Can Ya Help a Writer Out?

WriteOn Joliet is starting its ninth year supporting writers over eighteen in their writing journey. 

I don't know if the founder emeritus of this group had longevity in mind when she persuaded me into this venture with her, but I, for one, am amazed at our growth and the wonderful writers I've had the honor to meet along the way while we grow in our craft.

Now ever since the inception of WriteOn Joliet in February 2012, members have expressed a desire to attend the annual Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago.

The cost for a double, covered table for all of our books is expensive, and we, as a group, would like to cover all of the costs through sponsorships and fundraising.

So last year, I had an idea for a permanent fundraiser for our group, which we finally put together this month.

Yes, I'm selling a book.

The book is called Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers and it's exactly as its says. 

Except for some definitions of terms, each page has one editing prompt. The rest is blank, so the writer can make notes about things to check and revise.

All proceeds (meaning everything except the actual cost of the physical book, taxes, and shipping) stay within WriteOn Joliet for WriteOn members.

If you write fiction or know someone who writes fiction, this book is perfect for you.

Below is a formal description. And below that is the link for ordering, along with a link for WriteOn Joliet, so you can learn more about the group, too.

Many writers are familiar with writing prompts, a few lines to spark their inspiration to get the words flowing. It’s hard to find revision prompts. Writers know they need to revise their stories. But sometimes writers need a few editing prompts to help them look critically and objectively at their work. 

That’s the reason for this workbook. 

Each page highlights one area of the story to check. The rest of the page is blank, so writers can jot some notes on trouble spots and possible ways to revise.

Buy Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers here.

For more information about WriteOn Joliet, visit writeonjoliet.com.

What Rewriting Actually Means

When editors harp to writers about the necessity of rewriting (and rewriting) their stories, that doesn't necessarily mean scraping the entire piece and starting from the beginning each time.

Although it can mean that, too.

Usually, however, it means examining all the elements and rewriting to create prose as smooth as glass. (or as jarring as a bumpy road, depending on the reaction in the reader you wish to create).

It means analyzing the the structure as a whole and questioning if relevance of the information, along with its placement and whether or not too much or too little is provided.

It means pruning and rearranging dumpsters of information, filling plot holes, and tightening sagging middles.

It means weeding out unnecessary words or replacing weak words with strong words (or weeding out words that are too strong and replacing them with gentler versions).

It also means plucking out cliches (unless they occur in dialogue, see below) along with overused phrases (including yours).

It means refining each character's dialogue and actions so they are true to that character.

It means removing passages that are too long - and lengthening others that are too short.

It means adding and removing details from your setting until the reader lives in your story's environment, too.

Rewriting and self-editing is like building a house.

The frame is your outline.

You need a tight plot to keep readers from raining on your writing.

With subplots running through like electrical wires to make your story shine.

Words that flow are like good plumbing. Sometimes plots  heat up, something they cool down. And sometimes you ramp up tension with well-calculated drips.

However, readers will spot weak writing like mustiness coming up from the basement through the vents.

Make sure real people live in your story. Don't cheapen it with stand-up cardboard paper dolls. Even great clothing with good tabs won't hide it.

Writing a genre story can be similar to an owner completion home. Even though the stories have basic similar elements, each owner/writer transforms those similarities with unique details.

Revision and editing is like picking out the curtains and deciding the best spot for artwork (or the comfy chair).

A good story is like a good home, a place readers will enjoying visiting.

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony." Follow him at www.facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff 

The Case for Multiple Views

I opened up chapter 23 of the fifth book of Before the Blood on my phone last night, and within the first few lines I realized the chapter is not quite edited.

I'm not talking about typos (although I did fine one) because I don't get too concerned about them early in the editing game.

I'm talking about flow, scene structure, beats, all which had flaws and made for a rocky reading.

It's too easy to think a piece is "finished" when it really is not.

The most dangerous time for such faulty thinking is shortly after it's written or edited.

Melissa brought her report to her bedroom, three-hole punched it, and threaded it into the purple folder her mother bought to display it. She leafed through it with satisfaction, admiring its layout. It really looked professional. 

“It will be the Pulitzer Prize next,” Steve teased her.

Read your work again. And again.

Open it on another screen. Your phone. Your desktop if you wrote it on a laptop or your laptop if you wrote it on your desktop.

Wait a few hours. And then a few days.

