Are You a Pantser or an Outliner?

For some writers, the word “outline” is akin to a four-letter word. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Yes, there are successful authors—and I do mean best-selling authors—whose practice is to let their fingers fly and write by the seat of their pants (known as pantsers), but they are few in number.

These authors may seem like they’re winging it. They aren’t. They have years (or decades) of practice built upon a foundation of knowledge about technical and creative principles of the writing craft. The majority of best-selling authors spend time on their outlines, even a few months, including doing needed research, which is at times extensive, before the first word of the initial draft is written.

This preparation process includes sometimes significantly changing or tossing the outline and starting over. Albert Zuckerman demonstrates this brilliantly in his book, Writing the Blockbuster Novel, by showing you iterations of best-selling novelist Ken Follett’s outline for his novel, The Man from St. Petersburg. It’s a terrific opportunity to see how a successful author (Follett) works his craft and crafts his work. Additionally, K. M. Weiland’s book, Outlining Your Novel, provides guidance so you don’t feel like you’re back in high school doing a dreaded outline, as does best-selling author of the Lynley novels, Elizabeth George, in her book, Write Away.

One of my clients wrote her memoir without creating an outline first. The result was the timeline was all over the place. Among my editing notes was the recommendation that she restructure the entire manuscript. It took time but she did it, and her story became fluid and logical for readers.

Another client wrote his debut novel without an official outline, but he had an organized mental outline going on, even though he didn’t realize it (it happens, just not as often as we might like). However, during our time working together, he did James Patterson’s online writing course, and saw first-hand how creating an outline would save time during the draft-writing stage, which he did for his sequel.

Anyone who uses outlines will tell you that just because you wrote the outline down, this doesn’t mean it’s etched in stone. For example, the client asked me to review his outline before he started the draft. Several ideas came forward for both of us, especially about how to create the desired big twist that alters the protagonist in a monumental way, which is a shift the author was looking for. Additional beneficial adjustments to the plot emerged as the story progressed. When such inspiration happens, just change the outline and keep writing.

More unfinished manuscript drafts written by pantsers sit in drawers than do manuscripts created by outliners who had spurts of pantsing while writing. When you don’t know where you’re going, you tend to go nowhere. A novel or non-fiction book written by an author writing with wild abandon can cause a story or book to go out of control. The task of getting it back on track is like trying to herd cats. That’s more than a little frustrating, and easy to avoid.

Writing is an adventure, from first word to product. Make it the best experience you can.

[Excerpted in part from the e-book, Easy, Basic Tips for New Writers: Things Every New Writer, Especially First-Time Novelists, Need to Know. Now available at http://www.lulu.com/shop/joyce-shafer/easy-basic-tips-for-new-writers/ebook/product-22760918.html]

Joyce L. Shafer provides services for writers, with a special focus on assisting new and indie authors. Services include Basic and Comprehensive Manuscript Evaluation/Critique and Basic and Comprehensive Developmental Editing, with an option for Ghost Rewriting/Writing services. Learn more about how to make your book one readers rave about at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/. 

What Reading Does for Writers

How gratifying it is to read a book that grabs your interest from the start and keeps you turning pages. Such books cause you to forget you’re reading; you become fully engaged with the story and characters. The movie in your mind is fluid. No matter the genre, such an experience is pure bliss for readers.

This is the experience writers want to create for readers, or should want to create for their readers. However, there’s one vital thing new and “young” writers should keep in mind: writers who achieve this with their books work very, very hard to make writing seem easy. A great deal of effort goes into making this happen.

What does this have to do with what reading does for writers? A lot. But it requires you to do more than just read a book. In fact, it may help at the start if you read a book for your own enjoyment the first time then read it again to pay attention as a writer. Here are some things writers who read can focus on, to their benefit.

Vocabulary: Reading strengthens your vocabulary. It also can remind you of excellent word choices you may not think about or haven’t thought about in a while. Make a note of any words that resonate for you, whether this relates to developing characters or plot. You might even create separate lists for words that relate to physical descriptions, body language, settings, emotions, and so forth, and keep them on hand when you write.

Plot Devices: Observe how good writers develop plot, how they set pace, how everything that happens works. This includes how characters react. Never have a character do anything, especially that’s out of character, just to fit something into the plot. If you have to do that, you have a plot hole regarding plausibility that needs to be fixed.

Dimensional Characters: Notice what causes characters to stick in your mind or hold your interest. What makes you care about them or detest them? Notice how the writer develops characters over time, rather than all at once. Pay attention to what you come to expect from characters, and how they surprise you.

Punctuation: Pay attention to how sentences are structured through the use of punctuation. When are colons, semi-colons, ellipses, em-dashes, and commas used? What about hyphenated words? Notice how seldom, if ever, exclamation marks are used. What about single and double quotation marks, especially for dialogue? Be aware there are several significant differences in punctuation usages between American and British writing. You don’t want to confuse them.

Proper Format: You’ll see there is only one space between sentences, not two. Two spaces were needed when people used typewriters. Now that computers are here, use one space only. This is industry standard. Also note that paragraphs are indented and that there are no spaces between paragraphs. Note how scene changes and scene breaks are handled. Note how dialogue is handled: each character’s dialogue lines are always indented the same as a paragraph.

