Writers in the Storm

by K. Maze

The alternate title for this post could have been "How I Found My Publisher Through Rejection."

In 2015 I wrote a YA Thriller focused around the kidnapping of teen characters involved in the theater. I researched thoroughly, interviewed detectives, and hired an editor who helped me through to the end. I queried and waited and heard…. Crickets.

Kind editors and agents responded with honest feedback or simply said it wasn’t for them.  I analyzed and discovered ways to ‘fix’ the novel: rewrite the first five pages, fix weak plot holes, revise characters to enhance the premise and elevate the intrigue. But I couldn’t.

Completing the novel got me across the finish line, but it didn’t mean my novel was done.  For over a year, I had spent my writing mojo in some very dark territory and I didn’t have the motivation to dig into it more.  The only shelf that manuscript would sit on is in my closet.

But I couldn’t give up on writing, right?

Advice that Helped Me Start Writing Again

1. Write the Book You Want to Read.. The market will be there when you write to your authentic self.

I wanted to take a break, but I feared I would slip out of my hard earned writing habits, so I paused and played with stories for a few weeks instead. I took the “What if…?” to extremes and created crazy characters I could toss into impossible missions.

My original novel had taken over a year to write. I wanted to learn how to craft compelling story structure and character arcs, and decided to use shorter works for these lessons. 

2. Be Willing to Take Risks and Try Something Different. Short stories are good testing grounds for experimenting with genre and style.

My research on strong young heroines led me to Sex in the City. During some What-if story gymnastics, a character a lot like Carrie Bradshaw saved the world from imminent doom. 

Apparently going from dark thriller to dystopian end-of-the-world was all the lightening up I needed to recapture my inspiration!

That What-if became the catalyst for IMPACT, where a young journalist in the near future grappled with an incoming asteroid that dared to interfere with her career. After writing and editing the novella, I discovered that sci-fi novellas have a very active market. In other words, this new story had a higher chance for publication.

3. Find the Market that Represents Your Work.

Rather than "writing to the market," find the market that fits your work’s strong points and sell to those unique strengths.  My book passes the Bechdel Test, but is also a less common combination of sci-fi and light romance.

NOTE: The usual criteria of the Bechdel Test are (1) that at least two women are featured, (2) that these women talk to each other, and (3) that they discuss something other than a man.

I found nearly twenty avenues for my story, reviewed their guidelines and story samples and crafted query letters highlighting the aspects of my book that matched their request. 

Over the next six months, rejections trickled in.  But in the fall of 2018, I received a rejection that included an offer -- to forward my work to another editor.  That editor was closed to submissions but she absolutely published speculative short fiction, including sci-fi, with strong character driven plots featuring strong female protagonists. (Similar to mine!)

In January of 2019, that editor made me an offer. Once the news sank in, I sent celebratory messages to my writer friends and got a lawyer to look over the contract.

My Lessons

Sometimes success looks completely different from your original plan. Perseverance and research helped me achieve this dream, but so did the following:

• Learning craft and continuing to write.
• Follow the publishers guidelines and sending them my best work.
• Research the market to find the best fit for my work.
• Trusting the process, while writing what you want to write.
• And the most important lesson of all...

DON'T QUIT.

What encouragement would you send to your early writer self? What was your route into the publishing world? Are you still knocking on doors? Tell us your tips and advice below so we can build up our writing community!

About Kris

Kris Maze has worked in education for 25 years and writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and Writers in the Storm. Her first YA Science fiction book, IMPACT, arrives in June 2020 and is published through Aurelia Leo.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, playing violin and piano, and spending time outdoors with her fur babies and family. She also ponders the wisdom of Bob Ross.

Trapped underground with a mysterious scientist named Edison and his chess master AI, can Nala Nightingale find the will to live and to love in a dystopian future?

To find out more about IMPACT, click here.

by Jenny Hansen

Do you have critique partners? Editors? Beta readers? Family and friends who look over your Work in Progress?

I’m betting you trade writing pages with someone and, for those of you who don’t know how to use Track Changes, you buy a lot of paper. And ink cartridges. And red pens (or whatever friendlier color you use to write in the margin and remind your critique partner to use an active verb).

