflict, but either way, there should be no stagnant scenes.

2) Have I embedded conflict that fits within the story, or does it feel contrived? This is a toughie to gauge for yourself and it's where a really good critique partner can come in handy. But if you notice a tension point that feels out of place, you should probably listen to your gut.

3) Have I varied the forms of tension? It might manifest itself through body language, interior monologue, dialogue, setting, viscerals...basically all the devices we've covered in this series. Make sure you're not relying on the same one or two forms of tension. The greater variety the better.

Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Scan each page of your scene or manuscript and mark the points where conflict comes into play. Analyze the device you've used to portray it, and make sure it's natural to the story while also providing variety for the reader.

Can you think of a classic story and rewrite it without tension, the way I did with Cinderella? Do you have any rule of thumb when it comes to conflict and tension in your stories?

This post is part of the Self-Editing Checklist series. To read the rest of the series, click here.

*Arrows photo by Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Setting and Description

Most writers have a basic visual in their minds of the story's setting and the main characters. Case in point, this picture is the hero in one of my manuscripts (rugged-looking, isn't he?). :-)

The challenge is translating what we see in our minds and displaying it for the reader to see as well. When editing my scenes, I ask myself four key questions related to description.

1) Have I grounded the reader in the setting? At the beginning of a scene, do they know where they're at? Do I have my characters interact with the setting, so that the setting is a natural part of the story (versus a paragraph of description separated from the action)?

2) Do I give at least a snapshot description of new characters when they're first introduced in the story? If they're important characters, do I provide more than just a snapshot?

3) Do I filter in character descriptions throughout the manuscript in a way that distinguishes each character and avoids cliches? Jody Hedlund wrote an awesome post on this topic. You can read her article here.

4) Have I written too much description? Is it written in a way that is non-dynamic? The key with description is sprinkling it naturally throughout the scene. Fuse it with action and senses to make it more fluid and dynamic. For instance, instead of having your character run across a room, you can say, "Her heels click-clacked on the wood floor as she ran after him." We get a two-for-one out of this type of sentence. We see that she's wearing heels, and we see that the room has a wood floor. Not only that, but we hear what the heels sound like on the wood floor while getting a sense of the physical action.

Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Study the introduction of each of your scenes and each character and determine whether you've given them the appropriate level of description. If you have a stagnant descriptive sentence, rewrite it in a way that fuses it with senses, action, or emotion. And be sure to read Jody's post for some super tips.

So let's talk. Do you always have a strong visual of what your setting and your characters look like? Do you tend to write too much description or too little? Any other tips you can add to my list?

This post is part of the Self-Editing Checklist series. For the rest of the series, click here.

*Floor photo by suphakit73 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Internals

Gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, pulse-pounding fiction. We writers like to make our readers squirm, don't we?

Two weeks ago, I talked about externals...the choreography, body language, and senses of our characters. This week we're taking a look inside. Specifically, we'll cover two areas: Visceral responses and interior monologue.

Let's start with visceral responses by giving a quick explanation. Visceral responses are those initial gut reactions we feel inside when something happens to us. A twist in the stomach, sweaty hands, rapid pulse...Those are all viscerals.

So what are some areas to check in our scenes when it comes to visceral responses?

1) Do I have too few or too many? Are you using viscerals for key moments that warrant them in the scene? If you don't use enough, the reader will feel detached from your character. If you have too many, the reader will start to get motion sick. A good rule of thumb for me is to keep it to an average of one visceral per page AT MOST. For less intense scenes, it might be one visceral in the entire scene. For a major scene, I might have a couple pages that have two or three viscerals.

2) Do I use a variety of responses that make sense with the scene and the characters? This is similar to my post about externals two weeks ago. If your characters are having heart attacks (i.e., their "hearts stop beating") on every page, you have a problem. Really get yourself in their skin and make the reactions authentic.