Pace: Sentence length creates rhythm and influences pace. You want to mix what’s considered long beats and short beats, without overdoing either. Longer sentences slow pace, which is sometimes desirable. Shorter sentences, including effective sentence fragments, speed pace. This is usually more applicable for action scenes, which you want to happen at pace. What you want to watch for is that no action scene takes longer to read than it would take to happen. Here are examples of beats:

Mary stood. She smoothed her hair and tucked loose strands behind her ears. She paused. Then she slapped Mark’s face. (Short, long, short, long)

Mary stood. She tucked loose strands of hair behind her ears, and then she slapped Mark’s face. (Short, long, long)

Setting: You always want to give readers a sense of place. Seeing how a number of excellent and best-selling writers handle setting is beneficial. How much description is included? Notice how the writers blend setting with plot and character development. You’ll never please every reader. Some like long, detailed descriptive passages; some don’t. Use what you feel provides enough description for the story, without slowing pace.

Let what you read stimulate ideas—your own ideas; don’t copy. How many times has the original story of Cinderella been rewritten in various ways? Or stories by Shakespeare? It’s said there’s nothing new under the sun, just new ways to write about it. You can learn by observing and studying what writers of the books you love and admire do to make their stories fulfilling, entertaining, engaging, or thought-provoking. But do keep in mind that time and effort went into choosing every word you read, likely through several revisions.

I wish you the best with your writing and progress.

Joyce L. Shafer provides developmental/substantive editing and book evaluation services, especially but not solely, for new writers. Details about her services, plus her e-book for aspiring and new writers—Write, Get Published, and Promote and her special reports—How to Get an Agent for Your Book or Choose Self-Publishing Instead: Tips, Lists, and More and How to Get Your Book Started: Plan Your Work Then Work Your Plan are available at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/ . 

How to Get an Agent for Your Book or Choose Self-Publishing Instead

ANNOUNCING! 
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This 49-page special report provides enough basic information to help you get an agent for your book or choose to self-publish. Includes a starter list of 61+ agencies (261+ agents) and a link to more agents than you’ll ever need—plus the Number 1 reason an agent rejects a manuscript; a comprehensive list of genres and subgenres; guidance about the feared query letter (including some do’s and don’ts), with access to templates and samples; plus a connection to free tutorials for writers; and more things you need to know to help you decide then go for it! 

Go to http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/bookstore.html to order your copy now! Order directly from me on this page Mon.-Fri. between 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central Time, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Sat. 

How One New Writer Became a Best-Selling Author

There’s a PBS program called Well Read that comes on before six in the morning in my neck of the woods. The program starts with host, Terry Taziolli, interviewing an author about his or her latest book, with some discussion about any prior books, as well as the author’s process. After the interview segment, Mary Ann Gwinn and Taziolli discuss several books selected by Gwinn, which are based on a theme inspired by the interviewed author’s book. If you’ve never watched Well Read, it’s certainly worth it for book lovers. You learn about favorite and unknown-to-you authors and discover books you can hardly wait to read.

One morning the guest author was Tom Rachman, who despite his huge success with his first novel, I’d never heard of. His second novel was being featured, but his best-selling first novel was also discussed, as well as his process that led him to best-seller status with that book. I decided to start with his first novel, The Imperfectionists—and ordered it, which is how I found his comments I’ve shared below.

  

Tom Rachman on The Imperfectionists

I grew up in peaceful Vancouver with two psychologists for parents, a sister with whom I squabbled in the obligatory ways, and an adorably dim-witted spaniel whose leg waggled when I tickled his belly. Not the stuff of literature, it seemed to me.

During university, I had developed a passion for reading: essays by George Orwell, short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, novels by Tolstoy. By graduation, books had shoved aside all other contenders. A writer—perhaps I could become one of those.

There was a slight problem: my life to date.

By 22, I hadn't engaged in a bullfight. I'd not kept a mistress or been kept by one. I'd never been stabbed in a street brawl. I'd not been mistreated by my parents, or addicted to anything sordid. I'd never fought a duel to the death with anyone.

It was time to remedy this. Or parts of it, anyway. I would see the world, read, write, and pay my bills in the process. My plan was to join the press corps, to become a foreign correspondent, to emerge on the other side with handsome scars, mussed hair, and a novel.

Years passed. I worked as an editor at the Associated Press in New York, venturing briefly to South Asia to report on war (from a very safe distance; I was never brave). Next, I was dispatched to Rome, where I wrote about the Italian government, the Mafia, the Vatican, and other reliable sources of scandal.

Suddenly—too soon for my liking—I was turning thirty. My research, I realized, had become alarmingly similar to a career. To imagine a future in journalism, a trade that I had never loved, terrified me.

So, with a fluttery stomach, I handed in my resignation, exchanging a promising job for an improbable hope. I took my life savings and moved to Paris, where I knew not a soul and whose language I spoke only haltingly. Solitude was what I sought: a cozy apartment, a cup of tea, my laptop. I switched it on. One year later, I had a novel.

And it was terrible.

My plan—all those years in journalism—had been a blunder, it seemed. The writing I had aspired to do was beyond me. I lacked talent. And I was broke.

Dejected, I nursed myself with a little white wine, goat cheese and baguette then took the subway to the International Herald Tribune on the outskirts of Paris to apply for a job. Weeks later, I was seated at the copy desk, composing headlines and photo captions, aching over my failure. I had bungled my twenties. I was abroad, lonely, stuck.

