To Be or Not to Be: On Editing

I read a lot, as most of us (not just writers) should. Sometimes, I wonder how a traditionally published book ever made it past the editor’s desk, let alone the printers. Other times, I’m left in awe, and that child-like voice inside me whispers that it wants to write like that when we grow up. Often, on Amazon, I cringe.  (Admit it. You know you do, too!)

Writers are often vain. We tend to think the world revolves around us. That’s what happens when you spend countless hours dwelling in a place where a fictional variation of it does. After all, we hold the power of life and death in our hands—entire civilizations rise and fall beneath our fingertips, and if we stop typing, time becomes suspended. It’s easy to see how one can become slightly delusional. But what I don’t get is where the illusion of perfection creeps in. (Is that before or after Act 2?)

It doesn’t matter how fantastic your book is. Even the greatest story ever written doesn’t stand a chance with poor editing. Sadly, most of the mistakes out there are sloppy, careless ones that would have been caught in the most basic of read-throughs.

Now before you start whining that not all of us can afford a professional editor, let me say that I get that. I really do. A proofreader alone can cost anywhere from $20-35 dollars an hour. An editor goes for $65 or more. But, even those with limited budgets could (and should) pass their work along to a trusted source for close scrutiny. This could be a friend, a family member, members of your critique groups or online communities . . . the possibilities are endless.  Use them!

We pour over our work for hours. Our eyes are keyed into our brains. It is far too easy to skim over a word and insert what we know should be there. Our minds know what we meant, and therefore send incorrect cues to our eyes. ‘The’ seems to fit, even if we meant ‘there.’ The plot might have holes, but again, we know what we were trying to convey, so our mind fills in the blanks. Our readers do not have the benefit of seeing the movies that play out in our heads. If we fail to describe character motivation, they will never understand what drives our cast, even if it is crystal clear to us. Tense shifts, inconsistent POVs, missing apostrophes, incorrect homonyms, and shoddy punctuation usage will all throw your valued reader into a frustrated tailspin.

Just as we all have our strengths, we also have our weaknesses.

It doesn’t matter if you are sending your novel to agent #1 on the top 100 list, or going at it your own on Kindle. Brown & Little to Amazon alike, it is still your job, your duty, to make sure you put out the absolute best product that you can. This is your vision, your name . . . and believe me, your reputation is at stake.

Before you scoff, and tell yourself that you are infallible, let me ask you this: Would you send your child off to school without the supplies he or she needed to succeed? Would you show up to an important job interview wearing a stained wife-beater and cut-off jeans? If the answer is no, think about these small revelations and let them sink in. (If the answer is yes, please call me up the next time you have an interview. This is something I would really like to see!)

The truth is, your book is no different. It’s a tough world out there. Do what you can to make sure it succeeds. At the very least, please give it a fighting chance. It, and you, deserve it.

~Best wishes and lots of love~

Adriana

The Dreaded Sequel--What Now?

As most writers will probably tell you, the process of finishing a book is exhilarating . . . and exhausting. For a brief moment, you feel like you have just conquered the world. And in a way, you have. It’s the process that comes afterward that no one ever warns you about. No matter what venue you take, the final edits, the polishing—the packaging and marketing strategies, all of them pale in comparison to the next step: writing the next book.

Maybe it’s different for authors who jump headlong into some new, shiny project. You really have no expectations to live up to there, no established voice to follow. You’re starting from scratch.

I am starting from scratch too. For the hundredth time. In the past few weeks, I have scrapped and rewritten twenty-thousand words or more—all because of the dreaded sequel.

When I first started Requiem, I had no idea how long of a story it would be. Like most of us, I was compelled by the voice whispering in my ear and fascinated by what it had to say. What I thought would be a short, character-driven story evolved into something much more. About halfway through the process, I realized not only did I have a novel on my hands, but a three part series. Maybe more.

Awesome.

