“In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it 'got boring,' the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling.” – Stephen King, On Writing
There are three huge flashing signs that are the marks of an inexperienced writer. Inconsistent and overuse of punctuation is one of them, overuse of adverbs is another, but the one that really makes a novice stand out as still learning the craft are the “writerly words.”
These are the words thrown in to show off—to make the reader pause and stop and marvel at the writer’s clever turn of phrase. These are words put on the page without thought as to if you’re breaking viewpoint to put that word into that sentence. And, guess what, that stop means the reader’s been thrown out of the story—the writer’s sacrificed story and character for a word or a phrase. For being clever. How do you know if you’re doing this? And, more importantly, how do you get out of this habit?
1-Read your work aloud. If you’re embarrassed, send the family off to the movies, lock the bedroom door and sit with a glass of water and a print out and read. Mark the sentences you need to fix—don’t fix them now, just read. Aloud. To yourself. If you stumble over a word or a phrase, mark it. If you stumble over how to pronounce something, mark it. If you run out of breath due to a rambling sentence, mark it to be fixed. You’ll be amazed how much you catch with one reading.
2-Look at every word and ask: “Would this character know this word, and would he or she say or think this?” When you put a word into a character’s mouth or thoughts and that word doesn’t fit, you’ve just broken viewpoint. Another writer will know this—a reader will just feel the story or character is “off.” Now an artist might think a sky is “azure” but would a truck driver think that? Probably not. A woman might know another woman is wearing a designer dress, and might even know the designer if she’s also fashion conscious, but a rancher who lives in the middle of nowhere probably wouldn’t know one suit from another. It’s all about getting those pesky details right.
3-Get yourself a couple of trusted readers. I recommend having a couple of readers who are writers, and a couple who are just readers (writers read differently than readers, and you want input from each). Have them simply mark or tag anything that gives them trouble—again, you don’t need fixes, you just need them to mark places where they’ve been thrown out of the story (where they’ve become aware that they are reading, and not experiencing a story). Really, really look at every place any reader marks—and if you get two people marking the same spot, you’ve got fixes to make.
4-Read a lot of great writers. You will absorb style. You want to read the best stuff, because you want to write that, too. Take apart great writing—look at the punctuation, look at word choice, look at the balance. Look at the voice used. Don’t just read for pleasure, read to learn from the best. And I urge every writer to read widely—don’t settle for just one genre or one author.
5-Take out every clever phrase that just makes you want to preen with pride. This is otherwise known as “kill your darlings” because that’s how hard this advice is to follow. You will rebel at this advice—you will think, “But that is my voice and my style.” Trust me on this—you want your story and characters to be the stars. You want readers to fall in love with them—and look for you as an author because your stories and characters are so great. I’ve been here, too. I fall in love with something and I do not want to take it out, but every time I do, I end up with a stronger story. And better characters.
6-Copy the greats. Very important—this copying is to learn, and doesn’t mean you can steal someone else’s words. Do not put anyone else’s words into your fiction—that is plagiarism. But, to learn, go ahead and take a page or two from a favorite book, and take the writing apart by retyping it. This helps you take the writing apart—you start to see how things are constructed. Then delete or trash those words and that file—they aren’t yours, so don’t steal them. You are using them to learn your craft. Look at how the narrative and dialogue are put together, but then let your mind absorb it and turn it into your own style.
7-Listen to King’s advice—make it your priority to keep the ball rolling. Readers want great stories—which is why someone who isn’t a great writer can hit the best seller list. It’s about the story; it’s about the characters. Don’t make your focus the great description, or the clever phrase, or the cute word that seems so different it startles the reader. Keep the ball rolling—keep the story going.
Shannon Donnelly Bio
Shannon Donnelly’s writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, RWA’s Golden Heart, the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, and others. Her writing has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb"..."wonderfully uplifting"....and "beautifully written."
She is the author of the Urban Fantasy “Demons & Warder” series, featuring Burn Baby Burn and Riding in on a Burning Tire, as well as her Regency Historical romances, which have been in the stop selling Historical romances on Amazon.com. Her SF/Romance, Edge Walkers, is currently on sale for .99 at Amazon.com for the month of November.
