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Writing to a Deadline AGAIN #1
Writing to a Deadline AGAIN #2
Tag Archives: Publishing
Writing to a Deadline AGAIN #3 — OMIGOSH! You Gotta be kidding me!
Posted in Writing to a Deadline
Tagged Arts, author, beta partner, beta reader, beta reading, Blog, Business, editing, Fiction, getting published, Music, New Jersey, point of view, Protagonist, publish, Publishing, Short story, shortstory, synopsis, Word count
Search and Destroy in the Editing Phase
Daily Writing Tips recently had an article explaining bad writing compared to poor writing. The one part of the article that struck me was the end.
They presented a list which I will admit (giving them total credit) that I copied and pasted below. I only want to talk about #5, but I am including the entire list, because I think there are a lot of writers out there who can benefit from it.
Here we go: Total credit to Dailywritingtips.com (If you want to see the whole article, the link is below)
———————————————————————-
Here are some tips on avoiding the pitfalls of bad writing:
1. Be Fresh
The purpose of metaphor and simile is to evoke recognition by comparison or allusion. Write these analogies to aid your readers with your clarity of vision, not to serve your ego, and avoid clichés.
2. Be Clear
When drafting expository fiction or nonfiction, record your voice as you spontaneously describe a scene or explain a procedure, transcribe your comments, and base your writing on the transcription, revising only to select more vivid verbs and more precise nouns and to seek moderation in adverbs and adjectives.
3. Be Active
Use the passive voice judiciously.
4. Be Concise
Write tight.
5. Be Thorough
Accept that writing is the easy part; it’s the revision that makes or breaks your project — and requires most of your effort.
———————————————-
Okay then… end credit to daily writing tips.
(On a side note: If anyone needs clarification on anything in the list above, let me know and I will do my best to translate.)
Let’s talk about #5.
This is near and dear to my heart, as I have just finished a roller-coaster ride self-imposed deadline of 5,000 words a week to finish a novel in 10 weeks.
I finished my first draft four weeks ahead of schedule, and dropped myself into editing.
Is my story great? Well, of course it is! It’s my idea and I love it.
Is it well written…
Umm well, it will be.
Now is the tough part. I need to attack all the sneaky “tell” that slipped in when I wasn’t looking. I need to describe bronzed skin rather than telling “his skin was bronzed.”
Luckily enough, I have many words to spare, as I ended up short on my word-count target. I have plenty of room to expand.
Right now, it is “search and destroy” on “Felt” “was” “it” and all those other nasty little tell markers.
I was paying attention this time around, and I tried my best not to have blatant run-on tell passages (as I’ve been guilty of in the past) which is good, but all of my tell is now “subtle”. It is the kind that will probably slip past most publishers. But I don’t just want this to be a good novel. I want it to be a great one.
Yes, it is this revision process that will make or break this novel.
I am approaching it by not reading for flow yet. I am just looking for all those “little nasties”. Once I think I am “nasty free” I will read for flow, and then ship off to betas, trusting them to slap me upside the head for everything else I may have missed.
How do you “search and destroy” during the editing phase?
Related articles
- Search and Destroy Those Weak Words (whatifyoucouldnotfail.typepad.com)
- Good Advice About Bad Writing (dailywritingtips.com)
Jon Gibbs’s Ten things I wish I knew before I was published #7: The Dreaded Excusitis
Beware Excusitis, or Failure Disease.
“I would have been published, but…”
“I would have finished my novel but…”
Avoid people who are negative, because you may get caught up in it. You know that negative guy in your writer’s group who thinks the whole industry is out to get them? The one who self-published a book of haikus about his cat’s hair balls? Can we get rid of that guy?
Focus on what you want… your goals, and 
don’t let anyone drag you away from them. Surround yourself with positive people who will be there to pick you up when you fall.
Remember: the gut wrenching stab of a rejection letter is nature’s way of telling you that you are still in the running. By in the running, I mean that you still care. You still want to succeed. The people who don’t give up are the ones who are the most successful.
Also, if you get rejections, don’t always think “it’s not me, it must be them”. Remember to change your query or manuscript to get the best results. If you are using the same query you wrote a year ago, maybe it is your query? Maybe your synopsis is really poor? Think that over. Maybe you can make a small change that will fix everything.
