What are you REALLY trying to say? (Guest post by Sherri Wilson Johnson!)

Krista here! I'm so excited to host fellow indie-author Sherri Wilson Johnson today!! We've known each other a while know but rubbed elbows again in an indie-author loop we're on together (I was posting massive amounts of questions in preparation for the release of A Side of Faith... I was--am--GREEN I tell ya!)

Sherri has some GREAT books out, including her most recent, To Laugh Once More. Check them out on Amazon!!

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What Are You Really Trying To Say? 

Writers are experts at talking to themselves. They're also experts at hearing voices in their heads. No, we're not crazy! We're just creating.

While we hear the voices in our heads and masterfully put them down on paper (or into the computer), do we really write what we've heard?

Recently, while editing for the umpteenth time my new release, I decided to try the text-to-speech feature on my computer. I often write using the voice-to-text feature on my phone, so I thought I'd give the reverse process a shot.

Boy, was I surprised! Quite often, I didn't type what I meant to type. And even though I'd read over the text a gazillion times and even had readers read it, none of us caught these errors. Even on my final run-through before hitting PUBLISH on Kindle, I found another missed mistake. I pray there are no more, haha!

After I write the first draft of a novel, I wait a month or so before I begin editing it. I call this the crockpot stage. I let the novel sit in my computer and cook a little while. When I come back with a fresh pair of eyes, it's easier to find my mistakes.

After the first round of edits, I print out a chapter at a time and do manual revisions. Then I have readers check out the story to see if they like it, and I ask them to let me know of any errors they find.
Then I start the process of catching "taboo" words and phrases, the words or phrases you shouldn't use if you're looking for a deep point of view in your story. I keep this list beside me, and I go one-by-one to check and see if they're in the story. If they are, I rework those places.

After that, I convert the Word document to a PDF and begin the process of letting the computer read the manuscript to me. For a PDF, you go to VIEW, READ ALOUD, and ACTIVATE READ ALOUD. Then you go back to VIEW, READ ALOUD, and hit READ TO END OF DOCUMENT. Some versions of Windows have this feature also. Mine doesn't. But you can find out how to do it by doing a quick search of your computer for the text-to-speech feature.

While the computer is reading, I keep my Word document open so I can make changes as I HEAR the mistakes I've made. It's amazing what you see with your ears that you don't see with your eyes. With my latest novel, I read the manuscript probably fifteen times. I was surprised when I let my computer read it to me with my earphones in my ears to block out all other sounds. I found even more errors.

Spell check wouldn't have caught these errors because the words were spelled correctly.

Check out these examples: 

• The man behind the counter wore a white shirt, black plants and black suspenders.
• Her eyes bugled.
• Mother would've washed her mouth out with lye soup for listening to Marigold's gossip because there wasn't much of anything she could do to her ears for hearing it.
• I'll send an initiation to my dear sisters to come for a long visit. 

Corrections: 

• The man behind the counter wore a white shirt, black PANTS (not plants) and black suspenders.
• In the second example, I typed BUGLED instead of BULGED in the first example. I can't even imagine what it would look like for someone's eyes to bugle.
• In the third example, mother would have washed her mouth out with lye SOUP not SOAP.
• In the fourth example, she was going to send an INITIATION to her sisters instead of an INVITATION.

It's easy to make mistakes that spell check won't catch and that you and your readers won't catch either. The reason I didn't find these errors was because I knew what I wanted to say. I read what my mind said I was saying. I read it before my eyes even saw it.

Next time you edit, why don't you try to let your computer do the talking for you?

Sherri Wilson Johnson is an Inspirational Romance novelist, a speaker, and a former homeschooling mom who’d rather have laugh lines under her eyes than worry lines across her forehead. She lives in Georgia with her husband, her two children and her Chihuahua, Posey. Her favorite thing to do when she’s not with her family is to curl up with a good book or work on her current work-in-progress. She loves to dream of visiting romantic places and is passionate about the Lord, motherhood, homeschooling, and writing. Sherri is the author of To Dance Once More, Song of the Meadowlark, and To Laugh Once More. She is a columnist with Habits for a Happy Home and Choose NOW Ministries.

