Category Archives: Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

I have a confession to make, and I’m sorry

Posted on February 28, 2019 | 2 comments

Sorry, I have a confession to make. I told you guys I had lofty release goals this year. And I did. I still do. But I’ve hit a snag.

I can’t publish books that fast. Well, that’s not true. I COULD. But I choose not to.

If I rush these books to press, they will not be the quality that you guys expect from me, and I’d much rather remain an author whose books you love, than someone who can spit out 12 books in a year.

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I have a few giveaways below to say “Thanks” for being patient. I hope you are on board with waiting a few more months so I can make sure you are happy with the books I send out into the world.

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So, here is an update:

	Young Adult (YA) Epic Fantasy Series Goal: Book 1 April/May release Book 2 June Book 3 July	WHISPERS OF SORCERY book 1 and 2 are done. Book one is in editing. My goal is still to get all three books done for rapid release later in the year (Rather than in the first few months as planned)
	Dragon Shifter Romance Goal: Oct/Nov Release	Dragon Heights – One chapter left to write. Whispers is my priority, but there is a good chance you will see this in 2019
	Upper YA Retelling Goal: May Release	First draft is done! I am super excited for this one. I am still shooting for a May release date.
	YA Urban Fantasy (One book for now) Goal: August/Sept release	DEATH WITCH – I think I can get this one out this year. I need to get it through editing.
	YA Indiana Jones Meets Time Travel (Three Book Series)	Time Pirates – Book one is plotted. This one is super tricky because of the time travel element. I NEED to have all three books clearly plotted before I begin writing. There is a CHANCE book 1 will release this year, but again… only if I think it is ready.

So, there you have it. This is still ambitious, and it may change. I just hope I can keep you excited for what’s to come.

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Freebies and Giveaways!

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I am in several free book promotions this month.

There are close to a hundred free books for you to choose from.

Check it out!

Daring Damsels and Warriors

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Portal to Fantasy:

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Speculative Fiction books

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Sexy Scifi and Fantasy

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Novella Jamboree

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Winter Romance Reads

https://books.bookfunnel.com/winterreads/o99nbwb9wt

2 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged dragon book, fantasty, I'm sorry, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Whispers of Sorcery

One Stop for Writers – Something New from the Authors of the Emotion Thesaurus

Posted on October 9, 2015 | 5 comments

We all know just how much sweat, courage and persistence it takes to write a book and then release it into the world.

Writing is tough, isn’t it?

I mean, who says I can’t use the word “sad” fifteen times on the same page?

My character is SAD Dangit!

Ha!

I don’t think there are too many authors out there these days that have not heard of the Emotion Thesaurus.

Mine always sits snug at my side while I’m editing. That’s why I’m kinda excited about One Stop For Writers.

This site, coming to you from Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, and Lee Powell, creator of Scrivener for Windows is being touted as a “powerhouse online library is filled with one-of-a-kind descriptive thesaurus collections, tools, tutorials and much more, all geared to provide the resources you need to strengthen your prose and write more efficiently.”

Normally I wouldn’t give something like this a blink, but I’ve learned to trust Becca and Angela. Because woe to anyone who tries to steal my Emotion Thesaurus.

So that’s why I’m helping to spread the news on this new site. If you are a writer, hop on over and give it a look. You might be glad you did.

Writers Helping Writers is hosting the Launch Week festivities (October 7-14th)! If you know Angela, Lee and Becca already, you probably can guess there will be some great prizes, and probably a bit of paying-it-forward too.

Have fun and good luck!

5 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged angela ackerman, becca puglisi, emotion thesaurus, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, lee powell, one stop for writers, scrivner

Newsletters. Are they really worth all the effort? Part 1

Posted on September 21, 2015 | 7 comments

The big buzz out there in marketing land right now is newsletters.

I’ve heard of newsletters before. I even have a newsletter signup in my sidebar, but I haven’t really promoted it on my blog. After all, you read me here every week. Why would you want to get my newsletter?

Admission of guilt: The truth is that even though I had a sign-up, I hadn’t actually ever written a newsletter – so I wasn’t all that worried about it.

Anyway, a few months ago a friend of mine linked me in to a group of sci-fi authors that were joining forces for a massive newsletter promotion. I figured for an entry fee of $10, the worst that could happen was I’d lose ten bucks. And the best thing that could happen was I’d sell a few books, or one of my wonderful 15 newsletter subscribers might win one of the three Kindle Fires or the gift cards they were giving away. So I joined up.

