Writers in the Storm

Janice Hardy

Unless you're incredibly lucky, at some point in your writing life you're bound to fall into a rut. The novel you loved yesterday feels flat today, all your ideas sound "meh" and nothing really excites you about your current manuscript. It happens, and scary as it can be, there are ways to knock your muse out of her slump and get things moving again.

Sometimes the best way to get out of a rut is to look at the novel from a different perspective. It can shake loose preconceived ideas and allow you to see the story and characters in ways you hadn't considered before. These different views often spark ideas that breathe new life into a novel that needs it.

Years ago I read a hilarious description of The Wizard of Oz that was "accurate but misleading," that stated: “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”

Yes, this technically does describe the movie, but it's not exactly what the movie is about. It does, however, change the whole tenor of the film. Suddenly Dorothy's the villain, and that opens up all sorts of delicious possibilities and changes how other characters might react to her when they encounter her. The Wizard wasn't trying to be a jerk, he was just trying to get this murderer out of his city before she hurt anyone! (See if you can guess the movies below)

Besides being fun, the "accurate, but misleading" game is a great tool to look at your own novel in new ways. Think about how the various characters in the story might describe it--even if it's not how you would. Every character feels like the hero in their own story, and that affects how they see the overall plot or their role in it. What about their views might be accurate but misleading, and spark that sleepy muse? Ask yourself:

How would your antagonist describe the plot?

This can open up some new ideas on where additional conflict might work, or where the antagonist might appear more sympathetic. Bad guys readers can understand and even relate to are often the most compelling. It's also useful if the antagonist isn't "bad" or a villain, just a character in opposition to your protagonist's goal. Ethical gray areas can keep readers guessing what will happen next, or what they'd do in that same situation.

#1: "An imposter infiltrates the White House and attempts to push through his own agenda."

How would the secondary characters describe it?

This can reveal subplots that might bring in added conflict or tension, or be the perfect red herring for the core conflict. It can also show you where your other characters might disagree or how they might solve any of your current plot problems. Seeing how they view or fit into the story might even help you find more layered ways those characters can contribute to the novel.

#2: After his family is murdered, a young man runs away from home to avenge their deaths.

How would the supporting characters describe it?

Minor characters can have opinions, too. This can expose some currently helpful characters who might not want to help, but are doing it since the author told them to (and author is The Boss). What if they had a different view on the matter? What happens to the plot then? If readers never know who might be willing to help the hero, who might try to hurt them, or might have an agenda all their own, the novel will be that much more unpredictable and interesting to read.

#3: A security team fights off a group of hackers trying to destroy vital government infrastructure.

How would you describe the plot if you were trying to be as accurate, but misleading, as possible?

This can force you to look at your story from a variety of new perspectives and see connections, themes, or mirrors you hadn't noticed before. Maybe you always saw the love interest as being a good guy, but if you gave him ulterior motives it changes the entire dynamic of the novel for the better. Maybe a truth about the world or society isn't at all what you thought and could be a rich layer to draw subtext from. You could even discover questionable allies for the protagonist among the antagonist's crew.

#4: A mentally disturbed father goes to dangerous extremes in order to see his children.

Not every new perspective is going to work, and trying to fit them all in would probably ruin the story, but you're bound to find gems mixed in that will get you out of your rut.

How would you describe your novel that is accurate, but misleading? What about your favorite books or movies?

Answers: 1: Dave. 2: Star Wars. 3: The Matrix. 4: Mrs. Doubtfire.

About Janice

Looking for tips on planning your novel? Check out my newest book Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, a series of self-guided workshops that help you turn your idea into a novel.

Janice Hardy is the author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, where she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her novels include The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The first book in her Foundations of Fiction series, Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is out now. She lives in Georgia with her husband, one yard zombie, three cats, and a very nervous freshwater eel. Find out more about writing at her site, Fiction University, or find her on Twitter @Janice_Hardy.

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Angela Ackerman

It’s that time of year...bustling crowds in malls, shoppers lining up in endless droves, bulging virtual carts at Amazon and other e-retailers...all in pursuit of the perfect gift. We make a list, check it twice, and the jump into the holiday fray, looking forward to the joy our thoughtful presents will bring.

But in all this rushing and wrapping, inevitably we forget one very important person on our Christmas list: ourselves.

Have you thought about what to give yourself this Christmas?

