Need A Little HIP Action?

So what did you really think I was going to write about? LOL ... A dancer, I am not. I like to dance to make my kids laugh, but that's about it. I keep telling my husband someday we are going to take dance lessons, but nah...we never will. We'd laugh too much.

I'm still reading James Scott Bell's book, Revision and Self-Editing and he talks about HIPs. Here is how he breaks it down:

HOOK: This is making your writing hard to put down. It is not just used at the beginning of your book, but all throughout it. You want to give your reader a reason to keep turning the page, so every scene needs to draw the reader into it. This can be done through the opening line, through dialogue, and setting. You want to start your scene at, or close to, the action of the scene. You also want to establish the viewpoint right up front.

INTENSITY: "The greater the trouble, the greater the intensity." You don't want any dull parts, whatsoever. You need to keep tension in every scene. It doesn't have to be high-end tension, but enough to keep the reader in anticipation.

PROMPT: To me, this is like a hook, but only at the end of your scene and/or chapter. This is where you prompt the reader to keep on reading. Here are a few of Bell's ideas: a mysterious line of dialogue, an image of foreboding, a secret suddenly revealed, and a question left hanging in the air.

So have you been putting your HIPs in action? A little rusty from disuse? Or do you have some great moves?


photo credit: Mirian-Fotos @pixabay.com
Article first published at sherrinda.com 11/2009

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Sherrinda Ketchersid is a born and bred Texan, preacher’s wife, mother of 4 children, and works part-time as a bookseller at Amazon. With the children grown and out of the house, she weaves tales of fierce knights and their ladies in a time where men were warriors and women had to be strong enough to keep them in check.

After taking time off from writing, she has returned with a new motto in place to spur her on. “Writers write. Everyone else makes excuses.” ~Jack Bickham.  No excuses this time. She is weaving her love of romance with history to bring joy and the hope of love to those who may one day read her stories. Her first book, tentatively The Lady's Masquerade, will release April 2019.

You can connect with her through:

Personal blog: sherrinda.com

Twitter: @sherrinda

Instagram: @sherrinda

THE EVIL DELETE BUTTON

I was at a monthly local writer's group last month and was sharing how my current work in progress was perplexing me.

It's a novella and I was about 3k words in, so about 10% done.

For the first time in a LONG time, I actually had a good idea of what I was going to write, what the hook was going to be, what/when the black moment would appear. I was pretty pleased with myself, since I am a self-professed seat of the pants author and can't pre-plot to save my life.

But my problem was....

I hated my 10%.

Okay, fine, maybe hated was too strong a word.

I disliked it... or no. Not even that. Something about it just didn't sit right. I would reread it and be like, Oh, this is so good... but then I couldn't write more. It just felt--flat.

It almost was like someone else's voice was telling a story.

One of the women in my group asked me if maybe I needed to start over.

I was like, OH NO. It isn't THAT bad. I just have to figure out what is bothering me about it, fix that, and go on my merry way. Because the writing was actually pretty good for a rough draft. The character, at least one of them, was super real and flowed on the page nicely. She was a minor character in a previous story so I already knew her backstory and her motivators. And I THOUGHT I knew her story.

But still...

So this last week, I was at my inlaws for a few days and was sitting down at my computer, thinking about my story.

I decided to be dumb and go back to my title.

I'd slapped it on there and while I didn't hate it, it sat with me about as well as my 10% did.

So I thought---maybe if I thought of a better TITLE, then it would help me write, right?

I was mulling it over and playing with letters (I already knew most of it--- it is a sequel to A (kinda) Country Christmas so I knew I wanted A (sorta) S______ S_____) and suddently the PERFECT title hit me.

A (sorta) Southern Serenade.

It flowed off my tongue and my stomach got excited jitters.

I KNEW this was the right story, and since Kendra is/was a singer/actress, and the story takes place around Nashville, it totally fit!

New title in hand, I went back to my work in progress.

And it became glaringly obvious.

I swallowed as I eyed the Delete button. It needed to go. All of it. Every single word for the 10%.

I would love to be able to say that I was woman enough to hit that delete button. But I was not. Like most smart writers, I instead did a little cut/paste option so I have that 10% just in case I need it later for something.

But I started over. Now I'm only about 300 words in... so what, 1%? And I write a little back-cover copy that again, made me do a little dance and clap my hands in giddy anticipate... something the previous idea never, ever did.

It's amazing what can happen when you become one with the delete---or cut/paste---option.

I'll be working this weekend on getting those words back down on the page. Of figuring out where in the world this story is going to take me (because even though I have a bit of an idea now, I'm back to my SOTP self that has no clue where it will end up and how they will get there) but I'm excited to write now. I'm grinning at the idea. I'm no longer trying to ignore that rock in my gut that was telling me something was not right.

Good riddance, rock! 