And then the learning process began.

Before the promotion went out, I did something I’d never done before. I felt bad that I only had 15 subscribers to add to the “pool” that would be getting this massive promotion. (Some of the authors had thousands—one had 22,000 subscribers. Crazy)

Anyway, I wanted to pull my weight, so I got on my biggest fan-based social media (Instagram) and announced I had a newsletter if anyone wanted to sign up.

Imagine my surprise when 50 people signed up over the weekend. Say what? That was score number one that I could have achieved at any time I wanted. I just had no idea that anyone would even be interested!

That, in of itself, was worth the $10.00! I only wish I’d known sooner!

So take away number one is that it doesn’t hurt to ask. You might be surprised how many people might actually be interested in hearing from you in a newsletter.

I’m going to split this into two post so I don’t take too much of your time, but you might find the rest of this story very interesting. I know I did!

You can find Fire in the Woods at all these awesome bookish places!

Catch up with me on social media!

7 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged fire in the woods, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Newsletters, what do I put in a newsletter, what good are newsletters, why newsletter

Wrap Up! Get your manuscript past the gatekeeper

Posted on August 31, 2015 | 6 comments

Get past the gatekeeper

Special Thanks to author Donna Galanti for spending the past ten weeks with us (Wow has it been that long?)

It has been really interesting hearing from someone who sifted through an agent’s slush pile, and listening to the actual comments she made, as well as the suggestions to avoid these mistakes.

In case you missed any of Donna’s great advice, here is a wrap up of all the great tidbits she offered and links to each topic. This will also be made a permanent page under writing advice so everyone can refer to it again.

I hope everyone found this series useful!

Introduction: Score! You guys are going to love this next series of Monday writer’s-help posts! – Get Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper

#1: World Building

#2: Uneven Narrative Flow

#3: Those pesky Unnecessary words

#4: Does your manuscript have CONFIDENCE ISSUES

#5: Where’s the Beef? Is your dialog too beefy?

#6: Hook ‘Em and Hook ‘Em Good!

#7: Let’s Talk About Character Development Part 1

#8: Character Development Part 2

#9: Pacing and Tension – Too Much or Too Little? Part 1

#10: Pacing and Tension – Too Much or Too Little? Part 2

Now go. Work on making every scene the best it can possibly be! It may help you get past the gatekeeper.

About Donna: Donna Galanti is the author of A Human Element and A Hidden Element (Imajin Books), the first two award-winning, bestselling books in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, and the middle grade fantasy adventure series Joshua and The Lightning Road (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs at Project Mayhem. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. Visit her at www.donnagalanti.com.

About Joshua and the Lightning Road:

Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper learns the hard way that lightning never strikes by chance when a bolt strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever. To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark world where stolen human kids are work slaves ruled by the frustrated heirs of the Greek Olympians who come to see Joshua as the hero prophesied to restore their lost powers. New friends come to Joshua’s aid and while battling beasts and bandits and fending off the Child Collector, Joshua’s mission quickly becomes more than a search for his friend—it becomes the battle of his life.

6 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged Donna Galanti, gatekeeper, get out of the slush pile, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Slush pile, what is the slush pile

Get Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper: Pacing and Tension – Too Much or Too Little? Part 2

Posted on August 17, 2015 | 4 comments

Get past the gatekeeper

Based on personal experience as a first-reader intern for a literary agency, I’m sharing what can get your manuscript past the gatekeeper (the intern!) and into the hands of the agent.

PACING AND TENSION – TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE? Part 2

Be aware of things that can slow down your story – or make it race by too fast – and deflate the tension.

Backstory, continued

By weaving in just the necessary information in short bursts throughout your story it will:

*Keep the reader’s interest

*Keep tension high

*Keep the reader wondering

*Keep it dramatic – no matter the genre

Could your action be bogged down?

My First Reader Notes: “In action scenes we were slowed down by long, descriptive sentences such as during this chase scene: ‘Mr. Brown slipped over his excessively waxed floors.’ ‘His frantic breath pressed the pause button on the hot chase.’ ‘My toes became the texture of raisins as they squished up against one another like slimy slices of sautéed mushrooms.’” Descriptive sentences like these forced me to pause (and trip) in this supposed fast-paced action scene and have to create the visual from the words before moving on in the story. You don’t want to do this!

Can there be too much action on your story?

Is your story TOO active, TOO reactive and over-dense with words, concepts and emotions? This makes for a frantic tale, every moment fraught with intensity. It comes at you from every angle and is exhausting. The desire should be to invite the reader to turn the pages not run for cover.