Literary agents are full of great advice for writers. That’s why, whenever I am concluding an interview with an agent, I always end the encounter by asking “Is there any other piece of advice you’d like to discuss?”
This open-ended question often draws a fantastic answer, as the agent’s most passionate advice will pour out.
That’s why I’ve gone through a whole bunch of literary agent interviews and cobbled together some of the best writing tips that agents have passed on over the years. There was so much good material that I had to break it down into multiple columns. This is Volume II (and you can see Volume I here), and you can check out agents’ helpful and inspiring advice below—then leave a comment for your chance to win a free book.
******
“Stay true to yourself. Be aware of the conventions of your genre, but don’t try and write something because it’s trendy. If your heart’s not in it, it’s going to feel forced. If you don’t write something that excites you—and if you don’t write from the heart—you’re not going to win anybody over.”
“If you pitch a project to me (or another agent), and my response is something along the lines of ‘this isn’t right for me,’ remember this: It isn’t personal. I’m not attacking you as a person, and I’m not even attacking your writing. There are plenty of books out there that I love, but that I also know I wouldn’t be the right agent for. More important than finding an agent is finding the right agent.”
“If an agent passes on your manuscript but tells you they would love to look at a revision, they mean it! They think you have talent and they want to see more from you. However, the flip side of a request like this is that they probably feel there is still a lot of work to be done before they could successfully market your project to editors. Give yourself the greatest chance by always sending agents your very best work.”
(Hi, everyone. Chuck here chiming in for a second. I wanted to say I am now taking clients as a freelance editor. So if your query or manuscript needs some love, please check out my editing services. Thanks!)
******
“Watch what you say online. I know it seems like common sense, but you wouldn’t believe the number of people who blog, Tweet or post inappropriate things online. It’s better to just not do it—if you post and delete, it’s still archived. An online presence is an agent’s or editor’s first impression of you—make it a good one.”
“Spend a lot of time writing your query letter. Read a book about it, take a class on it, do whatever it takes. Your query letter is your first impression—don’t make it your last. You also want to take a long hard look at your first twenty pages. Cut out every sentence, paragraph, or word that is extraneous; show no mercy, because your readers certainly won’t. And lastly, don’t be afraid to quit and try something different. Not every project is going to be a winner, and you’re not going to make it a bestseller by willing it to be so. Besides, if you don’t sincerely believe that your next book will be better than your last, then being a professional writer is probably not going to work out for you anyway.”
“Join a writing group. There are few things more valuable to a writer than an honest and insightful reader. Family and friends are often too biased to give real criticism. A writing group can help give you a broader perspective on your manuscript, help you see what’s working and what’s not—all while providing support and encouragement. Even when the group isn’t meeting, the process of editing each other’s books will have made you better at self-editing.”
“I think there is a gap between what writers think is ‘market ready’ and what an agent or editor does. Without getting professional feedback, it’s difficult to bridge that gap. If you want to be traditionally published, use freelance book editors, preferably who have industry experience, to polish your work before approaching an agent or editor. Freelance editors can be costly, but I think they save writers time and money in the long run.”
“Don’t become a writer to get rich; it may happen, but it’s a long road to getting there and most of the ‘riches’ come in other forms. Write (especially fiction) because you feel you can’t do anything else, because there are stories inside you that need to find their way out.”
“My best piece of advice for writers is to keep writing. The more a writer writes, the better his or her skill becomes. And I also find that when an author derives joy from whatever he or she is writing, that joy comes through in the writing. So try to enjoy it and that pleasure might speak directly to your readers.”
After you comment below for a chance to win a free book, check out Volume I of this Agent Tips series.
GIVEAWAY!!
Chuck is excited to give away a free copy of either the brand new 2014 GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS or 2014 CHILDREN’S WRITER’S & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET to a random commenter.
Comment within 1 week; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail.
Click here for the rest of Chuck's posts here at WITS.
Writers In The Storm welcomes Eve Paludan. I first met Eve at a Desert Rose RWA meeting in Phoenix, AZ. First impression? A bubbly person who lugs around a very warm heart. She now lives in Los Angeles, CA, where she writes fiction and edits for other bestselling authors. She enjoys reading mysteries, science fiction, and romances, especially paranormal romances, walking on the beach and learning scenic photography.
