Jamie Raintree

When I first started dabbling in writing almost a decade ago, the Internet was only just starting to become social. There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube. Even MySpace was still a place for musicians and high school kids, and I was neither by the time it gained mainstream popularity. The problem was, as any first time writer knows, what I needed most in the beginning was someone to talk to about my dream. Do regular people do this kind of thing or just the Published Author Gods? Was this dribble any good? Where could I find out more information about how to take my writing to the next level? None of this was readily available to me without extensive Google searches, and even that wasn't enough. Writers hadn't yet taken to the web.

But if you build it, they will come. Right? That's what I hoped. I started a small community on good ol' Proboards.com called Writerz Bloque (see how clever I was?), where I posted some of my short stories for feedback. I can't remember now if anyone visited--ever--but I got a taste for creating a space where people could come together and talk about common interests. I created more forums that eventually grew in size as I learned what visitors needed and how to provide it for them. I joined the MySpace craze where I learned how to blog and fell into the blogging community as I garnered reads of ranking numbers. And I finally got in touch with "my people" on WritersCafe.org. I reached out to those with specific community desires everywhere I went and 10 years later, I lead a writing goals group on Facebook and Twitter in a battle against the blank page, and I've met some incredible people along the way.

 

Starting a Community

Starting a writing community of your own is fun for a few reasons. First, it gives you the opportunity to connect with a very specific group of people who are interested in accomplishing the same goals as you. Second, it's so rewarding to watch your group flourish and to cheer each other on (Lots of virtual pom poms and hugs! Sometimes, virtual cookies and wine). And third, you make friends for life.

But how do you create such a space? It's not as complicated as it seems.

1. Understand Your Group. Who are your people? Who are you targeting? What do you have in common? And what is your goal? Just like writing, the more specific and niche you make your group, the more successful it can be. People are looking for writers like you, just as you're looking for them.

2. Establish Your Guidelines. Part of being a leader is keeping your group on track. You don't want to lead with an iron fist, but no structure at all will lead the group off course and will eventually lead people away. Go for guidelines rather than rules (your take on self-promotion seems to be the most prevalent and necessary guideline) and be prepared to kindly enforce them when necessary. Those who are there for the right reasons will thank you.

3. Invite People In. Get in touch with people you know who will be interested in your group and ask them to reach out to their friends as well. Gently promoting on Facebook and Twitter is another great way to find members. #amwriting on Twitter is a favorite way to meet new writers.

 

Choosing a Format

You can build a community on almost every social network currently available if you get creative. I've found, however, that the most popular networks already provide easy ways to create your space, and to reach out to potential members.

- Facebook Groups have an awesome forum format and since everyone is already on Facebook, you're more likely to see more activity on a regular basis there. Send me a request at Power Writing Hour to check out my goals group and to get ideas for your own.

- Twitter Hashtags can bring people together, though they can take some time to get off the ground. You can also create a specific profile for you group to gather followers. @FriNightWrites does this well with the #writeclub hashtag. I also use the #powerwritinghour hashtag there.

- Google Plus has Communities and video conferences with Google Hangouts.

- Goodreads allows you to tap into the reading community, which is naturally filled with writers.

- Yahoo Groups is a great option for those who prefer email format to the online forum format.

 

Making Your Group Successful

Simply making a place to congregate, though, is only the first step. To see your group blossom, remember these few tips:

1. You only get out as much as you put in. If you set up a group and don't show up again, or don't check in on a regular basis, your group will die out. You are the leader and the glue. You're the one who will keep people excited to be there.

2. Stick to your established setup. Once you decide on your topic, goals, and guidelines, members will appreciate knowing what to expect when they visit. That's what they signed up for.

3. But also listen to your members and grow with them. Often what you start out with will be a small idea and you will need to build on it as your group expands. Your members will have great suggestions for filling the gaps in the group's needs. Take them into consideration. They are the reason you started your community, after all.

They say that the writing life is a lonely one, but as technology advances, that becomes less and less true. Starting an online writing community can seem intimidating, but in reality you can have a fully functioning online space in less than an hour that will inspire and encourage you for years to come. The effort is more than worth the reward.

Which online writing groups are you a member of? Do you have an idea for an online community? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and I'll be happy to give you some suggestions on how to get started!