TIPS: *How to change this? Incorporating the setting instead of using biological emotion would add a richer layer to the story.

*Take a break from the action – let it explode all around, then let it settle and give your character time to digest and reflect on all that has happened. They need to breathe.

TIPS FOR PACING AND TENSION:

Deciding HOW and WHEN to reveal information is often more important than the info itself. Decide on your method used to make a big reveal to increase pacing and tension. HINT: Don’t bury it in the middle of a paragraph! (YES, I’ve done this too!).
Move the story along by cutting out extra, unnecessary details in action moments.
SHOW more of what is happening around your character vs. his telling us.
Don’t have your character waffle back and forth! Chart their growth as they grow in the story.

Now go. Work on making pacing and tension flow with each scene! It may help you get past the gatekeeper.

About Joshua and the Lightning Road:

4 Comments

Posted in Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged agent, Donna Galanti, editing, editor, get out of the slush pile, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, joshua and th elightning road, Manuscript, Slush pile, submission, submit, what is the slush pile, writing

Get Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper #7: Let’s Talk About Character Development Part 1

Posted on July 27, 2015 | 3 comments

Based on personal experience as a first-reader intern for a literary agency, I’m sharing what can get your manuscript past the gatekeeper (the intern!) and into the hands of the agent.

Use of Formal Language

Are there places in your book where the language feels a little too formal?

Watch for use of contractions.

They are best used in dialogue and less in the narrative.

Read your story aloud to check.

Remember your audience

And when it comes to language, always remember your audience. For example: You can have mature characters but make sure when writing for tweens, for example, you think like a tween. The reader needs to believe that this is a 12-year-old boy that is going through all of this. His thoughts, actions and reactions need to match that.

The Dreaded “Voice”

Watch for “breaking the fourth wall” like in the TV shows Malcolm in the Middle and House of Cards where the characters speak directly to the camera. This can take us out of the story. In fiction writing this is called breaking the frame of the novel and this style of oral storytelling can reveal an author feeling around for the voice in his story if not done well.

Be consistent!

Be consistent with your character’s voice. Does one character speak formally unlike the others? Carry that through the story. You don’t want your readers to say “Oh, he wouldn’t say that. That’s so out of character.”

Character Growth:

Build up your characters as you write them. Show us their faults, their desires, their conflicts with others – show us their reactions. Reactions are stronger than “telling” us how they feel and even stronger than “dialogue” as what they “tell” is not always the truth – but it’s our reactions that show who we are, right?

TIP: Incorporating dialogue and body language can provide another character’s point of view without breaking away from the voice the scene is written in.

Now go. Work on building characters to care about!

It may help you get past the gatekeeper.

About Joshua and the Lightning Road:

3 Comments

Posted in Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged Donna Galanti, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Joshua and the Lightning Road

“Gentle Tell” is NOT OKAY in your manuscript. Are YOU guilty of lazy writing? — AKA “I am really sorry!”

Posted on July 17, 2015 | 21 comments

If you’ve ever had the misfortune opportunity to have a beta-read from me, you’ll know that I am a show verses tell barracuda. I point it out everywhere. (As I should, or I’m not doing my job)

Occasionally I will mark something as “gentle tell” and say it will probably pass, but the section could be stronger.

I had a section like this in ASHES IN THE SKY. I knew it was a form of gentle tell, meaning it could have been broadened, but since it was not a super important scene, I summarized it a bit to move on to the more exciting stuff. Since it was the only scene I brushed over, and I only did it once in the entire book, I figured I was in the clear.

WRONG

The sole purpose of the scene was to show where the main character got her schedule from when arriving for her first day back to school after a long absence. This is the exact text from my original submitted manuscript. Mind you, this got past several editors:

Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I stopped at the office and got my schedule and locker assignment. They didn’t try to rustle me into any more assemblies, thank goodness.

(See the end of this post if you’d like to see the revised version)

As I said, this got past a few editors, but it was bounced back by the senior editor at the final read through. In this case, she was my personal show verses tell barracuda.

Paraphrasing her comments, she said:

“Don’t take the easy way out and tell us the obvious. What was it like going into the office? Did they treat her poorly, or were they extra nice? Give all the information to move the story forward without just telling us what we need to know.”

In other words – SHOW DON’T TELL

I was mortified. Once I really thought about it, I realized what a lazy paragraph I had written. I’ve heard of lazy writing before, and now I am wondering how many lazy things I have seen in people’s works that I glossed over as “gentle tell.”