I’m sure you’ve hinted to loved ones about your wish list. Likely an array of writerly things, such as books (we love our books!), software or hardware to help your write, and maybe a few other fun, bookish things. But there is one gift only you can give yourself, an offering that will paint the future and help set your steps in the New Year: A RENEWAL OF YOUR PURPOSE.

As one year wraps up with a scenic sleigh ride into Christmas, we are presented with a great opportunity to take stock and reflect on the strides we made toward our writing goals. This window between one year and the next is the perfect time to recommit to our writerly purpose, and lay the foundation for a fantastic and productive future. All it takes is 3 easy steps!

1) Reflect

Take a moment to look at this passing year, and what you accomplished. Maybe you wrote a new novel, or even polished and published one. Perhaps you worked on building your platform, or researched the industry in order to feel more confident about submitting to agents. Likely there are also a few things you hoped to do, but ran out of time. That’s how it goes.

2) Commit

With each new year, the slate wipes clean. Now is a great time to make a list of new goals for yourself, goals that are realistic and achievable. Write down what you want to concentrate on during this next year, areas in which to improve. Maybe you wish to further your craft, strengthen your marketing skills, build your platform or get organized. Formalize your commitment by making a simple business plan, one you can print out and keep by your computer. Each day, look at it and ask yourself: is what I am doing right now helping me achieve my goals?

3) Act

Success happens when we follow through, so stick to your plan. Write up a storm and embrace learning, because the more we learn, the more we grow! Each of you will have different areas of focus in the coming year, but here are a few helpful starting points to consider that may help.

Hone Your Craft:

• Read widely, both in your chosen genre and beyond. Study each novel to understand what makes them compelling
• Do your homework by taking webinars in areas you want to improve, attending workshops either in your area or online, and by studying reference books on the craft
• Get involved in a critique group--peer learning is one of the best ways to grow your craft quickly
• Visit blogs known for their strong craft articles, ones like Writers In the Storm, Helping Writers Become Authors and my own Writers Helping Writers

Flex Your Marketing Muscle:

• Once you become an author, you must learn to market and promote. Learn what works (and what doesn’t) by observing other authors in social media. Follow strong marketers like David Gaughran, Joanna Penn and Molly Greene
• Reach out to other authors for Collaborative Marketing opportunities
• Discover how to find your book’s ideal audience

Build Your Platform:

• Follow Kristen Lamb to understand how to best navigate Social Media, learning how to connect genuinely with readers
• Think about who might be influential with your audience and try to connect with them
• Seek out website, blogging and social media help from Jami Gold, and create a strong “home base” to act as your sticking point for author information and book news
• Read Rise of The Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World

Investigate the Industry:

• Subscribe to thought leader Porter Anderson’s Writing on the Ether as well as follow Jane Friedman’s blog.
• Investigate self publishing as an option by reading blogs like A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, and The Book Designer or picking up a copy of The Indie Author Survival Guide
• Join Agent Query and Query Tracker for up to date information on Agents

Get Organized:

• Make time for words. Create a writing routine and stick to it. To keep your butt in the chair, try the Tomato Timer
• Make your Business Plan, even if you don’t think you need one quite yet. By following a plan, you will hit more milestones because your writing goals are clearly laid out
• Give How To Make a Living as a Writer a read. Bestselling Author James Scott Bell has some great tips, especially for writers interested in Self Publishing

YOUR TURN: What do you hope to achieve this coming year? Do you have a plan of action to get there? Let me know in the comments!

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About Angela

Angela Ackerman is a writing coach and co-author of three bestselling resources, The Emotion Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes andThe Negative Trait Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. A proud indie author, her books are sourced by US universities and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors and psychologists around the world. Angela can be found at the popular site, Writers Helping Writers, which specializes in building innovative tools for writers that cannot be found elsewhere.

Julie Glover

I’ve come to enjoy pitching my story to agents. Not because I’ve landed a seven-book, multi-million-dollar deal, but because I relish the opportunity to talk about my book and learn how to better present my story. The feedback I’ve received has helped me hone the answer to “Am I ready to query?”

Here are five questions you should ask before sending out a query.

1. Do I know what my story is really about?

How do you pare down a 400-page novel into a five-minute or 50-word summary? It’s tough, but if you can’t tell someone what your story is about within a minute or two, you’re not ready to query.