But after many dark months, I found myself imagining again. I strolled through Parisian streets, and characters strolled through my mind, sat themselves down, folded their arms before me, declaring, "So, do you have a story for me?"

I switched on my computer and tried once more.

This time, it was different. My previous attempt hadn't produced a book, but it had honed my technique. And I stopped fretting about whether I possessed the skill to become a writer, and focused instead on the hard work of writing. Before, I had winced at every flawed passage. Now, I toiled with my head down, rarely peeking at the words flowing across the screen.

I revised, I refined, I tweaked, I polished. Not until exhaustion—not until the novel that I had aspired to write was very nearly the one I had produced—did I allow myself to assess it.

To my amazement, a book emerged. I remain nearly incredulous that my plan, hatched over a decade ago, came together. At times, I walk to the bookshelf at my home in Italy, take down a copy of The Imperfectionists, double-check the name on the spine: Tom Rachman. Yes, I think that's me.

In the end, my travels included neither bullfights nor duels. And the book doesn't, either. Instead, it contains views over Paris, cocktails in Rome, street markets in Cairo; the ruckus of an old-style newsroom and the shuddering rise of technology; a foreign correspondent faking a news story, a media executive falling for the man she just fired. And did I mention a rather adorable if slobbery dog?

***

Many who decide to be authors would have given up had they been in Rachman’s shoes. A true writer—who must write as much as breathe—demonstrates what it can sometimes take. What it takes is what Rachman said: “I stopped fretting about whether I possessed the skill to become a writer, and focused instead on the hard work of writing.”

Writing is an art and a craft. Sometimes new writers forget that latter part. They figure all they need to do is put down whatever they’re thinking and voila!—they have the next best-selling novel that leads to movie rights. There’s a bit more to it than that. It’s a great dream, and there’s nothing wrong with having that dream, but for the dream to have the potential to be realized, it needs substance, a strong foundation, to be built upon.

Writing fiction or non-fiction requires creative and technical skills, not just one or the other. If you’re a master at punctuation and subject-verb agreement but can’t tell a story in a cohesive and engaging fashion, your technical skills don’t matter. If you can tell a story well, but don’t have any or enough technical skills, your work will be difficult to read, because it won’t flow as a movie in the minds of readers. No agent will represent (and may not even read) a manuscript filled with obvious, and especially egregious, creative and technical issues. If you self-publish, a book with these issues will not endear you to readers.

Never hesitate to learn more about the art and craft of writing. Yes, you can hire a developmental editor to help you polish it, but why not gain confidence as a writer. If you want more confidence, hone your skills.

I wish you the best with your writing and progress.

Need a Book Doctor or an incentive to write or complete your manuscript? Let Joyce L. Shafer be your writing coach, developmental editor, or provide a critique. Details about her services at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/

The Importance of Setting in a Fiction or Nonfiction Book

Setting is integral to story, just as the characters and plot/theme are. Setting is about balance: you don’t want to give too little description and you don’t want to overdo it.

Setting is where the story and each scene take place, which you know. But do you grasp that setting can set the tone and mood readers experience, and can reveal and or trigger characters’ moods? You want to give enough (not too much) description for each scene to set the appearance, atmosphere, and mood for readers so they are clear enough in their own minds about the general or specific image you intend for them to have. It may help to create a list or essay description for your scenes (like a character sketch) and keep these handy so you stay consistent throughout the scenes and story.

Give places texture through description. Here’s an example from a James Lee Burke novel:  

“They drove back onto the four-lane and crossed the bridge over the wide sweep of the Atchafalaya River. From the bridge’s apex, Morgan City looked like a Caribbean port, with its palm-dotted streets, red-tiled roofs, biscuit-colored stucco buildings, and shotgun houses fronted by ceiling-high windows and ventilated green shutters.”

As I said, it doesn’t have to be overdone, just give readers something that helps them form an adequate image in their minds and sets mood and atmosphere—and gives them a sense of place.

Here’s another example from a James Lee Burke novel that puts “place” to where his main character lives: 

“I drove home at 5 p.m. and parked my pickup truck under the porte cochere attached to the shotgun house where Molly and I live in what is called the historical district of New Iberia. Our home is a modest one compared to the Victorian and antebellum structures that define most of East Main, but nonetheless it is a beautiful old place, built of cypress and oak, long and square in shape, like a boxcar, with high ceilings and windows, a small gallery and peaked tin roof, and ventilated green shutters that you can latch over the glass during hurricane season.

The flower beds are planted with azaleas, lilies, hibiscus, philodendron, and rosebushes in the sun and caladiums and hydrangeas in the shade. The yard is over an acre in size and covered with pecan trees, slash pine, and live oaks. The back of the property slopes down to the Teche, and late at night barges and tugboats with green and red running lights drone heavily through the drawbridge at Burke Street on their way to Morgan City. At early dawn there is often ground fog in the trees and on the bayou, and inside it you can sometimes hear a gator flopping or ducks wimpling the shallows.”

You want to make the inner and outer landscapes in your story as real as possible for readers. You want readers to feel as if they’ve been there, to feel connection to the story through location. They want to feel this, too. If you intend to or are writing a series with the same character or characters, you will have to describe some settings (and character descriptions) in each book, when appropriate, but with only enough information to give adequate description to new readers and refresh memories for those who follow the series.