Be sure to comment! Eve is giving away one of her e-books to one lucky commenter.
If you want to avoid confusion and further distinguish your series from other similar series in the same genre, you can add the who of your protagonist’s name to the what of the series name, like this:Samantha Moon, Vampire for Hire (J.R. Rain). Seldom discussed, but very important, is a rhythm, a catchiness or an alliteration that makes the series name stick in readers’ minds. Do you notice how the words “vampire” and “hire” rhyme? What about an acronym for a series that spells a familiar word, such as HASH (Human Alien Species Hybrid) (April M. Reign). With “hash” tags being used or discussed millions of times per day, “HASH” is pretty clever for a series name.
2. SERIES DESCRIPTION
Be able to describe what your entire series is about in a single sentence.
Here is one well-crafted example that might well be the Holy Grail of series descriptions--notice that every single word in the sentence does an important job: “Forced to walk the earth as a cursed immortal, William/Judas is on a quest to reclaim the thirty silver shekels paid to him in exchange for Jesus Christ.” – The Judas Chronicles (Aiden James) Notice that the series description tells the reader who the protagonist is, what he wants, and the major obstacle between him and his heart’s desire. What a triple-play on this series description!
3. BOOK TITLES
The book titles in each series should have a similar pattern or feel to them, so that the readers know they go together.
Be able to describe each book in the series in a single sentence, so readers can see how it relates to the next book in the series and, if possible, reveal a progression of the story arcs:
Taking Back Tara(Ranch Lovers Romance #1) – After their divorce, Tara and Zane risk a second chance at love.
Tara Takes Christmas(Ranch Lovers Romance #2) – As Christmas approaches, Tara and Zane learn that they may lose the ranch.
Tara’s Little Wedding (Ranch Lovers Romance #3) – Tara and Zane plan a small second wedding, but it keeps getting bigger! (This book has not yet been released.)
5. BOOK ONE ELEMENTS
Your first book launches the series and sets a precedent for the main story arcs, protagonists, sidekicks and/or love interest, villain(s) and major conflicts for the entire series.
Make that first book become your series Bible or think of it as a tree from which all of the other books branch.
Keep it a goal that plot and character threads from the first book should run throughout the series. If you are establishing rules for a paranormal world, or for procedures for solving a crime, obey those rules in the next book if possible, so that there is continuity between the books.
Keep in mind that the first book has to create a sustainable world/foundation for your characters and plotlines across many books. So, do give the first book a lot of depth of character, and allow plenty of room for later plot expansion into subplots. In each book, authors should want subplots and goals for the protagonist to build a growing, comfortable familiarity with readers, even down to recognizable personality traits and repeated settings, such as where the character lives and works.
6. TITLES AND PLOT PLANNING
Plot-wise, and title-wise, know where you are going with the series, from the first book, to the last, if at all possible, or at least, the third book. When writing books two and beyond, try to remember what happened in book one, and keep a brief list handy of story arcs in progress. However, don’t re-use a plot over and over, unless you are putting new spins on old storylines to progress to the conclusion of each book and eventually, the completion of the series. Variations on the main theme are critical. It’s a delicate balance to craft continuity, and yet, freshness and originality for each book.
A reader recently told me that my books were refreshing because I didn’t have the heroine kidnapped and tortured in every book and then, have the hero save her. Do listen to what your loyal readers want when you get reviews and fan letters. Oh, and cliffhangers… It’s up to authors to decide if they want to use a cliffhanger at the end of each book, in order to keep readers interested in what happens in the next book. I have been both slammed and applauded for my cliffhangers, which have become somewhat discussed among regular readers of my series. Some cliffhangers are more exciting than others. I just love it when the readers want more of the series…I do my best to keep the characters and plots engaging and compelling.
7. BOOK COVERS
Your book covers should have a similar “look and feel” for each book in the series to tie them together with a recognition factor that helps readers remember what your covers look like. Not just the book title and author’s name, but your series name should be on the book covers, too.
It helps to have the first three covers in the series created at the same time and maybe even think about commissioning a “boxed set” graphic for future marketing. Have your book cover designer save the Photoshop file with layers for the titles and fonts saved, so that subsequent books can be easily designed by using the first book cover in the series as a template. (A flattened file, usually a .jpg or .tiff, is necessary for upload to Amazon Kindle or other publishing venue.) If your book cover designer can additionally create a graphic logo, that is another powerful marketing tool for your series.