The Whole Process

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Tis the season to start the baking, fah la la la la, la la la la.

And by baking I am not referring to prefab-boxed, add-a-teaspoon-of-water and-throw-it-in-the-oven-voila, plastic food baking.

Nope. This is clear the counter of any movable object, pour flour on the surface and make every piece of the meal from scratch even if it cooks past midnight baking.

Stick with me, this is a writer's post.

I chose to make bread. I mixed the ingredients as called for in the recipe, no cheating with a bread machine, put the dough in a warm place, and let it rise. Once satisfied with the looks I punched that baby down with my fists and kneaded it, turning it over, pushing, shoving, squishing it through my fingers and setting it back in the bowl. I repeated the process twice before tenderly setting my work of culinary art into a bread pan and pushed it into the oven.

Smelled good. I took a peek. Looked good, my stomach rumbled. My family walked into the kitchen licking their lips and inhaling the aroma. Then came the illusive question: "When will it be ready?" The timer dinged and I rescued my creation from the oven, setting it on the counter to cool. As an experienced cook, I learned to stand guard to prevent quality control managers from premature sampling.

While it cooled, I whipped up some fresh honey butter to a soft, creamy consistency, better than Olive Gardens and spatulaed (yes, I made up that word. It works for me and I am a writer) the sweet spread into a decorative container.

Now for the pièce de ré·sis·tance. I set the bread on a decorative cutting board along with a bread knife, added a stack of bread plates and the decorative container of honey butter, and called my brood. Shall we say I will win the best mother award for the next five minutes? 

Now lets play read Mary's mind. How did this relate to writing? Hold on, I know you know the answers! We have quite a qualified readership. Check me if I miss anything:

1. I chose. Good start for writing a book. We need to choose what we are going to write. Wavering and floundering muck up the waters. For my bread, I thought of my eaters and what they would want to eat. What good would be if I was the only one eating the food? I'd gain fifty pounds and miss a great blessing.

2. Mixed the ingredients as called for in the recipe: Read books, posts, articles, crits, attend classes, workshops, conferences, and anything including taking a cruise (for research of course) that provides you with the ingredients (tools)  for writing. Use these quality ingredients to compose your WIP.

3. Put the dough in a warm place and let it rise: After you finish writing an article, novel, or post, set it aside for at least one day, better to do three days to one week. This gives all those nasty errors a chance to rise to the surface ready to be plucked out.

4. Once satisfied...punch that baby down with your fist, and etc.: Edit your work. Leave no word or punctuation unexamined. Be ruthless. The more you squish those errors through your fingers, the better the product. Nothing is above examination...except your name.

5. Set it back in the bowl and repeat the process. Give the new version time to rest. Same amount of time. Don't sit there doing nothing! Start your next work. Pull your mind away from the current project to find your fresh eyes. At the end of the time, re edit. Show no mercy.

6. Tenderly set in pan and push into oven: This is when the crit partners, grammarians, and other folk work on your piece. Raising the internal temperature, blending, unifying, drawing out the delicious flavors of the work.

7. Smelled good....my family inhaled the aroma and asked "When will it be ready?" Time to query, pitch, enjoy the memories of best scenes while making a one sheet. Smell the aroma of the sweet writing filling computer pages, laugh at memorable dialogue, burst with your news. Let it fill the air so others come to you and ask, "When will your book be published?"

8. The timer dinged and I prepared the pièce de ré·sis·tance: Attend a conference, pitched the book, send it off to an agent. While they feast, know that your work was designed to please eaters/readers and the greatest joy of all was watching them.

9. Go to step one and make another.

How did I do? Maybe you saw other key points, grasped other great ideas. Share them, don't leave me hanging!

This was a different side of Mary presenting to you today. The caged up one in a hotel room waiting to move into her house across the country. Could you tell?