For instance, Jon Gibbs was sending Fur Face to YA publishers. After a long time, one of them was nice enough to tell him “This is really good, but it’s not YA. It’s middle grade.” Jon had no idea. He submitted to a MG publisher, and Abracadabra! Publication. Sometimes you just need to change your thinking a bit.
Note: The above are Jon Gibb’s main speaking points, with my rambling opinions attached.
Jon Gibbs is the author of one of my son’s favorite books: FUR-FACE, which was nominated for a Crystal Kite Award.
Jon is an Englishman transplanted to New Jersey, USA, where he is an ‘author in residence’ at Lakehurst Elementary School. Jon is the founding member of The New Jersey Author’s Network and FindAWritingGroup.com.
Jon blogs at jongibbs.livejournal.com
Website: www.acatofninetales.com
Posted in Author Advice, General Writing Tips, Ten things I wish I knew
Tagged Arts, Book Haiku, Fur Face, Jon Gibb, New Jersey, Publishing, United States, USA
Writing to a Deadline AGAIN? You betcha! Part Two
Yes, here we go again. When I left you I had five weeks to write a story from scratch and submit. Here’s how I did it.
Check out yesterday’s post by clicking here to see how I got myself into this mess.
Okay, so this is how I did it…
I took two days to come up with and outline the story.
I gave myself 1,000 words a day of writing time by placing FIRE IN THE WOODS on hold. Within Ten days (two weeks in to the process—I don’t write on weekends) I had a rough draft.
Three more weeks until Deadline.
I posted the first half of my story on Scribophile, took general comments, and did a mild revision.
Two weeks until deadline… and no one had even seen the second half.
Now it was time for my writing buddies to jump on board. They all read it in full. One ripped me a new one. It almost felt like a “keep out of genres you don’t write” kind of critique. Ever gotten one of those?
One beta said it was good, but when I asked her about the harsh comments I received from the other person, she agreed with many of them. (Ugh!) Later the same day, two glowing betas came back with mild changes only.
Talk about contradicting criticism!
I mentioned that I was now unsure, and was considering an overhaul… and one buddy… let’s call her multi-published Romance Writer #1 said: “DON’T YOU DARE! This is your story, not hers. Tweak if you must, but don’t change. Always go with your gut. Your gut likes what you wrote. The publisher will, too.”
So, I thought it over, and agreed with Romance Writer #1. If I made the drastic changes to both my characters to make everyone happy, it would be sappy, and not really what I wanted. So I stuck to my guns. Tweak, polish, complete.
One week and three days until the deadline.
Oh Crud! I need a query!
I wrote up a query really fast and sent it to my query gnome. (If you don’t have one, find one) She slashed my blurb and re-wrote it for me, but left the rest in-tact. I tweaked slightly to keep in my voice and posted it to my Scribophile group.
Multi-published Romance Writer #2 jumped in and tweaked it some more.
You know what? I ended up with something that even made ME want to read it, and I don’t read Romance. (It’s great having friends that like to write queries.)
One week to deadline:
Yes, I pressed the submit button, and I did it one week early. Funny, I was not as stressed about this one. I’m not sure why.
I learned a few things through this process…
Well, maybe not learned, but it reiterated things I already knew:
1. I can write under incredible pressure.
2. You need more than one beta, get many opinions and go with majority… don’t try to make them all happy
3. Go with your gut.
4. Writing buddies are incredibly important. My friends knew I had a deadline, and they dropped what they were doing to critique. Know what? I will do the same for them. If you don’t have writing buddies, find them.
Thank you Sisterhood of the Traveling Pens!
(Note… all my buddies are “on-line” friends. Social networking. It ROCKS!)
So, that ends the tale of my latest madness writing adventure. Will it work out? Dunno. But I do know that push comes to shove, I Can do this.
My advice? Challenge yourself. You don’t know what will happen or what you can do until you try.
Related articles
- Time Management For Writers or How to Herd Cats (accordingtohoyt.com)
- Honesty (kaidamian.wordpress.com)
- Writing Contests Benefits (wordsmithsix.wordpress.com)
- As Deadlines Go Whooshing By (infearofblankpages.wordpress.com)
Writing to a Deadline AGAIN? You betcha!