A character’s scene setting can influence or reveal something about his or her internal landscape, as well. How you do this is more important than what you use to do it with. Here’s an example from an Elizabeth George novel (British—so spellings of some words are different):

            She parked the Mini with one of its front tyres on the kerb and went to see what the Breakwater had to offer. Not much, she discovered, a fact that other diners must have been aware of, because although it was the dinner hour, she found herself alone in the restaurant. She chose a table near the door in the hope of catching an errant sea breeze should one fortuitously decide to blow. She plucked the laminated menu from its upright position next to a vase of plastic carnations. After using it to fan herself for a minute, she gave it a look-over and decided that the Mega-Meal was not for her despite its bargain price (£5.50 for port sausage, bacon, tomato, eggs, mushrooms, steak, frankfurter, kidney, hamburger, lamb chops, and chips). She settled on the restaurant’s declared specialty: buck rarebit. She placed her order with a teenaged waitress sporting an impressive blemish precisely in the middle of her chin, and a moment later she saw that the Breakwater Restaurant was going to provide her with its own form of one-stop shopping.  [My note: She found a current newspaper with an article she needed to read on the front page.]

Look at the extraordinary amount of information revealed in that paragraph. You get a sense of so many things: what a traditional or culture-based meal might include; approximate time of day; either she’s a poor car parker or didn’t bother about parking better on this occasion (has a lot on her mind, perhaps; but if she does this often, you have a sense of what kind of ride her Mini is and its condition); she picked a place to eat that obviously is not a local favorite (is her choice because of location, unfamiliarity with the area, that’s she’s on a tight budget, is a spendthrift?); it’s hot as heck—she sat by the window, hoping for a breeze; the description of the menu (laminated) and the plastic carnations give visual images and an indication about what kind of place this is (service and food quality); she finds something there she needs other than just something to eat: a current newspaper. Of course, if you read this particular novel or the series it’s part of, you know the answers to the questions in parentheses; but you can see how much information is provided by setting the scene, even in one paragraph.

Always give readers a physical location to “land” in (including an address with a made-up numeral; though, a numeral isn’t always needed, as in the Burke example). You can boost sense of place if you use street names and highway names and their numbers—to make the story more realistic for readers. For example, Rex Stout placed the house of his orchid-growing detective, Nero Wolfe, at an address on West 35^th Street in Manhattan. The number part of the address, if real, would be in the Hudson River, but even though some readers may be aware of this (or not), they can identify with the surroundings or look up the street on a map so they get a sense of the neighborhood and where it fits in the layout of Manhattan. You may also have to make up brick-and-mortar businesses, etc., but keep these as realistically located as possible, if you’re using a real location.

How you handle setting matters because clarity is imperative. Everything you write creates a sequence of scenes in the minds of readers—they are experiencing a number of things simultaneously, so you must present them with information in a proper, reliable order. It’s mind-boggling as a reader (and as a developmental editor) to approach a scene and have the terrain alter from the original image the writer created in your mind as you move through the scene. One client didn’t have a particular scene setting clear in his mind, so just kept adding what he thought would be interesting or challenging for the characters in the scene (I was utterly confused about what the setting was supposed to look like, which I explained to the client). This kind of disorganized, willy-nilly scene creation makes readers (and editors) feel as though they were plucked from a stable environment and dropped into an altered reality. Unless your novel is about altered realities, don’t do this to readers; and if it is, make sure you do this with skill and clarity. Also don’t have what characters need appear out of thin air. Say a character needs a hammer. Unless you’ve set up where the character gets the hammer from, don’t have one appear in his or her hand from nowhere (unless your character is a magician or wizard). Everything has to be logical, even in Science Fiction and Fantasy.

One thing you might do is take photos of exact locations or locations that resemble ones you wish to create or use in your story, including exterior and interior photos (get permission, if needed—but notes can always be made without permission). This way, you have references you can pull from for descriptions and how scenes unfold when the terrain is important to the scene. (Most businesses won’t mind if you give them good promotion in your novel, but they will mind if you don’t—so make one up, if it plays a negative role in the story.)

You want settings to be as clear and real as possible for readers so you maintain the integrity of the story and readers’ ability to follow and connect with the story, scene by scene.

I wish you the best with your writing, process, and progress.

Joyce Shafer

“Editor, Joyce Shafer. What can I say? Simply put, no Joyce, no book. Part editor, part coach, part teacher, Joyce was absolutely phenomenal throughout the entire editing process. Working with Joyce was like taking a graduate course in writing with your all-time favorite teacher and you were the only student. I just can't say enough good things. Allow me a shameless plug for her services. ~ Eric Berbig, Author of The People’s Will

Work with Joyce L. Shafer as your writing coach or developmental editor. Details about her services, including The Chapter-by-Chapter Get-Your-Book-Written Writer’s Incentive Coaching at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/

Don’t Put the Cart before the Horse with Your Manuscript

A writer, especially a new writer, is understandably excited and eager to get his/her manuscript to an agent for consideration or self-published. But, it’s imperative you submit writing that shows an agent there’s reason to be interested in you as a promising writer, or make certain it’s ready to self-publish.

As a writer, you are attached to your manuscript—your baby. I get that. As someone who provides services for writers, I get attached too . . . because I care deeply about assisting clients to have better experiences as writers, with their first and subsequent manuscripts.

If you, for whatever reason, don’t use the services of an editor, please let up to three people read through your manuscript and give feedback, before you send it to an agent or self-publish it. If this is something you don’t choose to do, or if you do, read your manuscript aloud to yourself—and not at a rapid pace, before you let anyone else read it. You will catch things you didn’t see before and you’ll also hear how it will sound in the minds of readers.