 

Jamie Raintree writes Women's Fiction about women searching for truth in life and love. She is currently working with her agent on revisions of her first novel. In the meantime, she posts original fiction online, tips for writers, and motivational blogs and videos for all the other dreamers out there. She lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and two young daughters and is a Workshop Coordinator for the Women's Fiction Writers Association. Read more like this at http://jamieraintree.com.

By Kristen Lamb

For those of you who have submitted before, ever wonder how an agent can ask for the first 20 pages and still reject your book? Did you ever wonder if the agents really read these pages? How can they know our book isn't something they want to represent with so little to go on? I mean, if they would just continue to page 103 they would see that the princess uncovers a whole underground movement of garden gnomes with inter dimensional capabilities, and they wouldn't be able to put it down. Right?

Wrong.

I've edited countless manuscripts, and today I am going to let you see the first 20 pages through the eyes of an agent or editor. Novel Diagnostics 101. The doctor is in the house.

I mean no disrespect in what I am about to say. I am not against self-publishing and that is a whole other subject entirely. But, what I will say is that there are too many authors who dismiss why agents are rejecting them and run off to self-publish instead of fixing why their manuscript was rejected. Agents know that a writer only has a few pages to hook a reader. That’s the first thing. But agents also know that the first 20 pages are a fairly accurate reflection of the entire book.

Years ago, when I used to edit, I never cared for being called a "book doctor." I rarely ever edited an entire book. I guess one could say I was more of a novel diagnostician. Why? Doctors fix the problems and diagnosticians just figure out what the problems ARE. Thus, what I want to help you guys understand is why beginnings are so important.

I generally can "diagnose" every bad habit and writer weakness in ten pages or less. I never need more than 50 pages (and neither do agents and other editors). Why? Well, think of it this way. Does your doctor need to crack open your chest to know you have a bum ticker? No. He pays attention to symptoms to diagnose the larger problem. He takes your blood pressure and asks standardized questions. If he gets enough of the same kind of answer, he can tell you likely have a heart problem. Most of the time, the tests and EKGs are merely to gain more detail, but generally to confirm most of what the doc already knows.

The first pages of our novel are frequently the same. So let’s explore some common problems with beginnings and look to the problems that they can foreshadow in the rest of the work.

Info-Dump

The beginning of the novel starts the reader off with lengthy history or world-building. The author pores on and on about details of a city or civilization all to “set up” the story.

In my experience, this is often the hallmark of a writer who is weak when it comes to characters. How can I tell? He begins with his strength…lots of intricate details about a painstakingly crafted world. Although not set in stone, generally, if the author dumps a huge chunk of information at the start of the book, then he is likely to use this tactic throughout.

This type of beginning tells me that author is not yet strong enough to blend information into the narrative in a way that it doesn’t disrupt the story. The narrative then becomes like riding in a car with someone who relies on hitting the brakes to modulate speed. The story likely will just get flowing…and then the writer will stop to give an information dump.

Also, readers like to read fiction for stories. They read the encyclopedia for information.

Book Starts Right in the Middle of the Action

The beginning of the novel starts us off with the protagonist (we think) hanging over a shark tank and surrounded by ninjas. There are world-shattering stakes and we are only on page 2.

This shows me that the writer could be weak in a number of areas. First, she may not be clear what the overall story problem is, so she is beginning with a “gimmick” to hook the reader in that she is unsure the overall story problem will. Secondly, this alerts me that the writer is weak in her understanding of scene and sequel novel structure.

Scenes are structured: Goal-> conflict -> disaster

When a writer begins her book with Biff hanging over a shark tank surrounded by ninjas, two major steps in a scene have been skipped. Normal world serves an important function. Thus when a writer totally skips some fairly vital parts and thrusts us straight into disaster, I already know the author will likely rely on melodrama from this point on. Why? Because that was how she began her book.

Book Begins with Internalization

Fiction is driven by conflict. Period. Writing might be therapeutic, but it isn’t therapy. When a writer begins with a character thinking and internalizing that is another huge warning flag of a number of problems.

Do you need internalization in a novel? Yes! But it has its place. Most internalization will be part of what is known as the sequel. Sequels transpire as a direct reaction to a scene. When a writer begins the novel with the sequel, that is a huge warning that, again, the writer is weak when it comes to structure. There is a definite purpose for reflection, but kicking off the action is not one of them.

