Welcome to week nineteen of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
I’ve known Mike Mentz for over twenty years. We’ve watched each other grow into adulthood and into our careers and I’ve been so proud of the incredible path he’s created for himself. Mike is a singer, songwriter, and world traveler. His songs are adult contemporary, pop, rock mostly. He’s about to release his third and fourth albums later this year. One of them, “Souvenir,” was recently nominated forAdult Contemporary Album of the Year by the Independent Music Awards. Mike was also a finalist on a brand new reality TV songwriting competition which will premiere nationally later this year. His song Cigarette is featured prominently. Didn’t you just love that? Here’s another taste of his music, from a song he wrote called Lonely Tonight. Mike is a true friend, an all-around great guy, and I know 20+ years is just the start of our lifelong support of each other. Let’s see what Mike has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? Literally everywhere. I travel a whole lot, and I like to take advantage of the inspiration factory that is the unplanned route. Lyrics on the back of a napkin on a flight to Miami. Working out a melody on the deck of a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic. Guitaring on an Airbnb terrace in Spain. Singing through a tune in the shower...every shower ever. I wrote my last 15 songs in as many countries. Not every writing spot is epic, of course. But I try to score as many as I can. For me there's a fuel found in the variety of the world and a romance to writing anytime, anywhere. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Writing songs is definitely a unique animal for a lot of reasons. One I've been thinking about a lot lately is how big of a role my body plays in the process. Like most writers, I use a pencil, paper, my phone and computer to get down my ideas. But the ideas themselves are shaped in a very real way by my voice and my fingers. I write a line not just because of the idea it communicates, but also because of the way it sounds when I sing it and makes me physically feel when I play it. My body knows when a phrase and a melody are juuust right as much as my brain does. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? "This doesn't really matter in the songwriting game, but good sweet baby Moses, why do we include sentence punctuation like commas and periods within quotation marks when they're not part of the quoted material? Technically correct sentence: I laugh every time I hear Jonathan Coulton's song ""Still Alive."" But why is that correct?? The song title is ""Still Alive"". It isn't ""Still Alive."" So why would you put the period inside the quotation marks? It's frustratingly illogical, and I just can't bring myself to follow the rule anymore. Also, on a barely related note, I think semicolons rule. I think they're underused like whoa." Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I generally don't seek others' opinions until I believe the song I'm writing is finished. Before I show a song to someone else, I have to feel that I've given it as much life as I can on my own. I have to really love it first. Getting trusted feedback is a valuable and important part of the process, but ultimately I want to first make sure I'm happy with every decision I've made. If I've created what I believe to be a really good thing, I can more confidently have a productive conversation with someone else about that thing without feeling pressure to placate them. I've found showing a tune to someone too early in the process can mess with my head; there's a real danger I'll water down a potentially kickass line or great musical idea to make someone else happy before I've fully explored it myself. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Sucking is part of it. Thank you Mike for this window into the world of songwriting. And you’re right. Sucking at something is part of the overall process, but a necessary part to getting to something great. Please be sure to subscribe to Mike’s YouTube channel. You can also follow Mike on Facebook and on Twitter. Be on the lookout for his albums later this year and for his television debut! *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. And, bonus video. Here’s a cover of a Jason Mraz song that Mike performed at Sofar Chicago. Enjoy!