I’m not saying this because it’s what I do, but because it’s a fact: one thing every writer, especially a new writer, needs is a developmental editor s/he trusts. Here’s why—and it’s something from The Creative Penn I wish I’d written:

“My manuscript came back covered in red ink/littered with Track Changes. I’m really upset by the comments. How do I cope with the difficulty of being edited?

Okay, here’s the sad fact: If your editor is not returning a manuscript covered in red ink/littered with Track Changes, you need a new editor. That’s our job. Our number one goal is to make your work look brilliant. We aren’t judging you, we aren’t trying to make you look bad, and we certainly aren’t saying your writing isn’t fabulous. We’re saying: “Hey, good manuscript—here are the things you can/should do to make it even better.” Because that’s what you’re paying us to do.

It’s hard to divorce yourself from the emotional element of producing this creative work, and to begin to view your novel as a product (I know—I used the ‘P’ word) rather than the flesh of your flesh. The editing process, however, is a great place to start doing that.  Take a deep breath, recognize that all writers go through this pain, and try to listen objectively to what your editor is saying about your work.”

There are best-selling authors who do a number of revisions before they ever submit a manuscript to their publisher. Some do as many as ten revisions (some do more) before they even consider it submission-ready. And there are those like best-seller Elizabeth George who do all the preparation first, before ever starting the draft. George explained that when the manuscript for her first novel came back from her publisher, it was accompanied by forty or so pages of notes, and nearly all of them addressed character development. So she focused on improving her skill with this. Her second novel came back with around thirty pages of notes that mostly focused on developing setting; so she worked to improve that. She then created a system that allowed her to develop these (and all the scenes) prior to writing the draft because, she said, she wanted to avoid having that level of major revision, as much as possible, ever again. When she submitted her third novel, it was accepted as it was. She’d done the work beforehand and it paid off. (All writers have one or more people read what they’ve written before they send it to an agent, publisher, or self-publish it—or they should.)

Note: No matter how ready you or your editor feels your manuscript is for an agent to consider it, even if the agent loves what you’ve written, s/he may still make suggestions. And if a publisher picks you up as a writer, the editor assigned to you may make suggestions as well. It’s a fact of life in the industry.

After providing services to new writers for going on two decades, I can tell what level of skill and knowledge of the craft the writer has and can then base my recommendations on this. I do what I do not only to show them how to improve their manuscript but also to assist them to improve as a writer, which is what proper guidance should accomplish. Not all writers want this. They prefer to write and let their editor fix and polish what they wrote, a service that can, at times, border on ghost writing for the editor.

If you’ve yet to experience a revision, it’s a process of clearing out what doesn’t belong, filling in any gaps in plot and or character (or content for non-fiction) development, tightening the writing as needed, clearing up the technical matters (spelling, punctuation, etc.), possibly reorganizing the structure, and doing this until everything flows from start to finish. Sending your manuscript to an agent or self-publishing it before you are certain it ALL works is a disservice to you as a writer and the time, energy, and effort you put into your manuscript so far. It’s also a disservice to readers.

Okay, I understand that editing costs, especially developmental editing; and the cost is always a result of the level of service the editor has to provide. The better skilled the writer is the less time involved for the editor. But your editor can, will, or should be able to tell you when your manuscript is ready for either self-publishing or submission to an agent.

Too often, new writers believe they can make one revision to their work, based on their editor’s suggestions from that first viewing, and then deem the manuscript done—in final form—ready to go to an agent or be self-published. This may or may not be the case; it often isn’t. More often than not, one revision just gets the manuscript closer to where it deserves to go.

One of my clients made my suggested revisions, but did not send it to me to check it or to a proofreader before she put it into print. Not only are there major typos (and formatting issues), but some of my notes were left in, as well. This is something that can and should be avoided. Let’s face it: typos happen even in best-sellers, but some things should never be included in your final product, especially your editor’s notes to you.

One of the best things you can do for yourself and your manuscript is find a developmental editor you trust—whose services clearly demonstrate benefit to you as a writer and your work—and then listen to what s/he advises. If you work with an editor you trust, then also trust him or her to advise you as to when your manuscript is ready to go. I’m not saying don’t trust your instincts, but don’t send your submission to an agent or put the manuscript into print before it’s truly ready. You don’t want to overwork a manuscript, but it is never a good or wise idea to be in a rush with it either. Make your manuscript the best you can before you move it forward.

I wish you the best with your writing, process, and progress.

Joyce Shafer

“Editor, Joyce Shafer. What can I say? Simply put, no Joyce, no book. Part editor, part coach, part teacher, Joyce was absolutely phenomenal throughout the entire editing process. Working with Joyce was like taking a graduate course in writing with your all-time favorite teacher and you were the only student. I just can't say enough good things. Allow me a shameless plug for her services at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/ ~ Eric Berbig, Author of The People’s Will

Work with Joyce L. Shafer as your writing coach or developmental editor. Details about her services, including The Chapter-by-Chapter Get-Your-Book-Written Writer’s Incentive Coaching at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/

The Importance of Suspense in a Novel

What makes suspense work in a novel? There’s quite a lot to know about this, but here are some highlights.

