Hey everyone!
I wanted to wish you all a safe and happy New Years Eve. In a few minutes we'll be soaring in to 2010. I hope we all find some great things this coming year. Personally, I have a few writing resolutions I thought I'd share.
As mentioned in a previous post, I plan to write three new novels in 2010. I also hope to submit three novels to publication. The latter goal is of course dependent upon my agent to some extent but I have faith in him.
I also have a blogging resolution. Starting the first week in January, I resolve to post to the blog once a week. It will be writing related for the majority of the time. But keep an eye out for the occasional TV-centric post.
I'll see you all on the other side of midnight.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Writing Tips: Agent Search
First I want to wish you all a very Happy Holidays (and to those who celebrate, Merry (belated) Christmas). Well, folks, this is the last post on writing tips. At least for now.
TOPIC: Agent Search
So, now you've gotten your writing schedule down, done your research and outlining. You've written a draft and edited it (by yourself and with the help of beta readers). The last step is to find agents that not only represent the genre of your work but are accepting new material.
There are severa places you can go to find agents that may be interested in representing your work. The first stop I would take is Query Tracker. They're an etensive database of thousands of agents (as well as publishers). All you need is a free acount and you can do everything from browse agents and add them to your watch list to actually tracking your statistics as you wade through the query process.
Another place to check out is Writer Beware. It is a wonderful site with insightful articles on how the publishing process actually works and what agents to stay away from.
Some things to look at when deciding whether an agent is right for you include how recent their sales are, what genres they represent and what other authors you can find that are represented by the agent. A lot of this information is avialable on Query Tracker. Be sure to do you homework before you start the querying process.
I will be back in January with a post on query letter writing. Thanks for joining me!
TOPIC: Agent Search
So, now you've gotten your writing schedule down, done your research and outlining. You've written a draft and edited it (by yourself and with the help of beta readers). The last step is to find agents that not only represent the genre of your work but are accepting new material.
There are severa places you can go to find agents that may be interested in representing your work. The first stop I would take is Query Tracker. They're an etensive database of thousands of agents (as well as publishers). All you need is a free acount and you can do everything from browse agents and add them to your watch list to actually tracking your statistics as you wade through the query process.
Another place to check out is Writer Beware. It is a wonderful site with insightful articles on how the publishing process actually works and what agents to stay away from.
Some things to look at when deciding whether an agent is right for you include how recent their sales are, what genres they represent and what other authors you can find that are represented by the agent. A lot of this information is avialable on Query Tracker. Be sure to do you homework before you start the querying process.
I will be back in January with a post on query letter writing. Thanks for joining me!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Writing Tips: Editing
Hey everyone. We're back for some more writing tip fun.
TOPIC: Editing
You may think it's weird to jump from research and outlines to editing but, that middle step is really up to you. Use the strategies we learned in setting goals to get a working first draft.
Once you've got a draft of your work finished, put it aside and don't touch it for a few weeks. Don't look at it, don't even think about it. Putting it away for a couple of weeks gives you the distance you'll need for this step of the process.
After your two weeks is up, grab that draft and go through. Self-editing is pain but it must be done. During this revision, you'll want to get spelling/grammar problems fixxed. See if there are scenes that need to be added or redacted to make the story flow better. Don't rush on this part. Take your time. You don't have to do it all at once. Setting goals for editing is a good way to pace yourself and keep on track.
Edited that baby so it shines, or at least twinkles a little? Good. Find some people who read the genre of your manuscript and have them read and critique it. These wonderful people are often called beta readers. It's up to you how many you have look over your manuscript and what you want them to look for. IMPORTANT!: You may have family and friends who offer to read your work but finding impartial readers will do you a greater service.
Just because your betas aren't people you necessarily know well, doesn't mean you shouldn't get to know them first. Talk a little bit before you entrust your work to them. You will also want to give them a time frame for when you want the work back. This allows them to fit in reading/critiquing into their own schedules.
What do you do while you wait for your work to return from your wonderful crit-folk? Relax for a litlte while. You've made it this far! You can start on a new project if you want to. But be prepared for another round of revisions once you get the manuscript back.
You may be wondering what you do if you get conflicting comments on parts of the book. Always remember that these are not edits you must make (that comes later with your agent). They are suggestions that you should strongly consider. If comments that one of your betas made doesn't sit right with your vision of the story, then you don't have to use it. Once you are comfortable with your manuscript (that it's the best you can possibly make it), you're ready for the final step; agent searching.
Stop by next week for the conclusion of our writing tips.
TOPIC: Editing
You may think it's weird to jump from research and outlines to editing but, that middle step is really up to you. Use the strategies we learned in setting goals to get a working first draft.