Don’t let yourself fall into lazy writing.

If it is important enough to mention, then write it properly. Don’t muddy your manuscript with shortcuts.

In case you are interested, this is the scene that I replaced those two lines with. I think it is obvious how much better the written-out scene is.

***

I slipped through the door to the main office. Four students waited in line, but parted as I walked in. The last to move tugged the backpack on the girl standing first at the front desk. She spun and her lips formed an O before she scurried to the side.

“Ms. Martinez,” the lady behind the counter said. “Welcome back.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, umm, thanks. I need my schedule and locker assignment.”

She handed me a paper from the tray beside her. “Here you go. You have Kelessi for Advisory, room three eighty-five. Do you remember where that is?”

I nodded.

“You locker is in the senior wing, number ninety. The combination is on the last page of your packet.”

“Three eighty-five, Kelessi, ninety. Got it, thanks.”

I turned and looked up from my paperwork. The other people in the office lined the walls, giving me a wide berth.

Did I forget to wear deodorant or something?

***

Look through your own work.

Are you guilty of lazy writing?

21 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged ashes in the sky, editing, fire in the wods, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Manuscript, show verses tell. what is show verses tell, tell, what is the difference between show and tell, writing

Get Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper #4: Does your manuscript have CONFIDENCE ISSUES

Posted on July 6, 2015 | 3 comments

Based on personal experience as a first-reader intern for a literary agency, I’m sharing what can get your manuscript past the gatekeeper (the intern!) and into the hands of the agent.

Confidence issues? What could she be talking about?

How could someone know if I’m confident by reading my writing?

I mean, my character is confedent, so doesn’t that mean confidence just oozes off my pages?

Ummmm, no. Don’t let yourself fall into any of these very easy, very tricky traps.

CONFIDENCE ISSUES INCLUDE: INFO DUMPING, REPETITION, AND STOPPING THE STORY TO EXPLAIN

Exhibiting these issues in your manuscript can reveal an emerging writer not quite confident in your writing.

My First Reader Notes: “The story wanders for four chapters until we get to the inciting incident that launches us into the story and sets the main character on his journey.”

Rather than wander, thrust us right into the story and reveal the main character’s desires and motivations right up front. The reader will catch up later.

TIPS: Start with an info dump? Move it. Cut it up. Blend in later. Ask yourself, what is the incident that starts the character on his journey? YOU know it all – but the reader doesn’t need to know it all. Be selective in what you reveal and when you reveal it.

My First Reader Notes: “Several times the same information was introduced, as if we the reader might forget we were told this information earlier. I often wanted to say “Yes, we know already!”

When it comes to repetitiveness, say it once in the right place. Say it twice or three times and you make the reader feel stupid – and bored. TIP: Don’t repeat phrases across characters. Each character should have their own phrases, imagery, and descriptions associated with them that help develop their unique character.

My First Reader Notes: “We are constantly taken out of the story as the author stops to narrate about Sally: Sally was five ten. She had deep green eyes and blonde hair that was thick and mid-shoulder length. She played flute in the orchestra and three days a week worked at the hospital gift shop…etc. etc. etc.”

Do you have “You See Bob” moments in your story where you feel the need to stop and explain? Well…don’t. TIPS: *Rewrite this section in the character’s voice to see how much stronger this scene can be told, or show us the main character from another character’s point of view. *Incorporating dialogue and body language can provide another character’s point of view without breaking away from the voice the scene is written in.

Now go. Be confident in your writing! It could get you past the gatekeeper.

About Joshua and the Lightning Road:

3 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make

Tagged agent, Donna Galanti, editing, gatekeeper, inters, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Joshua and the Lightning Road, make my manuscript better., Slush pile

Get Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper #1: World Building

Posted on June 8, 2015 | 13 comments

Woo-hoo! As promised, here is the first of a running series of posts to help you “get past the gatekeeper” and have your submission read by the actual agent/editor you sent your baby to, and not just the intern. I’ll be popping in with my own comments. I’ll be in pink, because I feel totally pink today.

Are ya ready? Well, here we goooooo…

Based on personal experience as a first-reader intern for a literary agency, I’m sharing what can get your manuscript past the gatekeeper (the intern!) and into the hands of the agent.

Mistake number one:

ADDRESS WORLD BUILDING ISSUES

Note from Jennifer: World building! We’ve talked about this! We need to ground our readers in the setting, right? Well, that’s not just me yapping. Here it is coming from a lady who REJECTED MANUSCRIPTS for this very reason! Read on, fine folks, read on!