Every story benefits from some level of suspense. Plot relies on it. For suspense to work well, readers have to care about or be curious about what will happen to one or more characters. This means that as important as plot and suspense are, characters are equally so because plot and suspense reveal the characters for who they really are and characters propel the plot forward, based on what they say or don’t and the actions they take or don’t. Suspense, as with anything, should never be used to fill space. It must be relevant to the story and relevant for the characters, based on their role in the story.

Readers may believe they know the characters you’ve created for them and will rely on them to be true to themselves, if you’ve developed them well, but readers still anticipate the feeling of suspense as they wonder what a character will say or do in certain circumstances. Think of it like baseball: as exciting as it is when the batter hits the ball, the real suspense happens in the moments that immediately follow the sound of the crack, when leather meets wood.

Suspense arises as a result of some form of conflict. Conflict in plot development works best when it shows up then builds, whether just in a particular scene or throughout the novel (though, every scene must contribute to the overall plot and character development). This may involve some form of danger, but it can also be an inner experience for a character as well.

Suspense is about risk, whether it’s between one or more characters or within the character. Suspense can be anything from a character in a darkened room becoming aware there is something or someone breathing heavily on the other side of the door, or how a character will perform in a personal challenge such as facing a job interview panel or facing an angry lion that needs to be re-captured, or the ten-year-old boy working up courage to confront a bully. It can include any resistance a character feels—toward themselves, one or more others, or life events. Resistance is often about characters facing their worst enemy—themselves, in whatever circumstance they find themselves in.  

Here’s the main purpose for suspense: to keep readers reading the book and not wanting to put it down. But, suspense and conflict do not have to come from one dastardly event occurring right after another, like Dominoes falling. Suspense has all to do with the structure of the novel. Relevant and even life-changing events, wrapped in their own form of suspense, must happen as part of a logical sequence of events. You’ve done a good job with suspense when readers care about what’s going to happen and don’t want to stop turning pages, or if they must stop reading, they’re eager to return to the book as soon as possible. You can use and build suspense in many ways; however, you don’t want to overdo this or it will slow plot momentum. Worse, it will become obvious to readers that you’re more interested in distracting them from less than stellar plot and character development than making sure the story engages them.  

Other forms of suspense include seeking something significant, big discoveries that are made, time running out, physical attacks, as well as emotional or spiritual attacks. Something as simple as an envelope with a significant message inside received but unopened and forgotten about or an important fax that falls under a nearby piece of furniture creates suspense. There’s something there a character needs to know about—readers know about it—but the character is operating in the dark. This creates a promise to readers: at some point, the character will either discover or be impacted by this.

Suspense must happen organically within plot development; and three of many ways to do this involves the use of clues, false clues, and red herrings. “A clue is a mistake by another name,” said the character James Hathaway in the PBS series Inspector Lewis). Clues provide information to a character (and to readers). These can include tangible objects such as fingerprints, or a button torn from a garment during a struggle and later pried from the clenched hand of the victim, or a circled listing in a newspaper. A false clue can be used on a character by another character (a character lies to the private investigator), which is learned by the P.I. later in the story. You can also use what’s called a red herring, which is an event or statement that misleads characters (and readers); but this must be logical and have relevance to the story. A red herring keeps readers from figuring out what’s really going on sooner than you wish to reveal what is going on.

I wish you the best with your writing, process, and progress.

Joyce Shafer

“Editor, Joyce Shafer. What can I say? Simply put, no Joyce, no book. Part editor, part coach, part teacher, Joyce was absolutely phenomenal throughout the entire editing process. Working with Joyce was like taking a graduate course in writing with your all-time favorite teacher and you were the only student. I just can't say enough good things. Allow me a shameless plug for her services at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/ ~ Eric Berbig, Author of The People’s Will

Work with Joyce L. Shafer as your writing coach or developmental editor. Details about her services, including Critiques and The Chapter-by-Chapter Get-Your-Book-Written Writer’s Incentive Coaching at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/

The Importance of Plot in a Novel

What makes plot development work in a novel? There’s quite a lot to know about this, but here are some high-points. 

A strong novel writer causes readers to feel they experience a slice of someone else’s (one or more characters) “real” life. Even Science Fiction and Fantasy must accomplish this in their own ways. Readers want to relate to characters in novels, whether that’s just for one novel or in a series that involves the same main characters throughout. It’s up to you as a writer to create this for readers. You do this through plot and character development.

Your job as a writer is to make readers forget they’re reading. The way to accomplish this is to create a movie in the minds of readers through all the ways that make a story one told well and is readable. A well-developed plot uses characters developed well and all five physical senses (and sometimes the sixth sense).

A strong writer makes every effort to show rather than tell. This is done by providing settings, scenes, and characters readers can easily visualize in their minds and relate to, but through only as much exposition as is actually needed. It’s better to more often merge exposition with what characters say and do than provide it solely or primarily through narrative. Too much narrative can easily become tedious to contemporary readers.

Cause readers to feel the tension created by what happens through events large and small, and between one or more characters. Readers expect to feel something when they read. As a writer, it’s up to you to make this the smoothest experience for readers as possible. This means you must remove anything (or strive to) such as typos, misspelled words, wrong or extra words, or any scene that detracts from the reader’s experience, even if you absolutely love it.