Resources: As usual, I have to point to Margie Lawson on this one. Her classes really dive deep into visceral responses. She uses her experience as a psychologist and provides in-depth insights into visceral responses and how to use them for powerful writing.

Now let's move on to interior monologue, or in simple terms, the internal thoughts of your characters. Here are some questions to ask as you analyze your scenes.

1) Do I have too much interior monologue? Can you show the same emotions and responses through action and dialogue instead? Or maybe even a whole new scene?

2) Have I handled backstory well? Do you like to have your characters think in one big "backstory dump"? Is there a way to trickle in backstory only when it's necessary to the story? I think most of us have read plenty on the topic of avoiding backstory in the beginning of the manuscript, but we really should be careful in each scene to keep it to only the minimum and the necessary.

Resources: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers has an entire chapter devoted solely to interior monologue. And again, Margie Lawson covers this topic fully in her classes.

Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Sign up for or purchase one of Margie Lawson's classes or lecture packets. Or pull out your copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (or your library's copy). Highlight your internals in each scene and analyze them to make sure you have the right balance.

Do you have any pet visceral responses in your writing? How do you typically handle backstory? Any extra resources to share with our readers?

*This post is part of the Self-Editing Checklist series. For the rest of the series, click here.

**Body photo by smokedsalmon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
***Thoughts photo by suphakit73 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Externals

In my limited experience as a contest judge, I'd say there's one common mistake among all beginner writers:

Too much internalization.

Thinking and walking. Thinking and driving. Thinking and eating. And somewhere along the way, *bam* there's another character who talks! Then it's back to thinking and walking. Thinking and driving, etc., etc., etc.

In order to create a compelling story, we can't ignore the externals. What do I mean by externals? I'm glad you asked. :-)

By externals, I'm talking about physical actions, body language, and the five senses. Internalization and dialogue aren't enough. Establishing the setting isn't enough (more on how to do that in a future post). A perfect blend of these elements along with externals creates a can't-put-it-down kind of book.

So let's get to the meat, shall we? Here are some things to check for:

1) Do you have a good balance of physical movement in your scenes? Is your character sitting in one paragraph, then all the sudden she's standing next to the window in the next? How did she get there? Act it out if you have to.

I'm not saying you should outline every single physical action. Too much non-crucial stuff keeps the story from moving forward. But the goal is to combine action with emotion. For example, instead of just having your character walk, you could say, "She paced from the couch to the fireplace and back again, her feet gaining bounce with each step." Now we can see firsthand she's excited about something.

2) Do you show a character's reactions and emotions through appropriate body language? Casey did a fabulous post about body language a couple months ago. It's a must-read. The key is making sure you vary the physical reactions, making them unique to each character and to the situation.

3) Do you use all five senses effectively? Are they appropriate to the scene and the character? Do you fuse them with emotion to enhance the story? Here's an example:

"The dingy walls crept closer, and the basement's musty smell pressed deep into the crevices of her being. How could she follow through on his offer when she wanted nothing to do with him?"

This character is struggling with a choice, and the setting and smells of the basement mirror her feelings of being trapped. So using the five senses is more than just having smell, taste, sound. It's about using them to enhance the scene and make the reader feel as if they're living the scene with the character.

Resources: In my mind, there's one primary resource when it comes to writing externals. I'm a huge fan of Margie Lawson's classes. If you haven't checked out her lecture packets, what are you waiting for? :-)

Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Analyze your scenes and act out the physical action if you need to. Study the body language and senses, making sure you have a variety that is unique to the scene and the characters.

So tell me, have I missed any "externals"? Are there any tricks you use to make sure your manuscript has the right blend of movement?

*This post is part of the Self-Editing Checklist series. For the rest of the series, click here.

**Edit photo by ningmilo / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
***Jumping photo by photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Dialogue

Grab any fiction book off the shelves, and you'll see characters talking (Well, not literally. If you do, you might want to seek help). Sometimes they talk more than we want them to, sometimes less.

