Writing Mixtape - Writing is Rewriting...

Writing is More Than Putting Words on a Page. When I was young, I thought writers spent all of their days at their desks creating wonderful books, occasionally going on book tours, and celebrating their royalties.

It wasn’t until much later that I learned all that goes into writing and publishing a book. Publishing is a business.

Round One - Finish Your First Draft - Whether you’re a plotter (a planner) or a pantser (one who writes by the seat of his/her pants), you need to finish your rough draft. Do not spend hours (days, weeks, or years) editing and rewriting. Finish the draft and type “The End.” (My first book took five years to finish, and I probably rewrote each chapter at least twice.)

Round Two - “The End” is Just the Beginning - Now the real work begins.

I always print out a copy of my manuscript. It’s easier to find errors on the printed page than the screen.

Read your manuscript as a reader. Look for parts where the logic is fuzzy or for plotholes in the story. If you write mysteries, remember if you mention something several times, it needs to have a purpose. You need to tie up the loose ends (clues and red herrings) by the end.

Is your story plausible? Are there glaring mistakes like she ate lunch twice in the same day or your character’s name changed midway through the book?

When you’ve made those corrections, go back for another round as a line editor. Are there parts that need more description? Less description? Is it clear who is speaking? Did you get the facts right? Are there grammar, spelling, or punctuation problems? Are there places where the dialog or your description takes the reader out of the story? Are there overused words? Use your search feature to look for your culprits.

Read your text aloud or use your word processor’s “read aloud” feature to listen to the text. You’ll hear misused words like then/than.

Run spellchecker each time you do a round of major edits.

My “round 2” is usually eight to ten different read-throughs.

Round 3 - Get Feedback - You need to have another reader or writer read your manuscript. Find a critique partner, critique group, or beta readers. I have had all over the years, I prefer that mine like or write mysteries. They understand the conventions of the genres and subgenres. When you get the feedback back, you need to decide what you’re going to change and keep.

After all of the changes, I usually do another round of proofreading and spell checking.

After your multiple rounds of reads and edits, you’re ready to submit your manuscript to an agent or a publisher (if you are going the traditional route). Once your book is accepted, the editing and proofreading processes start again.

Writing Mixtape - 10 Tips for Writing Dialog

Dialog allows you to provide insight into your characters and ways to move your story forward. If you write in third person, it also gives you a way to show what your character is thinking.

Here are 10 tips for writing dialog:

1. Make sure your characters’ speech sounds realistic and not too formal. People don’t always speak in complete sentences. They also use jargon and contractions.

2. Don’t overuse dialog to highlight a character’s accent by writing large chunks of dialog phonetically. It’s okay to make a brief point about how to pronounce something, but it’s overuse annoys readers.

3. Mix up your dialog to avoid overusing dialog tags (e.g. he said or she said).

   Example: “Are you going out tonight?” Jill asked.

   “I didn’t plan on it.” Jack picked up his laptop and slid it into his messenger bag.

4. If two characters are alone in a conversation, you don’t have to use dialog tags on every line. The exception to this is when the dialog goes on for several pages. You don’t want readers to be confused about who is speaking.

5. Use dialog to help show your reader a character’s reaction or feeling instead of “telling them.”

   Example: “I’m done,” Mandy said, grimacing. “I’ve tried and tried, and he won’t listen to reason.”

6. Don’t substitute synonyms for “said” to avoid overusing it. With the exception of “asked” for questions, stick with “said.”

7. Make sure your slang matches the character’s age. If you’re not familiar with slang from other decades, there are lots of dictionaries available online.

8. Make sure your references for stories set in present day are correct. Not many people wind down the windows anymore. We no longer tape or video our shows or rewind our movies. Tech is always changing. Make sure your references are current.

9. Don’t overuse dialog in your writing. It breaks up sections of narrative text, but conversations shouldn’t go on for twenty pages.

10. Don’t underuse dialog. Authors often fall into the trap of “telling” instead of showing. Too much expository text gets tedious.

What would you add to my list?

Writing Mixtape: The Oxford Comma

I’m a GenXer, so I’ve decided to corral all my writing-related posts under the header of “Writing Mixtape.” Here’s my first entry…

Comma, Comma, Comma, Chameleon. Today’s post is on the Oxford Comma (the serial comma). It’s the punctuation in front of the conjunction when there is a list or a series of items. (The comma after “ice cream.” I like pie, ice cream, and chocolate.)

Using it or omitting it are both correct, and there has been a battle royal going on for years between the two camps. It all boils down to which style guide you follow. Book publishers tend to use the Chicago Manual of Style (#TeamOxfordComma), and journalists tend to follow the Associated Press Stylebook (#TeamNoOxfordComma).

The caveat is that the Oxford comma is recommended if there is confusion without it. For example:

My heroes are my parents, Godzilla and King Kong.

Without the serial comma, it looks like the speaker’s parents are Godzilla and King Kong. To make it clearer:

My heroes are my parents, Godzilla, and King Kong.

I have always been on #TeamOxfordComma. That’s the way Mrs. Hooper taught it in the third grade, and it stuck. It can be difficult for writers if your editors use different style guides. When they do, it’s a good idea to make a note, so that you follow their requirements. You’ll use your preference by default. Habits are hard to break.

What’s your preference?

Why Details Matter

I’ve been a technical writer or managed technical writers and software testers for more years that I’d like to admit. I often teach workshops to show why details matter when you’re writing.