Even if you do use Track Changes, are you doing so efficiently? It is one of the most useful word processing features for writers. Best of all, even though this post focuses on Word, Google Docs has a Track Changes feature as well.

Quick Primer for Track Changes

Turning It On

 Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature can be activated a few ways:

• Older versions of Word: Go to the Tools menu and choose Track Changes
• Any version of Word: Hit Ctrl+Shift+E (sub in the Cmd button if you're on a Mac and remember, you don’t type in the plus sign for keyboard shortcuts)
• Newer versions of Word: the Review Ribbon is where you'll find the Track Changes feature.
• Double click on Track Changes in the status bar at the bottom of your Word window. (Pre-Word 2007, it said TRK.)

Note: Your status bar is the area that starts with “Page 1.” If you right-click on the status bar, you can turn on any number of things, including Track Changes. If you do this, glancing down at the status bar is the easiest way to tell if Track Changes is on.

What does Track Changes do?

While Track Changes is on, everything you do to a document is being recorded. Every space, every deletion, every bit of formatting. Everything.

The Reviewing toolbar has a great button that allows you to choose things like Original, Simple Markup (showing below), All Markup, No Markup. This button is invaluable if you want to print out the manuscript without all the changes showing.

If you have personalized your User Information in Word's Options (located at the bottom of the File menu) your name will appear next to the changes you make. If your critique partner decides to print up the document with the changes he or she will be able to tell your manuscript changes about transitions from that of your other critique partner who might be wild about head-hopping and adverbs.

Below is what this markup looks like so you can see the line in the left margin that shouts, "Yo! Change here." and the type of change made in the right margin.

How Track Changes Saves Time

My favorite part about the Track Changes feature is that the person receiving the critique can activate it on his or her own computer and choose to Accept or Reject Changes.

You can do this several ways:

• Right click on each change and Accept or Reject it.
• Click on the menu bar to Accept. Word will move to the next change, and then the next, and so forth.
• If you really trust your editor or critique partner, you can accept all changes and be done with it.

Remember: every change offered by a critique partner, editor or beta reader does not have to be accepted, as you know. At the end of the day, this is your book.

Other suggestions

Visit your Review ribbon and play with it. Seriously, you want to be super familiar with it before you're in a time crunch. Pass your mouse across all the buttons so that the tool tip will tell you what each button means. If you have more questions about the content in this blog, go to Microsoft Word's Help and find out more.

Get friendly with the Comments feature. It is located on the Insert ribbon, to the right side of the middle. Comments allow you to offer an opinion, that will show up in the right margin with the other Track Changes markup. It can be easily referenced and then deleted.

Note: In a former life, I was a software trainer, so you are welcome to ask me anything about this feature. The post was born the other day when I heard an experienced writer ask how to print a document without showing the comments.

Do you use Track Changes? What do you like or dislike about it? Are there features that you struggle with? Let's chat about it down in the comments!

About Jenny

By day, Jenny provides training and social media marketing for an accounting firm. By night she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction and short stories. After 18 years as a corporate software trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

When she’s not at her personal blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Facebook at JennyHansenAuthor or at Writers In The Storm.

I’m currently teaching my First Five Pages class at Lawson Writer’s Academy. I love helping writers strengthen their all-important openings. Joe Zarek is one of my students, and has agreed to allow me to share his ‘before and after’ first page. Kudos to him for working so hard and being willing to share his work to help others!

Here is the before:

“There shall be violence, bloodshed, and death.” The Marshal of the Field’s voice cut through the air, sharp and savage. He scanned the crowd made up of the Queen’s Royal Household, modern-day groundlings and a few goth-girls-in-waiting.

     Cheers rang forth from the packed crowds on either side of the jousting field.

     Boone smiled—Ah, mid-day May clear blue skies. Cheering crowds thirsting for blood. What’s not to love?

     A nasty sinking feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach.

     Whoa. That’s weird. Boone thought.

     I pat Henri on his firm neck and shoulders, and my eyes fall upon his head and ears.

     Henri’s standing fine, but the cock of his ears, and tilt of his head screams something’s off. But what? My eyes bounce from one side of the stands to the other. But, nothing’s out of the ordinary. Ah, it’s a horse thing. Henri’s new to jousting, and Flynn’s horse is older.