I LOVE these characters. They are fun and intriguing. That, my friends, is not the problem. The problem is that I love the first book a bit too much. (Is such a thing even possible?) Though the second book is plotted out, nothing I pen quite measures up in my eyes, and I am terrified, yes terrified, that other people will look at the sequel and see the same thing. The last thing I want is people looking at me with pity in their eyes and asking what happened.

Is this sort of crippling fear and doubt normal, or have I just lost my mind? Does it extend into new projects as well, or does this vile plague only afflict subsequent books in a series?

I would love to hear your thoughts and any suggestions you might have. Believe me . . . desperation is starting to set in.

~Adriana

Titles: A Rose is NOT Just a Rose!

First impressions die hard. Here, we will discuss the importance of titles and how to make yours shine.

 

Bait & Hook:  So, you’ve finally penned that masterpiece. Every word is flawless and in order. Now, it needs a title. This may seem trivial and easy compared to the rest of the process, but not so fast! This phase is too important to slap something up in haste.

  

Titles are the calling cards of a story.  Most readers will glance over titles before deciding which ones to read. I do it myself, and a boring title can guarantee it will sit on the shelf or remain unopened. With time being a precious commodity, it’s only natural that we would pick the items that hold the most interest and sound exciting.

  

Titles often give clues about what to expect inside. This is your first chance to reach out and connect with your target audience. Appeal to their interest, play on the strong suits of your story. Use genre to your benefit. Dynamic titles captivate readers and draw them in to the point that they often open up a book or story and start skimming it on the spot. It doesn’t matter how fantastic the opening hook is if your title doesn’t prompt anyone to start reading! Editors often make changes to titles; many times right up until publication day. They do this to make sure it is as marketable and appealing as possible.

 

•  Make sure the title makes sense in connection with your story. Don’t mislead your readers or trick them. They will remember that in the future. If your title speaks of hardship and heartbreak, make sure the story does as well!  ;)  That is, unless it's satire.

 

Now That the Story is Done: If you’ve written the story and still have no idea what to name it, all is not lost. Good titles are many times taken from the body itself! 

• Look for a key phrase or theme that sums up what your story, play, poem, or book is about.

• Reread your material. Keep your eyes open for any catchy phrases, questions, sentences, or expressions that hold special appeal. These sparkling gems can help you create some great titles!

• Browse through other titles. Examine what catches your attention and why. Build off these observations and use them to your advantage!

 

Titles can also help lead us into other ideas. You may come up with several dazzling headliners before settling on the perfect one. Don’t pitch that scrap heap into the garbage. Think about some of the lines you’ve created and see if any stories can be built around them. Sometimes a few simple words can be deeply inspiring. You may be surprised to find you have your very own list of prompts!

 

Be on the Look Out and Have Fun!: Make a game out of your title search. Most writers are observant by nature. No matter where we are, our eyes and minds are always searching for new ideas and inspirations, ways to put fresh spins on concepts. Include your title hunts in these quests. You may be surprised by what you come up with. Everything around us offers a small glimmer of potential. Utilize these tools to your advantage.

  

Types of Titles:

 

Dramatic
Punch line
Place
Trick
Catch-phrase
Short
Long
Musical
VIP names
Command
Happy
Scary
Sad
Question
Alliterative
Statement
Theme

 

Your title is the very first impression you will make on a reader. Don’t sell yourself short. Think of it as the frosting on a cake. You know the inside ingredients are good, so make sure the outside is just as appealing. Take the time to be creative and wise in your choices, and the rest will fall in place!

 

~Best wishes and happy writing!~
Adriana

 

On Writer's Block

Some people pursue writing as a career; others do it as a hobby. I’m sure a handful or more are stuck somewhere in the middle of the road, unsure where they fall. Fulltime, part-time, or somewhere in between: if you write, you are bound to hit a snag. You will eventually stall, falter, or stare at a blank page for hours on end, wondering what in the world is wrong with you. It happens on every end of the creative scale: to novelists, poets, bloggers, and short story scribes. It happens to the masters sitting at the top of the bestseller‘s charts, to the unknown author pursuing his guilty pleasure. We call it Writer’s Block.