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Welcome to week eighteen of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
I think it is so important to remember that writers aren’t just people who get books published. Corporate Communications is an incredibly vital and vibrant role in the workforce. Today I’m honored to feature my friend, Erin Slucter, who currently serves as a Senior Manager of Communications and Multimedia at an organization here in Chicago. Her answers here are personal, but her professional work bespeaks the ways in which we all tell stories. Erin tells corporate stories. As both a communications and multimedia person, about 60% of her storytelling is through video. The other 39.9% is pretty standard communications-type work—speeches, annual reports, letters, etc. And, as tells me, “there is .1% of my time spent thinking about the time I will spend working on the totally interesting creative non-fiction book I will write in the future.” Let’s see what Erin has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? Everywhere and all over the place. I'm a total scatterbrain when it comes to my projects. They usually consist of a little research, interviews, writing an outline or script, and then pulling together the story. So, that could mean the story is coming together in several different places. I do, however, get loads of clever* ideas that I jot down on my daily commute. *They are absolutely brilliantly clever to me in the moment but since they often go unexplored, my guess is that gush of what I perceived as cleverness was probably blue line/blue line patron fumes. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Since most of the storytelling I do is for the organizations I work for, there is often a pre-set agenda. That's not necessarily a bad thing but if I'm telling a story about chicken rearing in Alabama, I'm not there to uncover a big news story. I'm there to show people what chicken rearing in Alabama looks like. Or, if I'm writing a speech for a president, the subject of the speech is almost always tied back to my organization's mission. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I love the Oxford Comma and feel a bit naked and exposed when it's not used. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I've been trying to bring people into the process earlier, at an outline stage. I've found that it cuts down on the 70 million edits that come from all over the place—from the CEO to the IT Coordinator—later. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Don't get anxious if you're a person that both starts and finishes a project at the eleventh hour. My best work happens then. (Note to self, don't get anxious when I both start and finish my next project at the eleventh hour.) Thank you Erin for sharing this week. I know you, so I can hear your voice in these answers, which means I’m laughing at my desk as I post them because you are as hilarious as you are wise! And I agree, know yourself well enough to know when you work best - it may just be in the 11th hour! Thank you for representing those of us who write for a living - even if that doesn’t mean we don’t currently have a book to plug. *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. Welcome to week seventeen of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. Today I’m honored to bring you answers from novelist, poet and screenwriter Jennifer Joseph. Jennifer writes fantasy, science fiction and poetry for readers of all ages, and horror for those old enough to know that monsters rarely live under your bed. Jennifer currently has a Kickstarter up for her first children’s poetry book, Alphabet Oddities, which runs until May 5, 2017. Her project was even named a “Project We Love” by the team at Kickstarter. Alphabet Oddities features an Asian-American girl who loves science, space and weird creatures. Personal note: I was so stoked to support this Kickstarter. Like Jennifer, I’m ½ Asian AND I write and love science fiction, so supporting this idea was 100% awesome for me. Jennifer’s poetry chapbook, Speeding in Reverse, was published as a limited edition run in 2012 and she has also been featured in a variety of magazines and journals.
Let’s see what Jennifer has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I usually write at my desk in my home office but I also like to write in coffee shops. I have a gigantic office with great light, the walls are filled with art, and the shelves are filled with my favorite nerdy collectibles. It's an inspiring place to work. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I write in multiple genres and mediums so this question doesn't apply. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? Everyone makes mistakes bUt PlEaSe StOp DoInG tHiS. I'm more irked by the writer who thinks they don't need their work edited. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? My friend Ellie usually sees my work first, sometimes in the ugly first draft phase. For anyone else, I have to edit anything I write at least twice before I share it. (PS: Find Ellie at: twitter.com/ellieannswords) Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Read a ton, remember your first draft is not meant to be perfect, never stop learning, and find a good editor. Thank you Jennifer so much for your answers! I also thinking finding a good and trusted editor is KEY. Please be sure to check out Jennifer’s Kickstarter for Alphabet Oddities and follow her on Twitter and Instagram! *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. In January of 2017 I posted a personal update of how my journey to become a writer was going so far. That was week 16 after I had left a job I loved to take a stab at a new way of life. It was a relatively arbitrary week. 16 seemed like a nice round number. Plus, it was the first post of the new year and a great way to kick off 2017.
At the time, I had absolutely no way of knowing the symmetry of the situation. But as fate would have it, week 16 was a halfway point for this phase of my life. This week, week 32, I’m working furiously to set in motion / finalize / work ahead on a bunch of things because my life is about to change again. On Monday I head back to the grind of a full-time job. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m proud, I’m anxious: all of the normal feelings one has when starting something new. Some of you may be asking why I’m going back to work. There are so many answers to this question, money being the blunt and obvious one. But, if it was just money, I wouldn’t be doing it. Truth be told, I miss it. I miss working collaboratively on projects. I miss having that dedicated focus to working on something larger than myself. I miss being challenged by work and truthfully, I miss not having my production levels be 100% self-motivated. I have spent days, weeks imagining editorial deadlines that were all in my head. It worked, but part of me is looking forward to someone telling me, “I need this by Friday,” and having that actually meaning something. Also, a little hard to admit, but to be nakedly honest, I miss having an answer to the “where do you work?” question. I will always say I’m a writer. I will always be a writer. I have so much hope for the book I’m trying to get published. But, I can be a writer and have a different day job too. And that will feel good. I like my new answer to that question. I’ve learned that about myself. So, at 32 weeks (16 +16 folks, in case that wasn’t clear… a note more for myself than anyone reading this because I’m still wigging out at the unplanned numerology of it all) I thought it was about time to do another recap. A, “so how did I do during my time off?” recap. So, here we go.