This was Donna’s feedback to the agent on the very first manuscript she read:

My First Reader Notes To The Agent: “The writer began with wonderful descriptive details drawing on all senses and then she just stopped – and I stopped reading. She stopped grounding us in the world of her story.”

Okay, stop here guys. Think this over a minute. And I mean be serious with yourself…

Could there be a richness missing in your manuscript? Answer questions like these: Where are we? Another town? A different world? Are these places what we know, but different? What are the differences?

We also need to ground the reader in the story, otherwise they are lost. Where are your characters in the scene?

EXAMPLES:

Are they outside? “The earth was all gravel beneath my feet.”

Are they in a tunnel? “The stale air threatened to choke me.”

Through dialogue you can show time and distance.

EXAMPLE: “Tom’s house was two miles away…takes a day’s walk to get there…I hadn’t been back since last fall.”

All stories happen somewhere. Whether you write fantasy, science fiction, or even about the “real world,” world building is key to creating a meaningful story. World building is so that your characters have a backdrop to live, work, and engage! Your favorite books, movies, and TV shows all involve world building. Putting the time into it will improve your writing and enrich your story. No need to give all the details…readers love to fill in the blanks with their imagination. One detailed street in a town can give us the entire town’s flavor.

World building is just as important for a contemporary teen story set in Wisconsin as it in an alien universe. Why? Because life in a Wisconsin small town is foreign to someone who grew up in the big city of L.A. or NYC. If your character puts cheese on his pie, we may understand that’s part of the world of his Wisconsin town, not L.A.

World building is more than “setting,” it covers everything in that world. Money, clothing, land boundaries, tribal customs, building materials, transportation, sex, food and more.

Remember, you’re not writing an encyclopedia but a story with flesh and blood characters put through challenges. Story comes first. World building supports the story.

WORLD BUILDING TIPS:

Create a story bible of the elements and details in your story.
Build as you go.
Inspiration? Use photos/cut-out collages.
Make sure your details are relevant and have meaning.
Not sure what to cut? Ask yourself when adding in world building elements to your story: does it move the plot along? Does it connect to the theme? Does it support the growth of the characters?
Draw a map to ground yourself and your readers, even if your story occurs in one place.
Build worlds that interest you.
World building supports mood, theme, conflict, character, culture, and setting.

Now go. Build your world! It may help you get past the gatekeeper.

Great stuff, huh? Donna will be popping in to answer questions. This is a rare opportunity to ask someone that’s been inside the trenches, so please take advantage while I have her ~~all tied up~~ graciously offering her assistance for the good of all.

About Joshua and the Lightning Road:

13 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make, General Writing Tips, Gold Mine Manuscript, Road to Publication

Tagged Donna Galanti, gatekeeper, getting an agent, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Joshua and the Lightning Road, polishing a manuscript, submitting

No, I am not crazy. I’m just really, really anal.

Posted on May 8, 2015 | 11 comments

Last week I posted an article about word clouds and how you can use them to spot overused words.

One of the comments, from a dear friend and fantastic author, was this:

Ok, 300 – 400 times out of 80,000+ words? That’s like what, .005% of your words are the same? seriously woman? You crack me up.

It got me thinking. “Am I crazy?”

Well yes. Just ask my kids.

But also, no.

I don’t look at 400 occurrences as .005% of the words being the same. My mind calculates the problem as “that word appears at least once a page”.

But, you might say, the words won’t be on EVERY page. Yes. This is true. However, that means if I skip one page, there might be a page somewhere that has the overused word twice in it. Even worse if there are places where the word might appear more than twice on a page.

And in my worst nightmares, something like this happens. This is an actual screenshot of a page in on of my manuscripts, pre-editing.

Here is the thing: Repetitive use of a word stands out to the reader. Especially when the words appear close together.

As a rule, I try not to use a word more than once every ten pages.

Well, that’s what I shoot for. It doesn’t always happen. If I can’t do ten pages (and I try very hard to hit this mark) I try to not repeat in less than five pages.

On rare occasion, I do go less. But 5-10 pages is what I shoot for.

Is it crazy?

It can take me a week to get rid of a very frequently used word. Sometimes when I’m doing this kind of edit I want to give up and not care… but the end product is unbelievably worth it. I find myself rethinking paragraphs. I find new and interesting ways to describe things. Being this detail oriented takes my writing to a whole new level.