Dialogue is a vital part of every manuscript, and it deserves its own spot on my self-editing checklist -- Point Number 10, to be exact. (For Points 1-9, click here.)

When analyzing your dialogue, ask yourself the following questions.

1) Do I have the right amount of dialogue on each page? Or you could ask it this way: Do I have several pages with no dialogue? If so, that's a good indication that you need to have your characters interact with each other more. In fact, I like to try and have at least one dialogue run per scene if possible. A dialogue run is a phrase I learned from Margie Lawson (Have I mentioned yet that she's brilliant?). It describes a section of dialogue that is mostly unhindered by dialogue tags or physical actions. Interspersed dialogue runs keep the pace moving.

2) Does the dialogue fit each character? Remember how we talked in our characterization post about how each character should have unique personality traits, etc.? That same uniqueness should come out in how they speak, how they put their words together.

3) Does my dialogue move the story forward? Mundane, everyday conversations aren't exciting in fiction. If you have this type of dialogue, there'd better be underlying tension through subtext or by contrasting it against "the elephant in the room", so to speak.

4) Do my dialogue descriptions enhance or distract? By descriptions, this can include "he said" or it can include physical actions that precede or follow the dialogue. Finding just the right balance is key. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers has really good advice on this topic, as does The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman.

5) Does my dialogue sound natural? To really be sure on this, you'll want to read it aloud. We want our characters to sound like actual people rather than robots (unless you're writing a sci-fi story that involves robots taking over the planet).

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Work through these questions and analyze your dialogue. Check out the resources and links I've provided. And for some general dialogue-improving exercises, check out this excellent post.

So how about you? Do you find yourself erring on the side of too much dialogue or not enough? How do you ensure your characters all sound unique?

(If you have an extra minute, feel free to drop by my personal blog today. I'm joining the ACFW Conference blog tour with a goofy post titled "Top 5 Things to Avoid Telling Editors and Agents at Conferences".)

*Talking photo by photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
**Elephant photo by Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Repetition

Do you ever find yourself repeating the same things over and over? Do you ever find yourself repeating... Okay, I'll stop.

All writers have repetition in their manuscripts. They're like little tics that keep jerking our fingers to the same spots on the keyboard. In the first draft, it's okay...We're just dumping the story out of our heads. But self-editing is the time to kill those tics and toss them in the trash bin.

Point #9 in my self-editing checklist is Repetition. (To see Points 1-8, click here.) There are three main traps to watch out for.

1) Chapters or scenes that accomplish the same purpose. Each scene should advance the plot, moving it forward and heightening the stakes. If you have two scenes that take place in the same location, they'd better be unique in the plot development to give the reader a sense that something is different.

2) Stylistic effects. Do you have a metaphor or simile in every sentence? Or in two sentences close together? Even if they're the most brilliant material you've come up with in your writing career, you need to cut one of them. Otherwise, they lose their effect.

Or how about this one...Your. Characters. Speak. Each. Word. As. If. They're. About. To. Die. In. Every. Scene. This technique can be effective in short snippets, but if you use it more than once or twice in a manuscript (personal opinion...not a hard-and-fast rule), you run the risk of making your reader throw the book across the room.

3) Word repeats. We all have pet words, and the more unique they are, the more they stand out. I never realized I had an addiction to the word "tingly" until my characters got the tingles in almost every scene. It made me want to rub anti-itch cream all over my skin. Your pet word will be different. But you won't catch it until you look for it.

There are some online tools that can tell you how many times a word is used in a particular section of text. Here's a link to Agent Steve Laube's blog where he talks about one such tool. Per his comments, it's not useful for an entire manuscript, but it can be used for shorter sections.

Ultimately, though, the best way to catch all these forms of repetition is to read the manuscript yourself. Then highlight the words or effects you see repeated.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Analyze your overall scene list and watch for scenes that accomplish the same purpose. Look for repeat words and use the Find feature in Word to hunt them down and change them.