PLOT

The plot needs to follow a logical and believable path. Again, even in Science Fiction or Fantasy, there are enough elements included that allow readers to relate to what’s happening as possible. What a plot should never be is a story filled with action scenes you add characters to, like refrigerator magnets stuck on to fill up space. Nothing should ever be included on a page of a novel that doesn’t belong there, that doesn’t move plot and character development forward. Plot is and should be about the characters—what they say and do as they contend with events when they happen and as a result of them. As best-selling author Elizabeth George said, “You never want to give readers characters in search of a plot.”

Events should influence characters, and characters should influence events. As part of plot, readers expect characters to do certain things: Face challenges, make decisions—wrong or right, and learn and evolve (or devolve) in some way. At the end of each scene, ask yourself what changed about the characters and the plot as a result of the scene. If nothing changed, you either need to rewrite the scene so that something does change, even if it’s a small shift, or delete the scene entirely. No page filler allowed. Story is meant to be like a thread you pull on a sweater and you watch what it unravels. You want the thread to be clean and even—no knots or anything that doesn’t belong there that will jam up the flow. Plot develops as a series of events that follow an original event—like a lit match placed to a fuse.

Plot involves conflict, and conflict comes in many forms, not just drastic ones. Conflict is the result of what is said and done by characters in the story, as a result of weather and nature, and by any number of initiators. But whatever is said or done or happens, one thing should always lead to the next, in a logical way, just as it does in life. Again, nothing should ever be included just to fill the page or create more length for the novel. Everything on every page must contribute to plot and character development.

“Story is about mastering the art, not second-guessing the marketplace.” – Robert McKee

I wish you the best with your writing, process, and progress.

Joyce Shafer

“Editor, Joyce Shafer. What can I say? Simply put, no Joyce, no book. Part editor, part coach, part teacher, Joyce was absolutely phenomenal throughout the entire editing process. Working with Joyce was like taking a graduate course in writing with your all-time favorite teacher and you were the only student. I just can't say enough good things. Allow me a shameless plug for her services at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/~ Eric Berbig, Author of The People’s Will

Work with Joyce L. Shafer as your writing coach or developmental editor, or get a thorough manuscript critique. Details about her services, including The Chapter-by-Chapter Get-Your-Book-Written Writer’s Incentive Coaching at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/

Proper Use of Abbreviations in Fiction and Nonfiction

In this day and age of texting, people are becoming adept at using abbreviations. However, this is not appropriate, for the most part, when writing fiction or nonfiction, unless your characters have dialogues that involve texting.

You have to spell out the words. For example, if you want your character to drive a vehicle or motorcycle fast, you might be tempted to write… Jake put the pedal to the metal. His bike lurched forward. Soon he was cruising at 95 MPH. But, that wouldn’t be correct. You need to say he was cruising at ninety-five, believing your readers know you mean at what speed; or write that the numbers on the speedometer hit ninety-five; or write that he was cruising at ninety-five miles per hour. [Notice that 95 became spelled out, as well. Numbers under 100 are to be spelled out, unless other numbers in the same paragraph are 100 or higher.] It’s the same for other words people tend to abbreviate, like pounds (lbs.), number (#), and so on.

Technical writing and nonfiction still have rules, but you can use common abbreviations. You must spell the words out the first time and show the abbreviation in parentheses next to it. Example: RAdio Detection And Ranging (Radar) or Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Once you do this, don’t go back and forth between use of the full term and the abbreviation—use the abbreviation, unless it is used at the start of a sentence.

What about Addresses?

When an address is part of text, spell it out: Avenue, Boulevard, Building, Circle, Court, Drive, Lane, Parkway, Place, Road, Square, Street, Terrace. Also spell out directions that are part of an address, like North, South, East, and West (e.g., South Parkway). You don’t spell directions out when the address includes NW, NE, SE, SW (e.g. Aerie Parkway NE).

What about States?

Anytime you write a state name by itself, it should be spelled out (New York, not NY). When you write a state name after a city, it’s still preferred to be spelled out (Rome, Georgia)—except for the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.). However, some cities are so well known that the state or country does not need to be mentioned: New York City (you need to add “City” to clarify between the city and the state—or if you mean a particular borough of the city (there are five), use the specific one: Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens); Atlanta; New Orleans; San Francisco; Paris; London; etc.

I wish you the best with your writing, process, and progress.

Joyce Shafer

Services for Writers:

I specialize in helping first-time writers become indie authors or get their manuscript agent-ready (though, I’m pleased to say clients continue to rely on my services each time they publish).

4 steps to get your fiction, nonfiction, or memoir self-published or agent-ready that I can help you with:

1) Get your manuscript right,

2) Get it formatted,

3) Get your free ISBN, free marketing package, and free book cover*, and

4) Get your book published and onto your retail page, Amazon, etc.

*Some publishing sites offer free book cover services, or maybe you know how to create one, or I have a reliable designer I can recommend.

http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/

What's Your Burning Question about Becoming a Writer?

If you’re a first-time book writer or thinking about writing a book, what’s your biggest question or concern that would help you move forward to get it written? 

Contact me at http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/ and let me know.

Joyce Shafer

Services for Writers

I help first-time or wannabe writers gain confidence and complete their fiction, nonfiction, or memoir manuscript.

When a Sentence Begins with an Abbreviated Word Using an Apostrophe

Sometimes your characters speak in slanguage. This means one or more of them may not say something like Because at the start of a sentence—that’s too formal for them. So, you want to write it right.

If you read British novels, you see that they capitalize the first letter that comes after the apostrophe. Example: “’Cause I said so! That’s why.”