And on a personal note:
All-in-all, this eight month “cubical sabbatical” was everything I could have hoped for. I opened myself up for some major soul-searching. I learned a lot about my personal motivations at this stage of my life. I gave myself grace for the days I wasn’t very productive and I let myself feel proud when I had major accomplishments. Of course, I am me, so I still feel like I could’ve (would’ve, should’ve) done so much more, but maybe that’s what this re-cap is for. Not to let all of you know what I’ve done, but to have it for myself for a few weeks or months or years from now. So that when I look back at this period of time, I don’t just think, “hey I took some time off, well isn’t that special?” No, instead I will look back and think, “I took some time off and DAMN I accomplished a lot.” And, I’m pleased to say I’m confident it’s not over yet. I’m still going to query and query and query my book. I’m going to attend local events and stay engaged with other writers. I’m keeping up #WritersQuick5 and Amache’s America. My hope is that my writing will remain what it always has been - a safe haven, reprieve, and blessing from the craziness of world around me. And that after this time, my return to more a traditional workplace will bring with it new perspectives, a new appreciation, and the fresh eyes of a writer. I’m sure a blog post about what it’s like to balance work and writing is forthcoming (I can tell you’re all excited for that already, lol). 32 weeks. What. A. Journey. Thanks for coming along with me. Welcome to week sixteen of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. This week brings us insights from Renee James, author of a three-book (so far) psychological thriller series, the Bobbi Logan Series. First in the series is the self-published (and then re-published) book Coming Out Can Be Murder, followed by A Kind of Justice. The third book in the series, Seven Suspects, will be released by Oceanview Publishing in October 2017. I was privileged to meet Renee at the Chicago Writers Association event, Path to Published, where she was one of the featured speakers. Let’s see what Renee has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I occupy a corner in an area at the top of stairs to our second floor. The builder of the house called it a "library", everyone who sees what I've done with it calls it a mess. I love everything about it except the morning sun in Spring and Fall--the glare forces me to pull the curtains for the most glorious part of the day. I love it because I have a nice view out a large window, and I have my favorite paintings on a wall in front of me, and it's quiet and peaceful. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? The mystery/thriller genre demands rising tension and sustained conflict from beginning to end. I try to add a dimension to that by getting deep into my heroine's character and how she is coping with the realities of her current life as well as the life-or-death conflict that propels the overarching plot. Each book takes up her story at a different point in her life, so she and her friends are constantly evolving. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I believe the use of the semi-colon is a sign of weak character, and the use of acronyms should be a capital offense. I don't get too snotty about other aspects of grammar, punctuation or spelling because I mostly don't know what I'm talking about. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? After I finish the first draft, then finish a hard edit, I try to decide if it's ready to be read. Sometimes, I have the decency to do a second draft or second hard edit before I hire an editor or heckle a trusted beta reader. The more experience I've acquired, the better my first drafts have gotten--though they aren't as much fun to write. The main thing is, at some point you have to have a professional editor--preferably someone you don't know or at least someone who's willing to tell you there's snot dripping from your nose--make a full assessment of the manuscript, after which it's easier to view my own work through someone else's eyes. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? With regard to the writing, I think it's like sex--the first time, do what comes naturally, but after that, find out how to do it better. For writers, that's by reading, attending seminars, etc. The other thing is, start networking with other writers and writers groups immediately--it will make you a better writer, it can get you introduced to agents and editors, and you enter the best society of people you've ever hung out with. Thank you Renee! I think your advice about writing, “I think it's like sex--the first time, do what comes naturally, but after that, find out how to do it better” is perfect. I’ll never forget it and it’s absolutely true! Be sure to check out Renee’s website and find Coming Out Can Be Murder and A Kind of Justice on Amazon. You can also follow her on Twitter. Be on the lookout for the third book in her series, coming October 2017! *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. There’s no way around it. Writing query letters sucks. I thought researching agents was bad enough. But actually crafting each query letter for the agent’s requirements and preferences is just brutal. Let me be clear though, it’s not the writing part necessarily (although, that is tedious). It’s the emotions behind it and the never ending self-questioning.