Once you've got a draft of your work finished, put it aside and don't touch it for a few weeks. Don't look at it, don't even think about it. Putting it away for a couple of weeks gives you the distance you'll need for this step of the process.
After your two weeks is up, grab that draft and go through. Self-editing is pain but it must be done. During this revision, you'll want to get spelling/grammar problems fixxed. See if there are scenes that need to be added or redacted to make the story flow better. Don't rush on this part. Take your time. You don't have to do it all at once. Setting goals for editing is a good way to pace yourself and keep on track.
Edited that baby so it shines, or at least twinkles a little? Good. Find some people who read the genre of your manuscript and have them read and critique it. These wonderful people are often called beta readers. It's up to you how many you have look over your manuscript and what you want them to look for. IMPORTANT!: You may have family and friends who offer to read your work but finding impartial readers will do you a greater service.
Just because your betas aren't people you necessarily know well, doesn't mean you shouldn't get to know them first. Talk a little bit before you entrust your work to them. You will also want to give them a time frame for when you want the work back. This allows them to fit in reading/critiquing into their own schedules.
What do you do while you wait for your work to return from your wonderful crit-folk? Relax for a litlte while. You've made it this far! You can start on a new project if you want to. But be prepared for another round of revisions once you get the manuscript back.
You may be wondering what you do if you get conflicting comments on parts of the book. Always remember that these are not edits you must make (that comes later with your agent). They are suggestions that you should strongly consider. If comments that one of your betas made doesn't sit right with your vision of the story, then you don't have to use it. Once you are comfortable with your manuscript (that it's the best you can possibly make it), you're ready for the final step; agent searching.
Stop by next week for the conclusion of our writing tips.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Writing Tips: Research and Outlines
Hey everyone! Back for an all new writing tip this week. So without futher delay, here we go.
TOPIC: Research and Outlines
It is probably a safe bet that many people cringe at the word "research" in relation to writing. After all, if you're writing, aren't you just making things up as you go? Sorry to say that no, you are not just making things up as you go.
The level and depth of research all depends on what type of story you are trying to tell. For fantasy and sci-fi, you can check back to my blog post about Fantasy that makes sense. Even with fantasy, you may want to spend some time exploring societal structures that may mirror those in your work. Basing pieces of your world in reality always makes it stronger.
For those who aren't playing with dragons and fairies, the research stage is more about bolstering your believability. Setting something in the "real" world takes just as much energy as creating your own new place to play. You are confined to the way things actually work and where places actually are. Trust me, readers are perceptive and if they know the location where you've plunked your characters down, they may be none-to-pleased to see you put the Starbucks where the Dunkin' Donuts should be.
Of course, the above example is a rather silly one, especially since they are often on opposite corners of the street. Let me share with you a bit of research woe I encountered not too long ago. My next project is a piece of contemporary women's fiction set in Boston. I know I want my characters to be believable and real so I spent quite a bit of time researching businesses and neighborhoods where my characters would be interacting. One of the key places in the story is a yoga studio. Initially I'd found an actual studio (yay for authenticity) but then I realized for legal reasons it might be better to create my own. Yes, I know I said earlier you don't have to create new places in the "real" world. Well, I lied. You can indeed create your own businesses and restaurants and banks, etc. But here's where the research comes in. In trying to find a place to put my made up yoga studio, I had to look up places where there are actually gyms. That way, someone reading the manuscript would say, "yeah, there could be a yoga studio there".
Google is a good place to start if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. Once you've narrowed it down, you can do a more targeted search for the business or organization you want information on. Remember, when using real places, if you're going ot use them for less than savory aims in your work, it may be best to create your own.
Another good place to look for some world building material may be your nearest Barnes & Noble (or other bookstore). You can browse for hours in there without getting weird looks. The library works too if you don't have a bookstore nearby.
Once you've done all of your research, the next step is outlining your work. Don't run away! It's not as hard as it sounds, I promise. Outlines can mean many different things, including character development, chapter outlines and character arcs.
The first kind of outlining deals with character development. This is what it sounds like. You develop your characters. Give them family hisory, birthday, anniversary, a job. Just for kicks, give them some hobbies and dislikes too. The more you know about your characters, the more well-rounded and real they wiill appear on the page. The important thing to remember with charcter devleopment (or background) is that not everything you write down about the character has to show up in the novel. Suzy's dislike of lime jell-o may have nothing to do with the storyline, so there's no need to include it.
Getting into the meat of the story, there are two ways of outlining. The first is the traditional notion of the outline where you map out each chapter in the book. This works for some people. A chapter-by-chapter outline allows the writer to figure out exactly what needs to happen and when. This method can be extremely time consuming and so many people shy away from this step of the process. I know for a long time I skipped right from the idea hitting me to writing. I find now that taking the time to set goals, research and outline makes the story stronger from the beginning.