An agent, publisher, or reader doesn’t need a meandering explanation of your world, your characters, and the plot to get hooked by your story premise. If you wonder how others successfully condense, head to the Internet Movie Database to peruse the single-sentence summaries of various movies or go to your local bookstore or your personal library to read back cover copy.

Once you think you have your book’s basics—who’s involved, what’s at stake, what’s the conflict– write it down and have others take a look. If your spouse or your hairdresser or your coworker or your critique partner doesn’t get it, an agent, publisher, or potential reader won’t waste their time trying to understand. Know what your story is really about.

2. Are you able to convey your writing voice?

I received this question at one verbal pitch: “Who would you compare your voice to?” My answer went something like, “Um…uh…I haven’t received that question before…let me think…” Nope, not exactly a shine-like-a-newly-minted-penny moment.

You must be able to describe your voice. Are you descriptive? Funny? Dark? What adjectives could you use? Come up with a few writers to compare your voice to, others who write similarly—even though, of course, you’re all unique. Also, your voice should come through when you query, so that even from the cover letter, an agent gets a taste of the spice that is you.

3. Can you name comparative titles?

Although I’d pitched several times, this was a new question I received at RWA National. Agents and publishers used to make the comparisons, write marketing copy, and sell your book accordingly. But in the days of agents doing-more-with-less-time, you’ll have a leg up if you can do some of the sales work in advance. That means knowing your genre and subgenre and what titles your book could be compared to.

With that information in hand, an agent or editor can approach potential publishers and say something like, “I’ve got a fabulous book that’s Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet meets Kafka’s Metamorphosis!” Not that anyone would actually read about cockroach love, but you get the point. The publishing pros then know who your book would appeal to and how to market to that audience.

4. Have you received feedback from valued critiquers?

Some writers have been known to keep their stories so close to their chest that they only reveal their book to an agent. Bad. Idea.

Yes, it’s unnerving to put your work out there for others to bleed their commentary on. It may feel less like receiving constructive criticism and more like receiving firing-squad bullets. Your book is your baby, but we all get a case of Ugly Baby Syndrome—unable to see our story flaws as clearly as others might. Beta readers, critique partners or groups, and/or a quality editor can provide valuable feedback and save you getting rejected over and over for things you can fix.

So find people (sorry, not just family) who will comment honestly and helpfully about your story. You don’t have to adopt everything they say, but if more than one person points out a specific problem, you likely have that problem in your book. And it’s better to know now…before you waste your time and an agent’s time with querying.

5. Have you made your story as good as you can make it?

I could re-label this recommendation as simply “Don’t send crap.” Too often, we writers think good enough and press send on the email to an agent or publisher. But publishing professionals are inundated with queries and pressed for time. If your book is sub-par, they’ll toss it aside like rotten fruit and move to the next manuscript in the pile.

Most verbal pitches occur at conferences, but you should only sign up to pitch if your book is finished and polished. That said, at the same time your manuscript is getting requested at a conference, you may also be having aha moments about how to improve your book in workshops and conversation with other writers. Suddenly, you realize your book’s not quite as ready as you thought. In that case, you may have some work to do before sending out your query.

Sure, you could miss the boat by taking time to make those edits. My last rejection from an agent came in the form of “since I requested this manuscript, I’ve taken on a project that would compete” and a rather blunt statement that I should have sent earlier. But while I missed that opportunity, I think I was right to wait. Because my book wasn’t as good as I could make it. It needed another round of edits for me to proudly, happily click send.

Your manuscript need not be unmatched perfection, but inasmuch as your talent and time allow, make your story as good as you can make it.

Still lost on querying? I highly recommend Laura Drake’s online Submissions That Sell course. This amazing rejection-survivor and RITA-award-winner helped me get my own query to the point that I read it and said, “Hey, I want to read this book! Oh wait, I wrote this book.”

Soon, I’ll be sending out my manuscript. And happy to sign that seven-book, multi-million-dollar deal.

How's your querying savvy? Do you have query stories--or questions--to share?

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About Julie
Julie Glover is the author of “Color Me Happy,” a young adult romance story in the Orange Karen: Tribute to a Warrior anthology, and My Sister’s Demon, the first of a series of young adult paranormal shorts. She is also working on a novel and lives with her wonderful husband and two sons in her beloved Lone Star state. (That’s Texas, y’all.)

Find Julie at her website or on Twitter. She loves to tweet.