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This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes contemporary Christian fiction with a focus on the homeless population and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website www.maryvee.com

Step into Someone Else's World

Ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com

Weeding Your Manuscript: Editing When Your Head is Spinning

Is your manuscript being taken over by the weeds?

Do you ever get overwhelmed with the editing process?

"Up the conflict."

"Read your dialogue over, doesn't sound realistic."

"Too many words; tighten the prose and keep the pace up."

"Need to ground us in the setting here."

These are a few of many, many comments I received through the writing process. Sometimes, these comments weren't even agreement.

Even more amusing, since I am part of a face-to-face critique group and we pass copies I have seen comments of direct disagreement.

"Kill this part."

"No, leave it in, it works."

So where do we start with the editing process?

Here's some advice from Alley pal, Casey:

I usually always start my editing process with one read through. Fixing things as I go, but then I have a better idea of the large picture to fix.

Great advice and some I am now following. Thanks, Casey!

Erin Healy advises us to pick one area at a time. Its so easy to get overwhelmed. This is the very advice I am following right now.

I'm zeroing in on the overall plot.

I like to read the ugly areas aloud to my husband. When I hear them aloud it makes me laugh, and then its easier to hit the delete button.

Reading everything aloud is so helpful with dialogue and just about every part of your story. It might be the single thing that has improved my writing the most.

Make a "pretties" file as you go along. I don't remember where I first heard this tip, but putting something in a "pretties" file is less depressing than hitting the delete button. Let's face it, you probably won't use most of it...but you never know. Purple prose? Overdrawn description? Paragraphs of setting? Put it in your file for later.

What overwhelms you the least at this point? Maybe grammar and mechanics is a good first tackle for you if you feel frustrated by some of the larger points of plot. Once you have tackled a set of edits, you may feel more comfortable to move in deeper and deeper.

A writer friend compares it to cleaning your house. After the toddler tornadoes come through, it looks like a disaster. But you tackle one thing at a time and before you know it you are working with a stronger manuscript. Wise words.

Check out Sarah Forgrave's wonderful self-editing checklist. If you missed it the first time around, this is a wonderful set of posts that breaks it down for even the most overwhelmed new author.

Don't be afraid of the delete button. I killed around 10K words this week. It was painful, but I know ultimately it will lead to a stronger manuscript.


What about you? Where do you start your edits? Do you feel overwhelmed when you start editing or have you found a system that works well for you?



Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys reading and reviewing books for The Title Trakk, a Christian review site.  

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

Spring Cleaning From Page #1

Anyone else had time to do spring cleaning?

Okay – maybe time isn’t the issue.

Anyone else motivated to do spring cleaning? ;-)

Around here, it’s quite an undertaking. 5 kids, two full-time working parents, a monster-sized dog. Scary!

-          Take out the old.

-          Toss what I no longer need or what isn’t working.

-          Make room for new things.

-          Get rid of what’s gathering dust…even if it hurts.

Yeah, you know where I’m going don’t you?

Even had manuscript-cleaning moments? It takes the same amount of motivation, time, and energy to purge our beautiful stories. Crit groups, contests, writing buddies – all of these help point out our story-cleaning needs.

So what do we need to do?

-          Take out the old stuff

o   When you go through an edit your first draft, you recognize the things you may not need anymore. Ways to rewrite something using more active words, or ways to ‘show’ more than tell.

-          Toss what is no longer needed or isn’t working

o   Once we delve into our story, we can find ways to tighten the plot and structure. And…and bad as it hurts to write this, even some of the best scenes may not ‘work’ in your story anymore. I just finished cutting a scene I adore because it doesn’t move the story forward – but REALLY slows it down.

-          Make room for new things

o   As we develop these imaginary worlds, we discover new characters, new backstories, new plot twists that we didn’t plan for, so it’s important to take some time away from the story. A break gives us a fresh perspective.

None of this is easy. Sometimes it hurts to toss, change, or rewrite various parts of our stories, but to become better writers with more captivating stories, we must be prepared to do some ‘spring cleaning’ without our stories too.

What have you had to change or toss from your manuscript to give it a fresh look?