Do you have any pet phrases or words you use in your writing? What about stylistic effects? What are some tools you use to find them?

* Trash bin photo by winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
** Frustration photo by Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Characterization (Plus a Giveaway!)

Plot vs. character. Character vs. plot. The debate could give writers a headache the size of War and Peace. Lucky for all of us, I'm not going to jump in that pool.

Regardless of your approach, the content in this post assumes you've done some characterization. It might be character interviews or charts or talking to your characters while you drive your son to preschool (which I've never, ever done...*grin*).

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Point #8 in my self-editing checklist is Characterization. (For the previous 7 points, click here.) Here are some things to consider as you analyze your characters in each scene.

a) When introducing new characters, are you info-dumping every detail upfront, or are you letting their character be revealed through action and dialogue as the story plays out? This includes backstory. Are you spelling out their family history before we know who they are?

Think of it in terms of real life. If I meet you at the park while my kids are climbing the jungle gym, I'm not going to tell you about my childhood, starting with the birth canal. I'll start by talking about my current life, my kids, and my potty training battles if I see that your kid is in Pull-ups too. Then if the friendship progresses beyond an acquaintance, we'll add another layer, and so on.

Get the reader interested in your character's current struggle, and they'll be dying to peel the layers at a later point (preferably after Page 50 or even 100).

b) Does each of my characters leave a dominant first impression? Have I made them distinct enough to differentiate them in the reader's mind? This might include different strengths, weaknesses, appearances, speech, mannerisms, and attitudes. (For an expansion on this topic, check out this overview of characterization.)

c) Will readers be able to relate to my characters? Are they too perfect? Too flawed? Too cliched? Seek to find a balance between imperfections and likeability. This is a very tricky skill to learn (and it's one I'm still learning!). One book I highly recommend is Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias.

If you're in the early stages of characterization, or if you're stuck with a difficult character, there's an amazing resource available. My critique partner, Jeannie Campbell (aka, The Character Therapist), is launching her new website TODAY! She's a licensed therapist who provides tailored diagnoses and evaluations of fictional characters, and she has awesome tools on her site.

In fact, she's offering her Writer's Guide to Creating Rich Back Stories as a giveaway to one lucky commenter! The winner will be announced in our weekend edition. Be sure to check out her site! (And no, I'm not just saying that because I think she's nice and super-cool.) :)

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Read the article I referenced and analyze your scenes for how your characters are being portrayed. If you've found trouble spots or just need ideas to move forward, check out The Character Therapist, as well as the book I mentioned above.

How do you usually develop your characters? Do you err on the side of making them too perfect or too flawed? What are your favorite characterization resources?

* Headache photo by Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
** Onion photo by Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Point of View

Do you ever have too many characters talking in your head at once? It's time to take charge and make them wait their turn.

This week we're looking at Point #7 in my self-editing checklist: Point of View. (For Points 1-6, click here.)

When analyzing Point of View in your scenes, consider the following items.

a) Have you chosen the best viewpoint character for each scene? Usually this is the person with the most to lose or the most at stake.

b) Do you stay in one POV throughout the scene? Do you see only what your POV character would see? Hear only what they would hear? Notice only what they would notice? Think only what they would think?

c) Is the language in the scene right for your viewpoint character? If your POV character is a 90-year-old grandma, she probably wouldn't think, "Dude, that is one sick iPad," unless she's the hippest granny in the universe. I'm not just talking about dialogue here...This encompasses the entire scene.

d) Look at descriptions. Can you tell how your viewpoint character feels about what you're describing? Do you have them interacting with the setting and fusing that with their thoughts and actions?

e) How deep do you go in the POV? Most books being published today put us right in the character's skin and emotions, eliminating distance words like "realized", "wondered", etc. This concept also ties in with showing versus telling. For instance, instead of saying, "She wondered when he would return," you could say, "Good gravy, he was taking forever to get back." By eliminating the word "wondered" and dumping us right in the character's head, we get a feel for her personality and feel as if we are that character.