Also, beginning with the protagonist “thinking” is very self-indulgent. Why do I as the reader care about this person’s feelings or thoughts about anything? I don’t know this character. The only people who listen attentively to the thoughts, feelings, and disappointments of total strangers are shrinks, and they are being paid well to do so.

Now, give us (your readers) time to know your character and become interested in her, and then we will care. But, starting right out of the gate with a character waxing rhapsodic is like having some stranger in the checkout line start telling you about her nasty divorce.

It’s just weird.

Also, like people who tell you about their abusive alcoholic father the first 30 seconds after you've met them, they likely will keep this trend of rudely dumping too much personal information. When the protagonist begins with all this thinking and more thinking...and more thinking, it is probably a bad sign for the future.

Just sayin'.

Book Begins with a Flashback

Yeah…flashbacks are a whole other blog, but lets’ just say that most of the time they are not necessary. We do not need to know why a certain character did this or that or why a bad guy went bad. Again, that’s for therapy. Did we really need to know why Hannibal Lecter started eating people for Silence of the Lambs to be an AWESOME book AND movie? Now I know that there was a later explication of this  . . . but it was an entirely different story (and one that really didn’t do well, I might mention). We didn’t stop the hunt for Wild Bill to go on and on about how Hannibal’s family was slaughtered in the war and the bad guys ate his sister . . . and it worked!

Flashbacks often alert me that the writer needs time to grow. She hasn’t yet developed the skill to blend background details with the current conflict in a way that supports the story. I’ll give you a great example. Watch the J.J. Abrams Star Trek. We find out exactly how Dr. Leonard McCoy gets his nickname, Bones…one line. “Wife got the whole planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones.” The audience didn’t have to have a flashback to get that McCoy’s divorce was really bad. That is a great example of a writer seamlessly blending character back story.

Flashbacks, used too often, give the reader the feel of being trapped with a sixteen-year-old learning to drive a stick-shift. Just get going forward, then the car (story) dies and rolls backward.

There are two really great books I highly recommend if you want to work on your beginnings (and even learn to fix the problems that bad beginnings foreshadow). Hooked by Les Edgerton and Scene and Sequel by Jack Bickham.

Many authors are being rejected by the first 20 pages, and because most agents are overworked, they don’t have time to explain to each and every rejected author what they saw. Thus, too many writers are reworking and reworking their beginning and not really seeing that their weak beginning is a symptom of larger issues.

It is the pounding headache and dizziness that spells out "heart condition." We can take all the aspirin we want for the headache, but it won't fix what is really wrong. Hopefully, though, today I gave you some helpful insight into what an editor, agent or even READER, really sees so you can roll up your sleeves and get to what’s truly going on.

What hooks you? How long will you give a novel before hurling it out a window?

If you think you might need some professional help, I have my First Five Pages Class coming up. Use WANA15 for $15 off. Also there is a GOLD level. This is NOT line-edit. This is ripping apart your first pages and then SHOWING you how to fix the problems not only in the beginning of your book but throughout.

A quick prize announcement!

The following people won prizes from our moving party!

$25 Amazon gift card, from the WITS bloggers - Amber Polo

Lawson Writer's Academy Class - Jann Ryan

Susan Spann's two books, and Ninja gift pack - Marsha West

Susan Squires first 3 books in her Children of Merlin series - Stephanie Cain

 

Kristen is the author of the new best-selling book, "Rise of the Machines--Human Authors in a Digital World" in addition to the #1 best-selling books "We Are Not Alone--The Writer's Guide to Social Media" and "Are You There, Blog? It's Me, Writer."

Kristen is the founder of the WANA movement, the CEO of WANA International and creator of WANATribe, the social network for creatives. She is a contributing humor blogger for SocialIn, a blog that reaches 2.5 million, is the official Social Media columnist for Author Magazine, and writes for the Huffington Post.

I don’t usually enter contests, but I decided to go all out this year. During the past two months I’ve redefined my understanding of the experience from both the judging and entrant viewpoints. I hope this post will help you consider whether entering contests is in your best interest at this point in your career. Next month I'll share perspectives of a judge.