8. EDITING
Even professional editors hire editors to edit their books. It is worth it to pay for a second set of eyes. Your mom, your best friend or your significant other may not be the right person for the job. Someone who doesn’t know you or love you and has tons of experience in editing books in your genre is your best bet.
You should not explain what your book is about in detail. Let your manuscript go to your editor without a big synopsis that reveals everything. The book must speak for itself without detailed introduction. My preference is to have my editor use the tracking changes feature of MS Word to show suggested changes that I can, as the author, either accept or decline.
An extra tip here is that the books in a series should have the same point of view throughout the series and also, hopefully, use the same verb tense. For example, don’t write one book in first person, present tense and another in third person, past tense. Just my personal opinion. Rules are made to be broken, right?
9. WORD COUNTS
Try not to write behemoth books of 100,000 words or more when you are creating a series. Okay, unless your initials start with J.K. and end with Rowling, then I guess, go for it. More power to you to have that much confidence and enthusiasm. But seriously, keep things simple and perhaps give yourself an upper word limit that makes you feel comfortable with your goals. Is 55,000 words plenty for each book in a series? I think so, but that’s just me and that length is going to be my personal top-out norm in 2014.
If you write a 130,000-word tome and you have 7 books in your series, you will be kicking yourself later when you try to pick up the story arcs from the previous books and resolve each plot and subplot. You are also making so much more work for yourself when you have a series with more than 20 characters per book. I should know… On the other hand, if you are the next J.R.R. Tolkien, ignore this word count and character count advice.
10. PRODUCTIVITY
Write as fast as you can, for as soon as one book comes out, your readers may be asking when the next one will be released! I try to have several series going at once and try to finish one book a month, or even every two months. But then, I don’t have a television. I rarely do anything else but write or edit, eat or sleep. I go grocery shopping a couple of times a week and sometimes go to the beach. A tank of gas in my car usually lasts me a month or more, if that gives you an idea of how many hours I spend sitting at the computer. You probably have a lot more balance in your life than this…
Have fun with your book series creation! And good luck!
Please check out all of Eve's series books on Amazon, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Eve Paludan has a couple of web sites, but they aren’t as exciting as she would like. She’s been a little busy and hasn’t updated them for a while.
Witch Detectivesis an ongoing bestselling series about a witch who uses her emotions to work magic. With three books so far, Witch Bones (Witch Detectives #4) is scheduled to be released in early 2014. The first three books were co-authored with Stuart Sharp, and published by J.R. Rain Press. Eve Paludan will be solo-writing books 4 and beyond for publication by J.R. Rain Press.
Brotherhood of the Blade is a completed bestselling trilogy about a vampire hunter named Rand Sebastian who is on a quest for his missing daughter. The series is a spin-off of J.R. Rain’s Samantha Moon, Vampire for Hire series. J.R. Rain Press is the publisher.
Ranch Lovers Romanceis Eve Paludan’s contemporary Western romance series about second-chance love for a couple named Tara and Zane. So far, two self-published titles have been released (Taking Back Tara and Tara Takes Christmas) and the series will be completed with a total of five books. Tara’s Little Wedding (#3) is in progress.
The Ghost Files is a bestselling series created by Scott Nicholson and J.R. Rain. Each book has a different author and the cases of the married paranormal investigation team of Monty and Ellen is the constant hero and heroine that drives the series. Ghost Fire(#3) is by Eve Paludan.
Angel Detectives is an ongoing paranormal series with one book released so far and one in progress, The Man Who Rose from the Sea. The first in the self-published series, The Man Who Fell from the Sky, is a complex paranormal mystery romance of 105,000 words and dozens of characters that was three years in the making.
Werewolf Detectives is Eve Paludan’s newest self-published series. Book 1, Werewolf Interrupted, was co-authored with Suzanne Wilson and is a brand new release. A trilogy is planned. The self-published titles will be: Werewolf Interrupted, Werewolf Rising and Werewolf Unleashed. Werewolf Interrupted is Eve Paludan’s ninth book published this year, in 2013.