Resources: Camy Tang has some uber-helpful articles on her Story Sensei blog. Some of my points above are summaries of her material. To get more in depth, check out these articles on basic point of view and deep point of view.

And of course, the primary foundation of my self-editing checklist is always Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: For each scene you've written, write down the POV character and analyze whether they are the best character for that scene. Comb over your scenes to make sure you're staying in the POV characters' skin and thoughts, and analyze word choices to ensure they keep the POV deep while also revealing who the character is.

Which POV do you typically write in? 1st person or 3rd person? With multiple viewpoints? What are your best POV tips for our readers?

* Text bubble photo by Renjith Krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
** Grandma photo by Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Show and Tell (plus a giveaway!)

No, we're not talking about that period in elementary school when Freckle-Faced Freddy brought his ant farm and let the little buggers loose.

But this topic can be just as problematic for a writer, can't it?

Point #6 in my self-editing checklist is all about Show and Tell. (For the previous five posts, click here.)

When analyzing your scenes for Show and Tell, here are a couple key points to watch out for:

a) Are you naming your characters' emotions? What sort of picture does this sentence evoke? "She gave me a scared look." Pretty vague, right? How about this..."A sheen of sweat sparkled above her lip and her eyes bulged." Gives a much clearer picture. If you see emotion words like "scared", "happy", "worried", "angry", etc., carve them out and show them through action and dialogue instead.

b) Are you relying on narrative summary rather than showing the scene as it plays out? Take note that sometimes narrative summary is okay, but in most cases, you want your book to contain scenes filled with movement and action (and action doesn't necessarily have to be shoot-em-up duke-it-out type of stuff).

Here's an example of narrative summary used in the wrong way, glossing over a key moment that should be shown instead.

Her long-lost son opened a folder and asked about her three names. She struggled through memories of her childhood and started to explain.

Here's the actual excerpt from Patti Lacy's powerful book The Rhythm of Secrets, which shows the main character's emotions beautifully.

"Thanks for meeting me." The folder flopped open. A sheet of paper was removed. "If you don't mind, I have a few questions for you."

His inscrutable expression muted her soul's music. She eyed the folder warily.

The paper shook as he shoved it close. "According to...my sources, you are both Sheila Franklin and Sylvia Allen." His shoulders grazed the leather booth when he leaned back. Ice glazed his eyes. "If that's true, then who is Sheba Alexander?"

The question tore open a lockbox of memories. A blazing fire. A one-armed prostitute. Maman. Papa. A thirteen-year-old girl who thought she could conquer the world, thanks to her parents' gift of that name she'd had to abandon. A name she just might have to reclaim...

"Sheba Alexander was..." Words fought to escape her cottony mouth. "...a silly girl." A very foolish teenager. She swallowed hard. How could she explain things to a man she'd just met, even if he were her son?

Gripping, right? This is a big-time moment in the novel, and Patti didn't hold back at all. She showed the emotions of both characters through action and dialogue, sweeping the reader away in the story.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Search through your scenes for naming of emotions and work on ways to portray those emotions through action and dialogue. Look for large chunks of narrative summary and determine whether they should be shown in greater detail or even added as extra scenes. If they're irrelevant to the story or keep it from moving forward, don't be afraid to cut them.

Bonus giveaway this week! Patti Lacy has graciously offered a copy of The Rhythm of Secrets for one lucky commenter! We'll announce the winner in our weekend edition.

What's been your biggest challenge in the show-and-tell game of writing? What's the most valuable resource you've used in learning how to show rather than tell?

*Ants photo by Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Voice and Viewpoint

If you've been following along in this series, hopefully your scenes are taking shape with purpose and consistency. This week we'll take a look at voice and viewpoint. So without further ado, here are Points 4 & 5 of my self-editing checklist.