What if I leave out a plot point that could have totally sold the story? What if I mention too many characters (or too few)? What if I’m selling myself short? What if I sound like I’m bragging? How do I convey that I have a book worth reading? The sheer number of permutations and approaches is mind-boggling. That’s not to mention the odds of breaking through. One agent I looked at this week said they get anywhere from 80-120 queries a day. A DAY?! What could possibly make my query letter jump out from that pile? Another agent I looked at said that they are usually on an eight week backlog, so if I don’t hear back within eight to twelve weeks that means they aren’t interested. Well, who would be? If I had a backlog that big, I might not even show up to work in the morning. I know fear of missing out must drive an agent’s work, but how do they see the gold mixed in with the dog shit? Not to mention the fact that I am currently putting my lifelong dream of being a published author in the subjective hands of another person. I have to remind myself there are three big hurdles here: Number One: Write the book Thankfully, I have done that. And I’m so happy with it. It’s such a great book. I really want everyone to read it. Number Two: Get an agent So yeah, that’s in the works. Aside from sending out query letters (and yes, I did start that this week), I am also signed up for a workshop in June where I’ll get to meet an agent face-to-face and I’m contemplating another workshop in the fall. Number Three: My future agent gets my book sold to a future publisher Obviously, nothing I can do about this one right now. Some folks have told me to try and go straight to the publishers (or to try hybrid publishing) but honestly I’m not ready for that right now. So yes, if I want to be glass is half-full, I’ve jumped the first major hurdle and I’m on my way over the second. And, if I want to answer my own questions regarding my query letters, I think the only thing I can do is be as authentic as possible. Try not to be gimmicky. Try not to market. Try not to be something I’m not. Just write up what interests and hooks me about the book and have faith that it will it interest and hook other people. So yes. This is my big, bold “I’ve started sending query letters” blog post. Maybe not as triumphant as I once imagined it being, but it’s where I’m at. I’m sending query letters. And it sucks. But, ultimately, I have to have faith that it will be worth it. Welcome to week fifteen of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. This week brings us the work of Bibi Belford, a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. Bibi is the author of young adult, middle grade, and early reader novels. Her book Canned and Crushed was published by Skypony Press, as was her e-reader book The Gift. This year, her new book Crossing the Line will be released on July 4, 2017 and Another D for DeeDee is due in September. She met her first Skypony editor at the UW Writer’s Institute.
Let’s see what Bibi has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I used to write in a beautiful gazebo with only the sounds of trees rustling and birds singing. Then we moved to the South Loop of Chicago. Now I write looking out to a sea of condos and townhouses with the sounds of kids, dogs, construction and traffic. When the weather cooperates I sit on my little balcony with my green patio umbrella and pretend I'm in my gazebo. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I've taught hundreds of primary students to read and when a few of my toughest nuts to crack moved on to fourth grade, I asked them what they were reading. "We don't read because there's nothing we want to read about," was their answer. "If I write a book, will you read it?" I asked. And that's how Canned and Crushed was born. I have a picture of me reading the final draft to those boys in fifth grade. And when I presented them with the hardcover book, they did actually read it. Mission accomplished. That's what I hope for all my books. That kids who don't find other books that relate to their lives will relate to my books and read them! Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? When kids forget a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end. When they write ‘thay’ for ‘they.’ When they write an entire paragraph with one sentence. When they use twenty-five ands to write a story. Oh, wait. Were you asking about adult writers? I honestly don't notice any of those grammar or punctuation problems by comparison. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I have to read my manuscript out loud. That's when I notice errors and mistakes in continuity. So my poor husband is my guinea pig. I also have a writing partner and we find it very easy to slash and burn each other's manuscripts. Sometimes things that seem crystal clear to me, leave huge questions in her mind, and I'd much rather have her notice, than wait for my editor to wonder about my sanity. A group of writers I took a class with has a reunion once a year and we share a portion of our current work-in-progress manuscripts with each other. Their feedback is crucial to me and one of the reasons I'm published is due to their gentle encouragement, okay more than that, their insistent prodding, to leave no stone unturned when creating character-driven novels with high stakes for the protagonist. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Just sit down and write. And finish something. Don't buy the lie that says you have to have that perfect place and moment and routine. I've written during the Super Bowl. And while you're writing give yourself a realistic timeline with an ending goal of when you plan to be ready to query and submit or attend a pitch session with agents. I wish I could have a do-over for all those times I said, "I'll start tomorrow." The start to finish process takes so much longer than you imagine it will. Most publishers can take between one and two years to publish your book, and that's after they buy your finished manuscript. So put that B in C and W. Thank you Bibi for your stories and answers! I’m so glad there are teachers like you in the world that listen to their students and take action. What an inspiration! Be sure to check out Bibi’s books and stay tune for her upcoming publications. You can contact her via her website or follow her on Twitter. *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. I was naive last week. Naive to think that getting my book back from my proofreader would be easy. That I would just make the changes in a couple of days and whooosh, I’d be off to sending query letters. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Maybe it could’ve happened if I just pressed “accept all changes,” did a cursory clean-up, and considered myself done. But nooo, I wanted to learn from my mistakes. Oy vey!