Yes, I placed myself in the clutches of a publisher’s deadline AGAIN. I didn’t expect to. It wasn’t planned. It just kind of happened. Here’s the scoop…
About two months ago a writing buddy of mine Terri Rochenski announced that she was submitting to an anthology. I looked up the publisher. They only did Romance.
WARNING WARNING DANGER WILL ROBINSON!
I giggled. Despite the fact that there was a romantic element in LAST WINTER RED, I knew that writing a straight Romance was not for me… and I was having so much fun blowing stuff up writing FIRE IN THE WOODS that I didn’t really want to take the time to start something new.
.
Anyway… A month later she put out feelers for beta readers. A little niggle gnawed at my gut, poking and peeling until guilt set in.
The little writing demon inside me smacked me upside the head… Who cares that it’s Romance! You just missed an opportunity.
The overachiever in me flipped back to the publisher’s web-site. There were still five weeks until the submission date.
Five weeks…
Is that long enough to come up with a story, outline, write, beta, edit and submit?
Honestly… No it wasn’t. Did I try anyway?
OF COURSE I DID!
I’m not going to draw this out… I’ll cut to the chase and tell you that I have already submitted a story to this publisher within the timeframe, and I managed to get it in a week early.
So, How’d I do it? Just to not make this post too long, I’ll tell you tomorrow. Be there or be square!
Related articles
- Writing Contests Benefits (wordsmithsix.wordpress.com)
- Redlines are Encouragement (bcsirrom.wordpress.com)
- The New World: Publishing: Killing Your Sales One Shot at a Time (deanwesleysmith.com)
- What sort of women write erotic novels? Meet three “mummy porn” authors and find out what inspires them (mirror.co.uk)
- Romance Writing Contest with Publishing Contract (kathytemean.wordpress.com)
The Road to Publication #13: Do this because you love it. Don’t write for the money.
I have a second job now. I am a professional writer. Yes, I will be paid.
Everyone I have asked says “Do it for the love of writing, because you have to write…don’t do it for the money.”
Yes, I do it because I love it. But it is nice to know I will get a little something for my efforts now.
However, this is one thing I didn’t consider. I signed my contract in April. I will be working on this for seven months on a strict schedule that they have provided to me. A few weeks before release date, the marketing will start, and continue for a few months after that.
I will not see anything in the form of compensation for all this work until May of next year. That’s an entire year after signing the contract.
Between you and me…I haven’t told my husband that yet. He knows that the checks won’t be huge unless the anthology is a runaway bestseller. Thank goodness he is happy because I am happy. If his sights were just on payday, it will be a long and possibly disappointing wait.
Now that I think it over, and look at everything that needs to be done to publish a quality anthology— all that time makes sense. In the end, you will get out of it what you put into it, both in the writing and in the marketing. I now understand how authors can get 1-2 novels out in a year…it’s because they have to. There is a ton of work involved, but for those of you who are lucky enough to only write for a living, you need to keep pumping out that material, because the fruits of you labor, once you get that contract, are about a year away.
Do I find this discouraging?
The paychecks are secondary. I am lucky enough to have a day job… as well as three new novels outlined. Once I finish this edit and submit my MS to the editorial staff, I will flip a coin to decide which, and delve into something new.
Do it for the love of writing and storytelling. Anything you get in retrospect will just be a bonus.
Posted in Road to Publication
Tagged April, Arts, Business, getting paid, how long, Publishing, Short story, Writers Resources, writing
I am Such a Stinking Idiot. I Swear!
I’ve submitted two works in hopes of publication. Last Winter Red was accepted, and will be published in December. Yay! But what was the other one?
The first writing I ever submitted was early this year. It was a 2,000 word short-story for a magazine.
This magazine is very well-respected, and takes submissions until the end of January. They choose the best out of the submissions to publish at different times during the year.
Their requirements were very clear. It needed to be about a dog, the dog could not talk, and it had to be polished and ready for publication.
Hello, let me introduce myself.
I am an idiot
Well, heck, I had a story about a dog! I ran it through some betas, worked it until I wanted to spit, and submitted it.