However, the American tradition now prefers that “c” to be lower case:  “’cause I said so! That’s why.”

It’s important to make sure you aim the apostrophe in the correct direction, which is toward the missing letter or letters.

To get this right, type

“Be’cause…”

Then delete the B and e: “’cause…”

I wish you the best with your writing and process.

Joyce Shafer

SOME OF MY SERVICES FOR WRITERS:

~Need a nudge or guidance to get your book written? The Chapter-by-Chapter Get-Your-Book-Written Writer’s Incentive Coaching Program can help!

http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/incentive-program.html

~Find more helpful tips for new writers and writers who wish to self-publish in WRITE, GET PUBLISHED, AND PROMOTE (covers the basics for beginning writers—Also available on Nook) http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/jls1422

~What Kind of Editing Will You Need?

Eventually, every manuscript needs an editor’s eyes. Learn more about which services will assist you and your manuscript best at

http://editmybookandmore.weebly.com/ 

~Are you a self-published author (or publishing-house author) who needs or wants your book reviewed and reviews published? Self-Published Authors Book Review Service

http://Self-PublishedAuthorsBookReviews.weebly.com

Make Your Indie Novel the Best It Can Be

Guest Blogger: indie author Kia Heavey

Do you have a completed draft of your novel? Congratulations! Writing a full manuscript is certainly something to be proud of. Take a breather and pat yourself on the back, but then it’s time to hone and refine your project into a truly praise-worthy literary work for your readers.

I recently completed this process for the second time. It’s amazing how much I’ve learned since the first time around and using this perspective, I put together this list of best practices to help indie authors get their projects into tip-top shape for publishing and marketing. Of course, what works for me may not work for everyone, but hopefully you’ll find something useful in this post. Here’s what I’ve learned so far…

Your book isn’t finished.

Just accept this. You may think you’ve written a complete novel and maybe you have, but it’s probably not a very good one – yet.  Remember the old adage about success being 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration, and read on…

You need feedback readers.

You may think your book is complete, but that is often because in your head, you know what you meant to say. Unfortunately, your readers aren’t in your head. It’s not apparent to you, but there are places in your manuscript where something doesn’t work. Trust me, there just are. You’ve been so engrossed in this project for so long, you don’t have the perspective to see the issues.

But feedback readers do! And their input is the difference between a quirky, promising, but not-quite-there manuscript and a compelling, polished page-turner.

Choose appropriate feedback readers.

I belong to a local writers’ group, but I do not rely on them for critiques of my work. This is because they are not representative of my target audience. For example, the last novel I wrote was for teen girls and their mothers who enjoy YA fiction. The average age in my writers’ group is north of 60.  So when I needed feedback, I sought out readers among personal acquaintances as well as Goodreads connections. I pre-screened them according to their reading habits and sought input only from people with a track record of reading YA who also possessed the psycho-demographics I wanted to serve.

Choose what feedback to use.

You’re an Indie author. Maybe you don’t have an agent or a six-figure contract, but you do have something wonderful: autonomy. You aren’t bound to make every change some egghead editor tells you to make. This is your project, and you make the calls.

In fact, it’s not uncommon to get conflicting comments from different feedback readers. It’s literally impossible to implement all the advice you’ll get. Once you have read through all the comments, you ultimately decide what fits the story you’re telling and the philosophy you’re conveying. Accept that you will never please all the people all the time, but you can learn to balance your own creative integrity with marketability and audience appeal.

You need an editor.

No, I’m not just saying this because I’m guest-posting on Joyce’s site and she’s my friend. You really do need one. Even if you got straight A’s in English class. Even if you yourself are a professional editor.

There are two main points at which you might invite an editor into your project. The first is when you are ready to show your manuscript to beta readers. At this point, consider getting a comprehensive critique from a professional. (If this is your first book and you can afford it, a comprehensive critique is almost a must. It is worth every penny because of all the things you’ll learn.) The second point is when you have a final, tight manuscript that you think is ready to publish. This is a great time to run it past an editor to clean up grammatical errors, typos, etc.

If you publish a book rife with editing errors, it will not be taken seriously. Please don’t do that to yourself after you’ve worked so hard.

Find friendly reviewers.

Got your book published? Now it’s time to send out review copies and start building up Internet buzz. Many prolific readers have book review blogs, and many more post reviews on important sites like Amazon and Goodreads. Make a list of potential reviewers, order up some review copies of the paperback, get the ebook file ready to email, and start sending out review requests. As with feedback readers, look for reviewers who represent the correct psycho-demographic to appreciate your work. Do this part well and not only will reviews pile up, there will be plenty of four– and five–star reviews among them.

Don’t quit your day job.

The good thing about being an Indie author – no agents or publishers telling you what to do – is also the bad thing – no agents or publishers sending you royalty checks. The odds against you becoming wealthy from a single indie title are astronomically high. They get a little lower with each additional book you publish and with competent marketing, but no one knows for sure how to make the lightning strike. In fact, the only indie authors I know of who make a living off their writing treat it like, well, a job. They put in many hours and re-invest royalties in their business.

Decide what purpose your writing will serve for you – creative outlet or moneymaking business – and treat it accordingly. May you find it as rewarding a pastime as I do!

Kia Heavey is the author of Night Machines (2011) and Underlake (2014). You can read about her books on her website: kiaheavey.com.