The second type of outlining is mapping individual charater arcs. This is an ideal method when you have multiple main characters. You'll want to sit down and write out what happens to that specific character at each stage of the story and how it affects those around them. You won't necessarily have a chapter-by-chapter map for your story, but you will know the important points to hit with each character at each point in the story.
I hope you were able to find some nuggets of useful information about doing research and outlining before you start writing. Check back next week for an all new writing tip.
TOPIC: Research and Outlines
It is probably a safe bet that many people cringe at the word "research" in relation to writing. After all, if you're writing, aren't you just making things up as you go? Sorry to say that no, you are not just making things up as you go.
The level and depth of research all depends on what type of story you are trying to tell. For fantasy and sci-fi, you can check back to my blog post about Fantasy that makes sense. Even with fantasy, you may want to spend some time exploring societal structures that may mirror those in your work. Basing pieces of your world in reality always makes it stronger.
For those who aren't playing with dragons and fairies, the research stage is more about bolstering your believability. Setting something in the "real" world takes just as much energy as creating your own new place to play. You are confined to the way things actually work and where places actually are. Trust me, readers are perceptive and if they know the location where you've plunked your characters down, they may be none-to-pleased to see you put the Starbucks where the Dunkin' Donuts should be.
Of course, the above example is a rather silly one, especially since they are often on opposite corners of the street. Let me share with you a bit of research woe I encountered not too long ago. My next project is a piece of contemporary women's fiction set in Boston. I know I want my characters to be believable and real so I spent quite a bit of time researching businesses and neighborhoods where my characters would be interacting. One of the key places in the story is a yoga studio. Initially I'd found an actual studio (yay for authenticity) but then I realized for legal reasons it might be better to create my own. Yes, I know I said earlier you don't have to create new places in the "real" world. Well, I lied. You can indeed create your own businesses and restaurants and banks, etc. But here's where the research comes in. In trying to find a place to put my made up yoga studio, I had to look up places where there are actually gyms. That way, someone reading the manuscript would say, "yeah, there could be a yoga studio there".
Google is a good place to start if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. Once you've narrowed it down, you can do a more targeted search for the business or organization you want information on. Remember, when using real places, if you're going ot use them for less than savory aims in your work, it may be best to create your own.
Another good place to look for some world building material may be your nearest Barnes & Noble (or other bookstore). You can browse for hours in there without getting weird looks. The library works too if you don't have a bookstore nearby.
Once you've done all of your research, the next step is outlining your work. Don't run away! It's not as hard as it sounds, I promise. Outlines can mean many different things, including character development, chapter outlines and character arcs.
The first kind of outlining deals with character development. This is what it sounds like. You develop your characters. Give them family hisory, birthday, anniversary, a job. Just for kicks, give them some hobbies and dislikes too. The more you know about your characters, the more well-rounded and real they wiill appear on the page. The important thing to remember with charcter devleopment (or background) is that not everything you write down about the character has to show up in the novel. Suzy's dislike of lime jell-o may have nothing to do with the storyline, so there's no need to include it.
Getting into the meat of the story, there are two ways of outlining. The first is the traditional notion of the outline where you map out each chapter in the book. This works for some people. A chapter-by-chapter outline allows the writer to figure out exactly what needs to happen and when. This method can be extremely time consuming and so many people shy away from this step of the process. I know for a long time I skipped right from the idea hitting me to writing. I find now that taking the time to set goals, research and outline makes the story stronger from the beginning.
The second type of outlining is mapping individual charater arcs. This is an ideal method when you have multiple main characters. You'll want to sit down and write out what happens to that specific character at each stage of the story and how it affects those around them. You won't necessarily have a chapter-by-chapter map for your story, but you will know the important points to hit with each character at each point in the story.
I hope you were able to find some nuggets of useful information about doing research and outlining before you start writing. Check back next week for an all new writing tip.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Writing Tips: Setting Goals
Hello everyone. As promised, I'm back with some fun and functional tips on writing.
TOPIC: Setting Writing Goals
For many people, the first hurdle to writing comes in finding the time and motivation to actually do it. Fear not, friends. Even those with the busiest of schedules can find the time to write.
Start small. Writing goals don't have to be huge, grandiose aims. They can be as simple as a certain word count for the day (or week). Beginning with this small step allows you to get a feel for what it's like to write on a schedule. Once you have you desired daily or weekly word goal in mind, sit down with your work schedule and any other obligations you have. This next part is key; find places, fifteen minutes here, half an hour there in your day where you can devote yourself to writing. It can be while on your lunch break, before the kids get home from school. Finding these little slivers of time in your day will put you well on your way to reaching your goal.