#4 - Is my own voice coming through, or is it contrived? Yes, this is the ever-elusive issue of voice. Everyone says it's the first thing editors or agents notice in a manuscript. I'll admit I was skeptical of this until I became a contest judge this year. The unique voices really did stand out above the floundering ones. But how do we know if our own voice is unique?

While it can often be an intangible thing, a good test is this. Have a friend read your work and tell you if they can hear you saying it. I've noticed this phenomenon with my blogging buddies. Ever since I met them at the ACFW Conference last year, I can hear them speaking the things I read on their blogs. That means it's true to their voice.

For more ideas on developing your voice, check out Cindy's post from a couple weeks ago, as well as these posts on Katie Ganshert's blog. (Awesome stuff there!)

#5 - Analyze the viewpoint. Are the characters too perfect? Are you portraying them as real human beings with real-life struggles? For those who write Christian fiction, is there any Christian lingo or jargon that could be confusing?

This point could spark a whole debate of how much "Christian" a Christian novelist should put in their books, but that's a discussion for another day. The key to this point is knowing where you stand on the spectrum, knowing where your target publisher stands on the spectrum, and then staying within it.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Work through some of the voice exercises in Cindy's post and on Katie's blog, then read your scene and listen for your authentic voice. Analyze the viewpoint in your scene and make sure it falls within your target publisher's viewpoint (and yours too!).

Have you discovered your voice? What are some tricks you've used to discover it? How closely do you pay attention to the viewpoint of your novel?

*Microphone photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

**Glasses photo by dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Consistency (Plus a Dynamite Giveaway!)

No, I'm not giving away dynamite...That might get me arrested. But I am offering a fabulous giveaway for people who want to propel their writing to a dynamite level. Curious? Keep reading. :)

Remember that self-editing checklist I've talked about in my previous posts? We're moving on to Point #3 this week. I call this one Consistency. (For points 1 & 2, click here.)

Under consistency, consider the following items for each of your scenes.

a) Have you left any dangling subplots or story lines? If so, is it intentional or do you need to fill in the gaps? In my last post, you may have gathered that I'm a spreadsheet nerd. So how do you suppose I track my subplots? That's right...in a spreadsheet. :) Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, I highly recommend you keep track of your scenes somehow, whether it's in Excel or on index cards.

In Excel, I create a column called Plot/Subplots. In my latest book, I have the primary plot of the romance between my main characters Brogan and Ivy, but I also have subplots of Ivy's troubled relationship with her dad, her struggle to get out of debt, and her job for her ex-boyfriend, to name a few. Next to each scene, I indicate which plot/subplots are addressed. It's not foolproof, but it does help me recognize if I've ignored the debt subplot for 20 straight chapters.

Resources: Camy Tang talks about subplot threads in this Story Sensei post.

b) Does the character's emotional or spiritual arc flow? Does your character hate her father in one scene and then give him a big old hug in the next? If so, there'd better be a reason. Jerking the reader up and down with willy-nilly character emotions will just unsettle them. Make sure the emotional arc picks up where it left off in the previous scene and move it forward from there.

Resources: For a quick hit on emotional arcs, check out this article. If you want to take your character's emotional arc (and your writing) to the next level, I highly recommend Margie Lawson's AMAZING course, Empowering Character Emotions. In case you didn't sign up after Casey's post last week, you can buy Margie's lecture packets (over 280 pages!) for only $22. It's seriously the steal of the century when you consider the AMAZING (yes, I used that word twice in one paragraph) things you'll learn.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Read the articles I've referenced. And if you're ready to learn like crazy, buy Margie Lawson's lecture packet and gobble it up like your Thanksgiving turkey. Then analyze your scenes for consistency.