I never heard back from them. Not a squeak. And I can’t even say they didn’t get it, because I have a tracking number. They got it.
I guess it’s okay that they didn’t respond. They said they would only notify those who were chosen.
Anyway… I stewed over it for a while. Why wasn’t mine good enough?
I read the magazine, and my story beginning might not have been a fit for their readers, but the ending sure was. A story is a journey, right? I just figured my beginning may have been the problem, and moved on.
A few months ago, my writers group announced that they would be publishing an anthology, and asked all members to consider submitting. I thought about this 2,000 word story. The chances that I would send it out to any other magazine were slim.
Soo….. I opened up my final submitted version, and gave it a read for the first time in four months.
My eyes widened after reading the second line. No! It can’t be! I scanned back to the beginning, and started over.
Yes. It can be. Right there … In the second stinking line.
A TYPO.
How the heck many times did I proofread this? How many betas did I go through? How much time expended?
A Typo. Not just a typo. A BIG BLARING TYPO! So much for “Polished and ready for publication”.
Hello, let me introduce myself. I am an idiot. They probably never even read past the second line.
Yep, it’s me. I am an idiot. Feel free to smack me. Ugh!
Related articles
- I’m scared to read my own book! (zenscribbles.wordpress.com)
- Authorship (mermaidssinging.wordpress.com)
- Why Typos Always Matter, Even Online & In Text Messages [Opinion] (makeuseof.com)
- The Business Rusch: Perfection (kriswrites.com)
- Guest Blog – Jessie Andersen, author of “At What Cost” (writerlaurenclaire.wordpress.com)
- Idiot (poemsforkush.com)
- Editor explains ‘butt cracks’ typo in Los Angeles Times (jimromenesko.com)
Road to Publication #12: My Author page – Somewhere other than HERE!
Wow. Pinch me. Every little step of this process that happens “in the public eye” that propels me closer to publication just makes me tingle. Honestly, it does.
I feel like a little girl playing dress up.
You know how you lay in bed and dream at night of pretty photos of you, and interviews, and all that? I mean, it’s starting to happen.
I know it’s not like Oprah has called or anything. This is just an anthology release, not a best-selling novel, but I’m seeing things I’ve only dreamed about come true… if that makes any sense.
This is a big one for me… my author page. This is the first time I have been featured somewhere OTHER THAN on my own web-site. I know it is stupid, but I made a shortcut to it, and I keep clicking on it to make sure it’s still there.
Here’s the link if you’d like to take a look. Come on, click me. You know you want to. I think I’ll pop over too, just in case…
Yep, it’s still there. I am an official J.Taylor Publishing author. Yep, that’s me.
Wow. So cool.
Posted in Road to Publication
Tagged author, Books, Literature, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Show, Publishing
Wow. I hated this book. I mean, I REALLY hated it.
My son (the MMGR) asked me what I was reading yesterday. I gave him the title. He asked if it was good. I laughed and said, “No, actually it is really bad.”
“So why are you still reading it?” he asked.
I smiled and said: “I am taking notes to make sure I never write like this.”
I am going to save the writer the pain of giving you the title of the novel or the author’s name, but I thought this experience was worth mentioning.
I picked up this novel for free from the author. It was one of those things where the author gives away book one, with a teaser of another book at the end, and links (in Kindle) to where you can buy the next four books in the series if you liked this one.
Did I buy the rest of the books? Ahhhhhh…. No.
Giving away Book One is a perfectly sound practice to drum up an audience to buy more of your work and get your name out there… IF YOUR WORK IS GOOD.
This was so sad. Really, it was.
This was a self-published novel. Now, self-publishing is fine… IF YOU ARE READY. This novel read like a third or fourth draft that had never had a beta read. There were a few typos, missing dialog tags, etc.
I can forgive that. The big problem here was the Show versus Tell issues. I never really became immersed into the story. I always felt like I was reading a book. I never had a problem putting it down, because each page was kind of dull.
The story revolved around an orphan girl, who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she is a witch. A male witch takes her from her “normal” life to train her and teach her the ropes. He is handsome. You know what? He is handsome. Oh, yeah, did I mention… he is handsome. That’s all I know because she never said anything else about what he looked like.