Once you've been successful in meeting your smaller goals, you can take the next step and expand it to monthly goals. This is no different than the steps you've already taken. Simply, set a goal for the month and plan out your writing each day or week accordingly. It really is simple once you've got the first building block down.
I'm sure some of you are wondering how you go about finishing an entire novel. Setting achievable goals for yourself is a really good place to start. Remember, your monthly goals can be to get a certain percentage of a piece written. The key to this strategy is to set aside time each day. Those little chunks of time add up quickly and you'll find you can churn out more product in the same amount of time.
On that note, there is a great tool to get you in the writing spirit. The awesome Dr. Wicked has created a program called Write or Die which allows you to write in a confined amount of time. It's a great (albeit slightly high pressure) way to get words written. No reliable or constant internet connection? No worries. He's created a desktop version for $10. No computer? Still no worries. Carry a pad and pen with you EVERYWHERE! Seriously, do it. That way you have something to write on at all times.
The above method of writing a little each day isn't for everyone. Take it and make it work for you. Goal setting really is about getting the push to get things done. And who doesn't love the satisfaction of meeting a goal?
As for me, my writing goals for the new year include writing three new novels. You can bet I've got my monthly goals all set out. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for dropping by! I'll see you next week for a new writing tip.
TOPIC: Setting Writing Goals
For many people, the first hurdle to writing comes in finding the time and motivation to actually do it. Fear not, friends. Even those with the busiest of schedules can find the time to write.
Start small. Writing goals don't have to be huge, grandiose aims. They can be as simple as a certain word count for the day (or week). Beginning with this small step allows you to get a feel for what it's like to write on a schedule. Once you have you desired daily or weekly word goal in mind, sit down with your work schedule and any other obligations you have. This next part is key; find places, fifteen minutes here, half an hour there in your day where you can devote yourself to writing. It can be while on your lunch break, before the kids get home from school. Finding these little slivers of time in your day will put you well on your way to reaching your goal.
Once you've been successful in meeting your smaller goals, you can take the next step and expand it to monthly goals. This is no different than the steps you've already taken. Simply, set a goal for the month and plan out your writing each day or week accordingly. It really is simple once you've got the first building block down.
I'm sure some of you are wondering how you go about finishing an entire novel. Setting achievable goals for yourself is a really good place to start. Remember, your monthly goals can be to get a certain percentage of a piece written. The key to this strategy is to set aside time each day. Those little chunks of time add up quickly and you'll find you can churn out more product in the same amount of time.
On that note, there is a great tool to get you in the writing spirit. The awesome Dr. Wicked has created a program called Write or Die which allows you to write in a confined amount of time. It's a great (albeit slightly high pressure) way to get words written. No reliable or constant internet connection? No worries. He's created a desktop version for $10. No computer? Still no worries. Carry a pad and pen with you EVERYWHERE! Seriously, do it. That way you have something to write on at all times.
The above method of writing a little each day isn't for everyone. Take it and make it work for you. Goal setting really is about getting the push to get things done. And who doesn't love the satisfaction of meeting a goal?
As for me, my writing goals for the new year include writing three new novels. You can bet I've got my monthly goals all set out. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for dropping by! I'll see you next week for a new writing tip.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
December Ahoy!
Hey, everyone. Just wanted to give you all an update on my writing journey (as well as my academic pursuits).
I just finished the first draft of a new novel, an adult dark urban fantasy. I'm letting it sit for a while before I go back to it for revisions. while I still love the story and the characters, I'm conflicted about whether my main character is really suffering from PPS (Passive Protagonist Syndrome) or not. I think some distance and time away will help with that.
I'm also busy working on research and planning for a women's fiction novel that I hope to have done by mid 2010. It's a new genre for me and I'm extremely excited to jump in and see how I fare.
As for the academic front, I have 3 more days of classes and then 2 weeks of midterm exams and I will be halfway through my first semester of law school. And I thought being halfway done with the semester was crazy! Anyway, I'll try to drop by more often with some fun tips for writing.
I just finished the first draft of a new novel, an adult dark urban fantasy. I'm letting it sit for a while before I go back to it for revisions. while I still love the story and the characters, I'm conflicted about whether my main character is really suffering from PPS (Passive Protagonist Syndrome) or not. I think some distance and time away will help with that.
I'm also busy working on research and planning for a women's fiction novel that I hope to have done by mid 2010. It's a new genre for me and I'm extremely excited to jump in and see how I fare.
As for the academic front, I have 3 more days of classes and then 2 weeks of midterm exams and I will be halfway through my first semester of law school. And I thought being halfway done with the semester was crazy! Anyway, I'll try to drop by more often with some fun tips for writing.
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