One exercise that I like to do if I have lots of time (and a tarp and tablecloth) is to have two volunteers. One is going to provide the instructions for creating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the other is going to do the assembling. The only catch is that the assembler can only do what the other person tells him/her. There’s no interpreting or making assumptions. It usually doesn’t take very long for the person providing the instructions to realize he/she is not specific enough and that key details are missing.

I have had assemblers put the jar of peanut butter on top of the loaf of bread. (No one said to remove the lid or to take the bread out of the wrapper.) I also had someone spread the peanut butter with his hand because no one said to use a knife.

This exercise is quite entertaining and often messy, but it does highlight the need for providing the right amount of details to set the stage for your readers. Whether your story follows a linear timeline or not, readers need to have enough information to navigate your tale.

You also need to be careful not to leave out key details. This creates plot holes and inconsistencies that leave your readers wondering or frustrated.

But here’s the catch, writers need to be careful not to provide too many details that the story is bogged down. You don’t want huge dumps of backstory, and you also don’t want to provide every step like a recipe. It’s a conundrum for writers. You need to find the amount that is just right for your work without skipping too much or weighting down your story with too many details. One good test to check for either is to see if there are parts that you skip over or get bored with. You’re either missing something or that section needs some edits to make it more concise.

Beta readers or critique groups can also help you find parts of your story that need to be revised.

Plotter, Pantser, or Something Else?

I hated doing formal outlines in English class. It felt too overblown and detailed when all I wanted to do was write. When I wrote my first mystery series, I was pretty much a pantser (I wrote by the seat of my pants).

I wrote myself in a lot of corners and had to go back and rewrite large swaths of chapters to make sure the mystery flowed. I also had days when I was stuck and didn’t know what to write next. It took me over five years to write the first novel. I knew I had to write faster, and I had to find ways to make that happen.

I’ve been in IT for the past twenty years, and I decided to apply some of the tools to my writing life. I love spreadsheets and project plans. Since I have limited writing time, I have to make the most of each session.

Now, before I start a new book, I spend a few weeks plotting out the entire book chapter by chapter. It’s an outline, but it’s a narrative of what happens in each chapter. I make sure I have motives, clues, and a story that flows. When I start to write, I have each segment defined. I also do a lot of my research during this time, and that keeps me from getting bogged down when I’m writing. I usually stick to my outline, but there are times when I change something, so my paper copy always has some handwritten notes and scratch outs.

This is the process that works for me. It gives me a plan for each writing session where I’ve done the basic research and already worked for the plot holes.

You need to find a process that works with your style and schedule. Give it a try to see if it makes you more productive.

Why Writers Need to be Readers

When a teacher told us to read silently in class, I was the happiest kid. I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. Most writers are readers, too, but every once in a while, I encounter a new writer who says he/she doesn’t read very much.

Here is why reading is important to writers:

• It improves your writing skills.

• It’s research.

• It expands your vocabulary.

• It broadens your horizons and allows you to experience new things.

• It gives you an insight into what books are being published and how genres are classified.

• It stimulates your brain and reduces stress.

• It boosts your critical thinking.

• It improves your imagination.

• It enhances your communication skills.

• It helps you concentrate.

• It improves memory.

• It develops independent learning skills.

What are you reading for fun?

Make Sure You Make Time to Recharge

We just got back from a wonderful week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and it was a great change of pace from our normal lives. What a difference a recharge week can make. We get so busy in our daily lives that we forget that we do need a break from the hustle, bustle, and stress.

I am a beach girl, so any trip to the ocean is a reset. The sound of the ocean waves, the tangy salty air, and fresh breeze centers me. I could sit in the sand for hours and listen to the sounds of the ocean.

Whether you take a stay-cation or a trip to some amazing place, make sure you do make the time to relax. Here are some things that can help you recharge:

• Spend time with family and friends.

• Mingle and talk to others. We met tourists and locals from all over the world.

• Spend your off time without a schedule. (That is hard for the project manager in me who wants to schedule everything.)

• Visit new or favorite places.

• Take pictures. You’re making memories.

• Take walks or do other activities that you don’t get to do in your regular life.

• Learn or try something new.

• Have fun and be a little silly.

Resets for your health, sanity, and your writing life are important.

My Editing Process

After I type those wonderful words, “the end,” the biggest part (and probably the most important part) of my writing process begins. The editing and revising parts are key to creating a good book. Agents and publishers are looking for manuscripts that are well polished. This is the process that works for me.

• When I finish the first draft of the manuscript, I read through it two, three, or maybe four times from beginning to end to make sure my word count is on target. I also want to make sure that I didn’t leave any plotholes, things that are not plausible, and clues or situations that are not completely explained.

  • This is also where I check for boo boos like she had lunch twice on the same day or her boyfriend’s eye color changed midway through the book.

  • One of my series has Jules as the sleuth, and another has Jade. I always have to check to make sure the gals are in the right book. I also have to make sure that the place names are also in the correct series.

  • If I change any character names, I have to make sure that I changed it everywhere.

• After every major revision, I run a spellcheck and a grammar check to make sure I didn’t create any other issues.

  • I also have a list of my over-used words and phrases that I go through and correct.

• Then I send the manuscript to beta readers and my critique group. When the comments come back, I review and make another round of edits.

• If my agent is querying this manuscript, then I send it to her, and her team reads it and provides feedback. (Another round of revising)

• About six months before the book is due, I do one or two more rereads to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

• Then about a month before the deadline, I do one more last read before sending it to the publisher.

This is the process that works for me. I used to hire an independent editor for an early review and feedback, but I usually only do that now for a new series.

My editing buddies through the years (Riley, Disney, and Cooper).