These two characters don’t like each other to begin with. Then suddenly, out of the blue, he mentions that he’s engaged, and he doesn’t want to get married. They decide (in one page) to pretend they’ve fallen in love so he can get out of it. The next page, in a big tell section, she falls for him, and then BOOM he says he’s fallen for her and they end up in bed together. From dislike to bed in two pages.
Then in the last few pages the fiancée (I guess the bad guy girl) materializes and is ticked about the relationship. Where’d she come from? I’d never even heard of her until about six pages ago.
This was a short story/novella. If it was written properly, it could have been a solid novel, and very exciting. I felt like I was reading an elongated synopsis.
Was the story good? Well, yes, it could have been great. It just was not ready for publication.
This is what scares me about self-published novels. So many are just not ready. If you want to self-publish, go ahead. Good luck to you… just PLEASE pay your dues. Get at least five hyper-critical betas and LISTEN TO THEM. You don’t need to change everything, but get lots of opinions.
NOTE: The betas CANNOT be your Mom or Dad. Let’s be real, here. Get yourself an editor, too. Get opinions on your story arc. Develop you characters and your story. Don’t rush things just to get something “out there.”
I feel bad, because this story had a lot of potential, and could have been great if it was actually finished before it was published.
If you are going for traditional publishing, the publisher will tell you if it is ready or not by giving you a contract. For me, that nod is priceless, because I know then that my story is ready, and I won’t have someone blogging about me (and maybe not being as nice as me, and using my name **GACK**)
Please don’t get caught in this trap. Give your story the attention and work that it deserves. Pay your dues, and make sure you are ready.
And by pay your dues – I don’t mean that traditional is the “only way”. I mean don’t skip the steps that will make the difference between a really bad review… and a slew of awesome reviews. Give your novel the time and attention it needs in the editing phase before you publish.
Enough said.
Related articles – these are just articles that deal with the same issues. I am not taking sides for or against any form of publishing.
- Indie or traditional publishing: what’s right for you? (rebeccaberto.com)
- Should You Self-Publish Your Book? (stirrup-queens.com)
- Honesty (kaidamian.wordpress.com)
- New Books and Dreams (choward2614.wordpress.com)
- Véradó is going to be published!! (verado.wordpress.com)
Jon Gibbs’s Ten things I wish I knew before I was published #2: It Ain’t Easy, Baby
You will not get published by accident. You need to go to workshops, and send your stuff out. No one will accidentally read your manuscript.
Now, I need to admit that I have a friend who posted an excerpt from her novel on her blog, and a publisher happened upon it. He asked her to send him a full, and he eventually published her.
It does happen, but the chances are so slim I can’t think of a number that small.
There are people out there who walk around carrying “Writer’s Market” hoping someone will see them and say “are you a writer?” Seriously… it’s not going to happen.
You need to submit. Press that little submit button. I know it’s hard, I’ve been there, but it can be done.
Go ahead, stick those pages in that envelope. Send your baby on its way. It won’t get anywhere if you don’t let it leave home.
You need to decide if you are a recreational writer, or a professional writer. Either one is fine, but professional writing is work. You need to apply for jobs… no different here.
(Unless you go for self-publishing, but that’s another story completely)
Note: The above are Jon Gibb’s main speaking points, with my rambling opinions attached.
Jon Gibbs is the author of one of my son’s favorite books: FUR-FACE, which was nominated for a Crystal Kite Award.
Jon is an Englishman transplanted to New Jersey, USA, where he is an ‘author in residence’ at Lakehurst Elementary School. Jon is the founding member of The New Jersey Author’s Network and FindAWritingGroup.com.
Jon blogs at jongibbs.livejournal.com
Website: www.acatofninetales.com
Related articles
- Best First Novel of the Year Award – Includes Self Published (kathytemean.wordpress.com)
- If at First You Don’t Succeed….Lock Yourself in a Closet and Do it Anyways (thewritersadvice.com)
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Arts, Book Review, editing, Fiction, Fur Face, getting published, Jon Gibb, Jon Gibbs, Manuscript, New Jersey, novel, Publishing, self publishing, shortstory, United States, Website, Writer, Writer Resources, Writer's Market, writing, Writing and Editing, Writing help
Jennifer M Eaton 