What about you? Have you ever had to scrap an idea and start over? Delete a really amazing scene that just didn't feel right?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and writes romantic comedy. Her latest book A Side of Love, released February 29, 2016.  She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

Tackling the Revise + Resubmit Request

You're waiting for news from an agent or editor, and that anticipated name finally appears in your inbox. But what if it isn't a yes or a no? Besides the obvious answers, there's a different option: A revise and resubmit request.

Whether there's an element of your story that needs to be tweaked or a structural component that doesn't meet the requirements for a particular line, this typically means they see promise in your project but would like to see how you change certain things before they commit. Sometimes this happens in a pitch meeting or query response. Other times, they will send full editorial notes like they would for one of their own clients.

Since I'm working on one as we speak, here are my top tips for dealing with a revise and resubmit request:

Number one and most important, this is -- more often than not -- a good thing. Nothing to be upset about at all. Yes, it's more work to put into a project you've probably already spent a considerable amount of time shaping up to send off in the first place. But it will be worth it. Remember that this means your story made this agent/editor think and that he or she is invested in the idea enough to respond thoughtfully to you out of the hundreds of submissions in any given week.

But you don't have to take the advice. Revise and resubmit requests are great opportunities to show how teachable and creative you are with constructive criticism (an editor's dream author). If you've made every attempt to be open-minded and discussed it with trusted people who know your work and you still feel these suggestions don't seem like a good fit with your vision, then it might be best to move on. If their suggestions are so extensive that the structural integrity of your story is lost (and it's no longer your own story), then maybe you'd be a better match with a different agent/editor. But more than likely, a reputable industry professional will give you suggestions to bring out the best in your story and make it a mutual fit, especially if you know this individual has worked with authors whose work resonates with you. Don't be afraid to ask if it's all right to run your revision ideas by the agent/editor before you begin, but make sure you have a good handle on them first to present them cohesively. (And if you have an agent, make sure to get his or her approval to contact an editor first!) Experiment with the changes. See if they resonate with you and give your story life. Then proceed accordingly.

When undertaking this kind of edit, you can never go wrong with a good checklist. If a request seems daunting (Mine was two pages long!), make a list with each change along with action items that can accomplish it. What backstory and plot points need to be changed? Does any of this change your characters' essence or how they would react to things? What questions need to be answered as these changes unfold? What plot points will each change affect later in the story? Having a roadmap or sorts is a tremendous reference as you implement these changes in each chapter and a great way to keep things organized! Plus, the accomplishment of checking things off never gets old.

Here's what mine looks like:

Have you ever gotten a revise + resubmit request? What are some ways you know an editor/agent/critique partner's advice will benefit your story? How do you tackle a big rewrite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Tell Yourself You're Brilliant and Revise Like a Madwoman

These were two insights I gained from a recent writer's workshop.

There is a wonderful organization in this area that sponsors an annual event, "What If All of ____ Read the Same Book?" Are there any towns in your area that participate in this event?  If so, I highly recommend investigating it. This is the first year I attended one of the events, but I plan to make it an annual outing.

The author I was priviliged to hear is Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief. Please note that this is an endorsement only of the information shared at the workshop.

The information in Tinti's workshop was tremendously helpful, even though I am not using it at this stage in my journey.  That's because her topic was revision and I'm following her first draft advice to the letter: Turn off your internal editor! Get it down! Have fun!

How many drafts do you write? Hannah wrote 15 for The Good Thief, which originally weighed in at over 600 pages and is now under half that total.

A quote I particularly liked was "your writing is a jigsaw puzzle you created, you have the solution."  I've thought about this quote several times since. If I truly allow Christ to direct my writing day by day it doesn't mean I'm not working by a plan, but that I should be prepared for the plan to change without much notice. 

Do you struggle with making messy first drafts?  Oh, boy, can I relate.

In college writing classes, Tinti's intstructor challenged her to produce one page of the worst writing possible.  This then freed them from fear of failure. 

When I sit down to write these last few weeks I preface my session with telling myself "you are free to write the worst possible."  Its freeing, and I have not produced my worst work ever.  In fact, I think this allowance has improved my rough draft as I've also allowed myself to "disobey" my outline and allowed the story to move more freely.

At the end of each draft Tinti advises telling ourselves we're brilliant, having a "draft" party...THEN waking up the next day and ruthlessly revising. 

Now, I'm not quite ready for my draft party....BUT I am ready to party with you in celebration of over 300 followers.  I have 2 books up for the grabs to TWO lucky commenters: Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner and Petra by T.L. Higley. 

Tell me a bit about your revision process, if you're working on a novel.  Is it difficult for you to free yourself up to write your first draft?  How many times have you revised a work-in-progress?

Be sure to include your email address and which book you would like to read.  The winner will be announced in Saturday's post.