*cue the grim face and creepy music*

The mere phrase is enough to strike terror in even the staunchest author’s heart. A vast majority of writers will, at some point or another, bemoan their muses. We scapegoat, shifting the blame elsewhere. I, myself, have done this on numerous occasions. Yes, I have cried to the writing gods in all of my dramatic glory, begging to know why they have forsaken me. I’ve made offerings of solitude, incense, music, and coffee. Then, a well-meaning friend posed a single question that rattled me to the core.

"Why do they call it writer’s block?"

The answer seemed so obvious at the time. Uhmmm. Hmm. Because we write?

Nod in agreement, if you will, but let’s really think about this. Many of us have not yet broken into the spotlight far enough where can support ourselves by writing alone. Someday, yes, but not yet. Am I right? Say you work on the side as a janitor. Sure there have been days where you didn’t feel like showing up to work. Maybe you were having an off-day or simply felt blah. We all have days where we are not as productive, where we just shuffle through the movements without heart or head in the actions. Yet, we don’t call into work to report we won’t be coming in today because we have a case of janitor’s block.

See the reasoning here?

Teachers don’t call off with teacher’s block, cops don’t call off with cop block, truckers don‘t call off with trucker‘s block. They show up, perform the best that they can, and hope they make it through to find tomorrow is a better day.

I’d like to say that writers are lazy. I really would, but by nature we aren’t. Only one who has sat in our shoes know how hard it really is to churn out line after line, to build upon word after word, constructing characters, plots, and worlds out of thin air, and then breathe that magical life into them. It’s a craft that takes years of sweat, hard work, dedication, and tears to hone. Even then, we sometimes fall flat. That’s okay!

Maybe it is not writer’s block after all. Maybe, underneath our creative exteriors, lies a normal person who experiences a very normal thing when you go though the same motions day after day: burn out. It’s easy to fall into this feeling, especially when you pour as much time and energy into your writing as we do.

Allow yourself a day or two off once in a while. Take time to read that book you thought sounded so good. Go for a walk. Do the dishes. Clean the house. Play on the floor with the kids or the pets. Socialize with family, neighbors, and friends. Live, laugh, and enjoy life around you. It’s okay! Not only is it okay, it’s healthy. The burn out will eventually ease and you will find yourself facing the screen with a fresher outlook on writing and life in general.

The next time you feel yourself stuck, don’t blame your muses or cry to the powers that be. Take the time to listen to what your own body is telling you. It may be a few hours, or it may be a few weeks, but all is not lost. Writers are human. Take time to recharge your body and mind. After all, they are our most valuable tools.

~Best wishes and happy writing!~
Adriana

Weekends are for resting?

Say it isn't so!

Not here, not this week.  After a hectic weekday onslaught and a massive cleaning spree, I found myself too drained to even log on to the computer.  While this left me behind in many areas, I did find time to enjoy a new book I purchased, shampoo all the carpets, shop, and scrub the house from top to bottom.  Last night, I feel into bed around 10:30, a new record for me!

I roused this morning rested and ready to face the day.  After much contemplation and coffee-filled musings, I managed to produce a lengthy, but informative horror newlsetter, complete with some great editor's picks.  Somehow, I made my way through thirty something e-mails, and even found the time to touch bases with a few dear friends both here and on WDC.  At the moment, I feel like Superwoman.  Albeit a very tired one.

The end of the month often brings a frantic crunch for time and deadlines loom ahead with sinister leers.  They taunt me, but this is when I am at my best.  Something about the frantic urgency spurs me into action and pushes me to greater heights.  While I thrive under pressure, many others fall apart.

This leads me to ask: when do you feel you are at your best?  Does pressure help or hinder your efforts?

Just some food for thought.  Me, I'm tired and have one final deadline staring me in the eye.  I hope I conquer it and do it well. 

As the saying goes, there's no rest for the wicked . . .

~Best wishes and happy writing~
Adriana