Read it from the bottom up.

It's done when you enjoy the reading for reading's sake, when you can forget you've written it.

At that point, it's ready for your editor.

And when he/she's done with it, you can repeat the process.

This morning, I'm soooooo tempted to open up chapter 23.

But I have an especially busy work Monday. 

And the chapter and some space.

(Grumble).

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at www.facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff

One Great Editing Tip

While taking some acting lessons from Devon Ford, we spent one day working on one character in the piece at a time.

The scene we were practicing had seven speaking roles (and a few non-speaking) all in the same twelve-minute piece. It makes for a dynamic reading, but crisp differentiation in all the roles when delivering it is essential when the author is portraying all of them.

So Devon had me read one role at a time, while she spoke the lines of the rest to help with proper pacing. This way, I could work on the "voice" of the character without the other ones in my head.

Since the BryonySeries prequel Before the Blood is composed of several novels, each story arc has its own cast of characters. When I'm making my editing passes, I'm going to remember this.

Here's the tip: read through the novel's dialogue one character at a time to ensure that each "voice" stays true to the voice.

Two Quick Proofreading Tips

Want to weed out pesky errors from your edited work? 

Try this:

1) Read your story aloud. You'll catch errors and clumsy writing.

2) Read it backwards, same reasons.

Stay safe, stay warm, and may all your prose be smooth and error-free!

Word Tics

A few days ago, a member of WriteOn Joliet posted this on our Facebook page.

It's an article about "words tics" or "word crutches" (oft-repeated words and phrases) that creep into our writing and online generators that can spot them.

With only so many combinations of letter characters combined with how our brain processes them, it's only natural writers (moi included) will repeat themselves.

In addition (or instead) of online tools, there's one good way to spot them: Be very, very familiar with your own work.

While writers can be too close to their work to be their only editor, reading, rereading, and reading your writing again and again will help you spot certain words, phrases, metaphors, comparisons, descriptions, etc. that repeatedly worm their way into your prose.

Cut them.

Rewrite them.

And here's a tip for avoiding them: Question any brilliant passage that instantly pops into your brain.

Chances are you've already used it (or a variation) somewhere.

Henry Matthews, BryonySeries writer, approves this message

How to Write (and Edit) in Layers

I liken writing Bryony to being in love for the first time.

Everything felt exciting and different. I was all over the book, forwards, backwards, upside down, and inside out. Ideas popped up at the most random times (they still do) and thrilled me with their arrival. I couldn't wait to jot them down and find and a home for them.

When I began writing Visage, my three younger kids, who served as beta readers,wanted a chapter at a time. By then, I had already tasted the sweetness of immediate feedback and wanted more.

So I turned to that dreaded tool of my grade school days: the outline.

Except this was an outline with a difference.

Here's how I structure a novel:

1) In crummy prose, I write a sweeping overview of the story.

2) I then decide how many chapters I want. I open a file for each and add the "happenings" for each. I can immediately assess the strength and weaknesses of each chapter and if there's enough tension to carry the story.

3) I write the first sentence and the last sentence for each.

4) I write a first draft of the first chapter.

5) I reread that draft and edit characters, settings, dialogue, mood, foreshadowing, tension, etc. before moving on.

6) With each subsequent chapter, I go back and check for inconsistencies in the above. These are sure to develop as characters and plot take shape. Characters especially may develop a life of their own. When that occurs, either reign them in or adjust earlier portrayals.

7) I cut anything irrelevant. If an element is essential but weak, I find ways to strengthen its purpose.

8) I walk away. I add something to the novel six days a week. But I have one day where I don't. It helps give me perspective.

9) I re-read and re-write again. This helps add three-dimensional layers to the story that first drafts can't do.

10) I have fun!!!

When Just Any Word Won't Do

I spent the majority of my thirty minutes of fiction time working on three paragraphs, trying to play with the right combination of words that conveyed the rainy scene and the emotions in an unspoken communication between two people about to enter a "situation."

The scene I see in my head and the feelings it should invoke: how to create that bridge from my mind to the readers?

I played with words, rearranged them, cut them, and brought some back, jostling them around. "Show" is more than sentences with strong action words and light on the adjectives. It's finding the right mix of vocabulary and varying the sentence structure. It's attempting to create a visual, a mood.

I'm not quite there yet, but I'm closer. Amazing how a handful of words can absorb so much time.