Two years ago I submitted two entries in each of two contests. One was a first draft of a new book, and I just wanted to see how the concept was received. My goal was to final with the older entry. Well, both entries finaled in one contest, and the more polished entry finaled in the other. The feedback I got was mixed–a little helpful and a little confusing.

Last year I didn’t bother to enter anything, not because of the expense, or the time, or the waiting to see if two people really liked my writing. I simply didn’t feel a need for validation.

This year I decided I would enter, not for validation, but for feedback and to get my work in front of people who might be interested in acquiring it. I researched contest possibilities, studied score sheets and judging criteria, evaluated categories for entries, and Googled the judges. As you know, there are a lot of contests out there.

By the time I had my list, in order of entry deadlines, it was time to format, polish and send out my words. I sent off seven entries, then relaxed for two months because the deadline for the last two entries was much later.

 

 

 

 

Heaven:

Two weeks before the deadline for my final two contest entries, I opened an e-mail that said one of my entries had made the finals. Giddy would be a good word to describe how I felt for twenty-four hours. Then I got the score sheets for the other entry in the same contest. The first one was 135 of 140 points. Smiles.

 

 

 

 

HELL:

The second one was 66. Really? I skimmed the comments. “Writing is hard. You need to learn how to do it,” “There is no logic to this book,” “You don’t know how to world build,” were a few. I felt like I’d been hacked with my own Claymore. And I remembered why I don't usually enter contests.

Thank goodness this contest has a third judge score the entry if the first two judges differ by more than 35 points. A 128 brought me back from the edge.

It's hard to process an anonymous critique.

Did my judge have to read this entry in a genre she dislikes or doesn't read? Are they a first-time judge? Did she think about the impact of her words on someone who put a lot of time, effort and money into the entry?

What I was looking for were suggestions to improve the partials I'm planning on sending out.

What I got felt like an ice pick in the eye.

For the next two days I debated if I really want to sell a book and be subjected to reviews and comments from people who don’t like my stories. It’s one thing to get a private rejection letter or score sheet, it’s another to have someone rail against you and your writing skill. I struggled with what I wanted at this point in my life. Do I need to subject myself to the pain, the anguish of public criticism and shame? For those two days, I seriously entertained the notion of just writing for fun, without a publishing goal. And that's fine–I was there for years. But I knew I couldn't be content with that any more.

Today, two weeks later, on the deadline for the contest I most wanted to enter, I’m not sure whether to bother. The thrill of making the finals and having an editor or an agent read my submission isn’t quite so alluring.

I’ve had time to recover from that low score and  reconsidered why I decided to enter contests this year.

• My writing is ready for publication. Not just in my opinion, but by everyone who’s read it.
• I want to sell a book, and making the finals is a great way to get my writing in front of agents and editors.
• I do want constructive criticism on ways to improve my work so it can sell. The opportunity for feedback from acquiring publishing professionals is worth much more than the price of admission to a contest.

So I just sent off the final two entries. Because I have a goal. And for me, right now, a contest seems like a good stepping stone to that goal.

Do you have a contest story to tell? Have you sold because of a contest? What would you want to tell your judge about the kind of feedback that would be useful to you?

 

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak.   Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes that she can live anywhere but the present.  As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules then watch what happens.

Punished, oh-no, that’s published as a co-author of a math textbook, she yearns to hear personal stories about finding love from those who read her books, rather than horrors of algebra lessons gone wrong.  She is grateful for good friends who remind her to do the practical things in life like grocery shop, show up at the airport for a flight and pay bills.

Fae Rowen began writing after reading her favorite author’s entire backlist in three weeks and couldn’t bear the thought of waiting nine months for the next book.  A “hard” scientist who avoided writing classes like the plague, she now enjoys sharing her brain with characters who demand that their stories be told.  Amazing, gifted critique partners keep her on the straight and narrow. Feedback from readers keep her fingers on the keyboard.

You can find Fae at her website, on Facebook, or contact her via e-mail: fae@faerowen.com

Laura here, with a quick update - we have PRIZE WINNERS!!!!

Kym Lucas has won Jami Gold's 10 page critique

Pamela Stratton won a  Lawson Writer's Academy course

Becky Lower has won Kathryn Craft's Art of Falling

Yvonne Montgomery has won the ARC of Sweet on You, from me!

Tune in Friday morning for more PRIZES!