Suffice it to say, I’m not getting to query letters this week as I’d hoped. This is a bit of a downer, but hopefully for all the right reasons. I am learning a ton from going through the proofreading (I’ll get to lessons learned in a second) and I’m really glad I had her do track-changes so I could see every last fix. I am also glad to say that through sheer brute force, I have cleaned up every track change she sent me. This means that after pouring through my book line by line in microscopic detail, I must now also step back and look at the big picture one last time and take time to re-read it. I started the re-reading process yesterday (out loud, as many people have suggested, which is such a good idea for editing but takes forever) and it’s been invaluable. For example, in one dinner scene my editor and I have both missed that the main character Will hands Molly a beer, and then a couple pages later hands her the beer again. Yep, re-reads are worth it. But, thankfully, there have been relatively few glaring moments like that and mostly the re-reads are re-affirming my belief in my book. It’s actually a damn good read. So yes, thank you for your support of me sending out query letters. I’m fully anticipating I’ll be able to send that blog post out next week instead. Fingers crossed agents will be receiving letters soon! For now, I thought I’d share the top things I’ve learned from going through the proofreader’s work.
So yes, it’s been a long week. My eyes are kind of googly and I want to be done, but I have to remind myself that this is the good stuff. This is polishing the finished product. This is getting close to the finish line of this leg of the triathlon. And this is me bettering myself. So, yes, I’m glad to be here. And I’ve learned a lot. Welcome to week fourteen of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. This week I’m pleased to feature writer Paul R. Lloyd. Paul’s writing comes in many shapes and forms across a prolific writing career. He is a business writer and marketing pro. He is also a blogger and a book coach. He has been featured in literary magazines such as Possibilities and Daedalus and also writes and self-publishes horror books on amazon. Paul is a big supporter of his fellow writers and heads up the Write Time Writers Group in Geneva and is a member of the DuPage Writer’s Group and the Lively Arts. I had the pleasure of meeting my fellow Chicago Writers Association (CWA) member at a recent CWA event and he has been kind enough to share his insights with us this week. Let’s see what Paul has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I work upstairs in the spare bedroom where I can close the door. If I peer out the window at the correct angle, I can watch tree tops sway in the breeze in a way that reminds me of Wisconsin for an instant vacation. My laptop rests upon a little desk my dad and I built back when I suffered through high school. Dad was a cabinetmaker so it’s a nice desk. Snpgrdxz, my teenage space alien shapeshifter character from my time-travel series, volunteered to become my muse. He parks on a pillow on the guest bed and makes snarky comments while I write. For example, this morning he said, “Why do you spend so much time editing? Get my story up on Amazon and be done with it.” He once told me to pronounce his name like there’s an “i” every place you think a vowel should go. He doesn’t complain when I pronounce his name “snip-grid-ix” but he insists I spell it without the vowels because on his planet they no longer believe in them. According to Snpgrdxz, only the lesser planetary civilizations resort to such primitive writing practices. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I must figure out what genre I write in. With only six novels on Amazon, I have time. I write horror with a twist of humor, but I can’t find an outlet for “cozy horror” stories. In the past, I never intended to write about monsters, but the darn critters show up uninvited. So I should embrace the horror genre, a decision I now make right here on Kelly’s website. Horror stories scare the bejeebers out of you in a unique way that cannot be matched by that shirtless guy with the horse and the half-naked girl on the cover of those romance novels. But if fangs protrude from the horse’s mouth, you purchased a horror story by mistake. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? The discovery of an error that masquerades as correct serves as my favorite pet peeve. Any errors. For example, what if I found out the second sentence in this paragraph was a fragment? Horrors. When I attended high school and Miss Burnett assigned an annual essay on “My Pet Peeves,” I always wrote about the dog. Then in twelfth grade, Emily Springbottom leaned across my desk (big exhale here just thinking about it) and said, “Miss Burnett wants us to write about stuff that fries our gourds.” I always thought it would be fun to fry Emily’s gourds but that would have to wait until after graduation. In the meantime, Miss Burnett’s annual assignment about “My Pet Peeves” became my biggest pet peeve. Peeves wasn’t just an ordinary dog, by the way. He served as a private detective without gum shoes. You can read about him in that novel I didn’t write yet. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I prefer to take a manuscript as far as I can before submitting it to my critique group. Critique groups find the stuff you missed, but after a while, you learn to appreciate it about as much as I enjoyed that pet peeves high school assignment every year for four years. My futile search for first readers continues. Every time I find someone who volunteers for the honor, I hand over a copy of the book and then never hear back from them. They may be trying to tell me something. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? The most important thing is to write every day. Okay, you can take the weekend off if you want. The second most important thing is to trust yourself. You are hardwired to hear, read or tell a story in a certain way so you have to work at getting it wrong. But that doesn’t mean you will automatically get it correct. Learn the craft. Take courses and workshops when you can. Google stuff when you can’t. Trust yourself and learn the craft. Great advice from Paul for us today! Please be sure to follow Paul across social media and check out his novels and short stories. Find Paul: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, & Amazon Author Page *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. I consider myself to be a decent writer. Above average even. I love writing, I write all the time, so I’m also a practiced writer. When I sent my book to my editor for developmental critique, I knew there’d be a lot of changes because I’d never written a book before. I wasn’t surprised at all when I needed help developing the plot or the main character arcs (and I continue to work on realistic dialogue). But, when I sent my book out to be proofread, I have to admit, I was a little more sure of myself. I thought that I’d miss a comma or two, a misspelling would be caught, that I’d get the occasional grammar rule wrong. But, I felt confident enough that it would just be a clean-up job, that it wouldn’t be a rewrite.
Today, I received my book back from the proofreader. At first, my eyes glazed over. When you have 91,000 words, even nominal changes add up. I had to check my ego and stop my tear ducts from activating to rationally think about what I was seeing. There were changes on every page, but ultimately they were exactly what I thought they would be. Changes to capitalizations or commas. Fixes to my use of quotation marks and pointing out a handful of awkward sentences. As my heart stopped racing and I started actually looking at what I was seeing, I realized they were do-able. Do-able changes to my book that I’ve finished and has now been proofread. Then, I started panicking for a completely different reason. Because once I make these changes, my book is actually done and there are no more reasons to wait to query agents. Once I make these changes… I am done. Take. A. Deep. Breath. Kel. So yes, after regrouping and breathing into a paper bag for a few minutes, here are my goals:
That’s right my friends. I want to finally send this book out by the end of next week and I hope you will all help keep me accountable. I want my blog next week to be about the nervous fear coursing through my veins as I press the send button on query emails. And, I’m hoping you will all send positive thoughts my way as I deal with my nerves the next few days, with each correction bringing me one step closer to the realization of… I was going to say my dreams but that seems entirely too lofty. Each correction bringing me closer to my immediate goals. How about that? And one last comment. If you are writing, and you don’t enlist a proofreader, I think you should. I could have been cocky and rested on my laurels and not had my book proofread. But, as I scan through the changes I have to make, I can only think how much I needed someone else to give it a hard look over. So, I humbly accept these changes, and will diligently go about making them, trying not to internalize all that that implies. (Should I use a double ‘that,’ here? Proofreader, where are you?) |
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June 2020
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