But wait! (Do you feel like you're watching an infomercial yet?) Remember that dynamite giveaway I mentioned? For one lucky commenter, I'm offering the choice of any one of Margie's lecture packets! The winner will be announced in our weekend edition.

Do you keep track of your plots and subplots? If so, how? How closely do you pay attention to the character arc?

*Rock climbing photo by Bill Longshaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
** Curve photo by Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Scene Analysis

You've got a completed manuscript and you're ready to self-edit, right? So now the big question: Where do you start?

My answer: a self-editing checklist. (If you're just jumping in, check out my post from two weeks ago where I introduced the why behind a self-editing checklist as well as some ground rules.)

Once you feel pretty good about your overall story and characterization, it's time to start in with an analysis of your scenes. Now this can be done however you want. I usually take out my 4-page checklist and work through the entire thing on one scene at a time. If that doesn't work for you, do whatever does.

Here are the first two points on the checklist.

#1 - Scene or Sequel (as coined by Dwight V. Swain in his book Techniques of the Selling Writer). Does my scene have a clear goal, conflict, and disaster? If it's a reaction scene (aka sequel), does it have a reaction, dilemma, and decision that propels it into the next scene? I track these items in an Excel spreadsheet (the CPA in me never dies). :) It helps me make sure I don't have an aimless scene.

Resources: For the full description of the concept behind Scene and Sequel, I highly recommend Dwight's book. Or if you want shorter article-sized summaries, check out Randy Ingermanson's website or Camy Tang's Story Sensei blog.

#2 - Does the scene enact a tangible change, both inwardly and outwardly? This is a direct quote from a Donald Maass post on Writer Unboxed. To read the entire post, click here.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Read the articles I've referenced. And if you have a few extra dollars and some time on your hands, buy Dwight Swain's book (or borrow it from your local library) and read Chapter 4. Then analyze your scene for these two points.

Do you tend to get in the trap of writing aimless scenes? What's your best advice to ramp up a scene and make it meatier?

* Book photo by winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
**Flower photo by Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Self-Editing Checklist: Intro and Some Ground Rules

Does the word edit make you shudder like a mom with a pet snake on the loose? Or does the process of moving words around excite you?

It seems like most writers fall into one of two camps: We're either creators or we're editors.

I'll admit I've got a little bit of both in me. But when I'm creating, I usually have to smack my internal editor back into hiding. It's always itching to come out and spruce up the drivel I've created.

Like any good writer, I started out my first self-editing venture using the awesome book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. I opened it up and went to the end of each chapter, using the questions to guide me through my edits.

The problem with this approach was that I kept learning new things on blogs, in books, and in classes that I wanted to add to the list. My solution? Create my own self-editing checklist. Over the next several posts, I'll share with you my 4-page checklist, piece by piece.
First, a couple ground rules.

1) This checklist gets down to the nitty-gritty details of your manuscript. Before you apply these points, I suggest you give your work a read-through and make sure you've hammered as much of your plot and characterization as possible.

2) I don't claim to be the originator of the content I'll be sharing with you. I want to give credit where credit is due. And I'll also urge you to follow up on the resources I share to get the full reasoning behind the points I mention. In fact, I'll purposely keep some things more generic for copyrighted materials so I don't get sued. :) There are some amazing teachers out there who can provide more a-ha moments than I can, and they deserve the money behind their price tags.

With all that said, here's your homework for the next two weeks. What? Did I just say homework? Okay, okay. It's homework if you choose to accept it.

If you have a completed draft that needs self-editing, read through it with an eye solely for the story. Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, make sure you're working with a story that doesn't require complete rewrites. Of course, sometimes self-editing reveals an issue that requires rewrites...That's okay. But our goal is to work with a solid story that's ready for a micro edit.

Got it? Okay. Go!

Where do you put yourself on the creator/editor spectrum? How do you currently approach the self-editing process?

Come back in two weeks for the first official piece of the self-editing checklist!

*Camp photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

**Checklist photo by Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net