     “Come on, Henri, we got this.” I pat and rub his shoulders a little firmer.

     The Marshal signals us to come forward.

     Flynn and I ride towards one another, striking the tips of our lances together.

     “Sir Flynn, I love you, brother, but today I win the Queen’s favor,” I said, a slow grin quirked across my mouth.

     “Yes, yes, Sir Boone. You’ve said so many times before when you turn twenty-two, you shall best me.” Flynn said, a hint of mockery edging his mouth.

     “You know what else I say, Sir Flynn.” A smirk splashed across my face.

     “What’s that, Sir Boone?”

      “More jousting and less talkie-talkie,” I said, pinch-flapping my fingers.

     I lower my visor.

     “Good one,” Flynn replies, dropping his visor and bobbing his head up at me.

     We part, ride to the ends of the tiltyard, signal each other, raise our lances, and gallop towards one another.

     The massive adrenaline rush galloping, horse hooves pounding vibrate up my spine.

     We lower our lances at each other’s shield. 

     Our eyes lock.

     A smile explodes from the corners of my mouth.

     This time Flynn your mine.

     Our lances pass one another, and my eyes focus on the prize—Flynn’s shield.

     Nowhere to go now, Flynn.

     “Bwaaat”

     No, wait. What…? Was that an air horn?

     Flynn’s mount throws him.

     Blink.

     Flynn’s blazing baby blue eyes and mine both pop wide.

---

My thoughts: Great tense scene, and well done on the first paragraph; it's not easy to set the scene as contemporary while describing a joust.

I got where Joe was going with this, but there are awkward sentences, tons of dialog tags, and name repetition. Paragraph breaks convey speed and tension, but when there are more than necessary, it makes the read choppy.

It took about four pass through edits, but here is his final version:

---

St. Louis Renaissance Festival, Wentzville, MO 2020

          My horse shifts beneath me, restless. I scan the crowd made up of the Queen's Royal Household, modern-day groundlings, spectators, and a few goth-girls-in-waiting.

          All fell silent as the Marshall of the Field sauntered to the middle of the jousting arena. "There shall be violence, bloodshed, and death." His voice cut through the air, sharp and savage.

         From the packed stands, cheers ring out.

          Ah, mid-day May clear blue skies and cheering crowds thirsting for blood. What’s not to love?

          A nasty sinking feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach. I glance down at my mount. He’s standing fine, but the cock of his ears and tilt of his head screams something’s off. I scan the field, but nothing’s out of the ordinary. “Come on, Henri, we got this.” I pat his neck, not sure which of us I’m trying to convince.

          The Marshal raises, then drops his hand.

          Flynn and I ride forward, striking the tips of our lances together.

          “Sir Flynn, I love you, brother, but today I win the Queen’s favor,” my ginormous grin spreads.

          “Yes. You’ve declared that when you turn twenty-two, you shall best me. Such donkey prattle is ever amusing, Sir Boone.” His crinkling eyes mock.

          “You know what else I say.”

          “What’s that?”

          “More jousting and less talkie-talkie,” I say, pinch-flapping my fingers.

       "Good one" He deadpans.

          I lower my visor. We spin and canter to the ends of the tiltyard, then turn, raise our lances, and gallop towards one another.

          The crowd roars, and the massive adrenaline rush of pounding hooves vibrate up my spine.

          We lower our lances and raise our shields. 

          Our eyes lock.

          This time, you’re mine.

          Our lances pass close, and I stay focused on the prize—Flynn’s shield.

          “BWAAAT.” An air horn spooks Flynn’s mount. It rears, and Flynn’s blazing blue eyes pop wide.

---

See how the scene didn't change at all, but the hundred micro-edits made this scene sparkle? Every single line of your beginning is that important. Spend the time until you are happy with the word choice, cadence, clarity and emotion of every sentence.

It'll be worth it, I promise.

Do you struggle with a story's beginning? Share your questions (and your how-to lessons) down in the comments!

About Laura

Laura Drake was one of the founding bloggers here at WITS, and she has a new website! Check it out, and sign up for her newsletter.

Laura is re-releasing her small-town series, Widow's Grove, set in the Central California wine country. Her Road Home released January 7, and The Reasons to Stay releases on Valentine's Day! Check them out!