(Don't) Preach It

Dear General Market Author:

You've complained about us Christian fiction writers for years, and honestly, you were right. Our pet talking points were elevated above story, which lead to some pretty bad books. Sometimes hilariously bad, with two-dimensional villains, Mary-Sue protagonists, and plots so predictable finishing the book was pretty much optional.

Our bad. We've been trying to do better, adding nuance and realism,and most of all, letting any moral come out naturally through a great story, instead of hoping (praying?) it would work the other way around.

Here's the thing, though. This whole not-preaching goes both ways. Sacrificing story at the alter of any belief system, no matter how fantastic or fervently held, still ends up just being a bad story.

So stop. Please.

You're hurting all of us.

Showing Versus Telling - Three Steps to Getting it Right

Instead of Telling

One thing almost every new writer hears is to "show not tell." Okay, great. but what does that mean? I thought I was showing.

Apparently not.

I didn't understand showing versus telling until I attended a writer's conference with my son. At 17, he was hesitant to wander a strange campus on his own, so instead of attending my "real writer" sessions, I went to his screen writing sessions. It was one of the best inconveniences of my life, because I finally realized what had been missing in my writing.

Movies show. They have to. When a character is sad, a voice doesn't boom, "The news saddened John." No, John hears the news, and his behavior changes. His shoulders slump. His gait shuffles. Tears well in his eyes.

So, in three easy steps, here is how to show, not tell:

1. Pretend you are a movie director and your characters are actors. How would you get an audience to know what your character is thinking or feeling? What would you tell and actor to do? Write your character doing those things.

2. Tell to speed up the story, when showing isn't necessary, or to let your readers know something isn't very important.

3. Show and tell when you want to emphasize a point.

My favorite reference book for showing emotion is The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression Of course we want to show more than emotion, but it's a good start.

How do you show and not tell?

Characterization - Three Steps to Getting it Right

Know your characters, inside and out! Okay, maybe not this well. :)

As writers, we all want characters that jump off the page and into our reader's hearts, but making our characters come to life isn't easy. All too often, characters come across as paper-thin and two dimensional. When a character doesn't have depth, it's difficult to relate to them, or to care about what happens to them.

The answer to creating well-rounded characters is to know them, inside and out, but how do we do this? Here's three ways:

1.  Complete a character chart for each character. If you're having a difficult time figuring out your character, filling out a character chart is a good way to get to know them and their background. This knowledge will not only influence how your write your character in each scene, it will keep their behavior consistent, so they don't act "out of character" and throw your reader off.
 

2.  Imagine the story being told from each character's point of view. What are their motivations? Why are they doing what they are? If you take a minute to imagine each character the hero of their own story, you will bring meaning to their actions.

3. Write difficult scenes from various characters points of view. If a scene doesn't feel right, or if you just want to understand each character's behavior in each scene, writing the scene from their perspective will help you refine their dialogue and actions, making them more realistic.

Flat characters can ruin the best of stories. Developing characters takes time, but well-rounded characters keep readers invested more than any other part of writing.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Writer

A small look into the brilliant mind of JK Rowling.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the best selling book of 2016. Some love it, others feel betrayed, but what does it say about writers?

(Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! Stop reading if  you don't want to know anything.)

Okay, the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plot revolves around a time-turner, the creation of alternate universes, and things happening to characters we love that differ from the timeline in the first seven books.

You may not know this, but every author has a time-turner. As we write, there are thousands of different directions we can take our stories. When we delete, we change our fictional character's lives. I have written three very different "first drafts" for the second book in my series. I mourn story lines and characters I had to leave behind. Hopefully readers will never discover what "could" have been, but I will never forget. For me, all of my stories feel like they are full of alternate universes, things that once happened, but are now gone forever.

Now, I don't know how much of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came from ideas that were once part of the original series and were rejected for one reason or another. Maybe none of it. But it is a clever look into the writing process and the emotional turmoil most of us authors go through.

Dealing with Disappointment & Delays - Going with a Small Press versus Self-Publishing

To self-publish, or not to self-publish.

A year ago I had decided I was going to self-publish my novel, ALL THINGS NOW LIVING. A number of agents and editors had told me it was good enough to publish, it just wasn't for them, and several of my friends had had quite good success self-publishing. I thought my book would be better off out there than languishing in a drawer.

Then I got the call. You know. From a publisher who wanted to publish my book. Granted, a small press, but still, a real, traditional publisher.

*Squee!*

I was flattered, but didn't sign automatically. I had already begun the self-publication process, but as I reviewed what my self-publishing costs would be, including edits, proof-reading, design and formatting, etc, I realized it would be very easy to spend thousands of dollars to put out a professional, high-quality product.

So I signed. And I was thrilled! I had always wanted a traditional publishing deal, and I had one.

Then came the delays. I wasn't too upset about missing the original release date, as it had always been tentative, but when my second, solid release date passed without the book being finished, I went into a writing funk. I stopped working on my sequel. I didn't post on my blog. When people asked me about my book, I wanted to drop to the floor and curl into a little ball.

The other day a friend asked me if I regretted signing with a small publisher instead of self-publishing. Honestly, even in the midst of disappointment, the answer was no. Even though my book has been delayed, it is still coming out. The edits I got made the book so much better, the design is beautiful, and the formatting is coming along.

I know there are a lot of people out there who have the time and talent to do everything themselves, but that route wasn't the best for me. I am still happy to be with my "little publishing company that accomplished so much and then seemed to go into hibernation", as my editor described her company. Sometimes little things grow big, and slow starts don't mean slow finishes.

What the Novelist Can Learn from Other Artistic Disciplines

The arts inform us and each other.

A few years ago, I went to a writer's conference with my son. I thought we'd go to different sessions, as I was working on my novel and he was interested in screenwriting, but he was quite young at the time, and unwilling to attend the sessions he was interested in by himself. I ended up going to all the screenwriting sessions that conference. They were fantastic! No, I didn't end up writing a screenplay, but in addition to learning about what has become one of my favorite writing books, SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder, I finally understood how to show and not tell.

Since then, I've gone out of my way to attend sessions I initially don't think are relevant to my writing, classes on poetry, acting, song writing, and illustration. Some of those sessions have been the best I have gone to, and have done the most to improve my writing.

Which really shouldn't be surprising. All art is the expression of human creativity. Learning more about different art forms can't help but improve our own expression.

An Apology I'm Not Going to Make

Coming Soon! Scary!

As the release of my debut novel approaches, and becomes more real, I am starting to panic.

The book really isn't that good.

At least, that is the fear that overtakes me as people tell me they are going to be buying my book, with the implication being they are actually going to read it.

The only thing I can think of is one critque I got a few years back, where the editor wrote, "You write like Suzanne Collins, only worse."

Yes. That's probably true. I'm not JK Rowling, or Suzanne Collins, or one of the many authors whose work I admire.

I'm only me.

And while I did my best, I'm debut author, still learning.


That doesn't mean ALL THINGS NOW LIVING  is bad. As I've gone over final edits, I've been surprised that maybe it's even a little good.

That doesn't mean there aren't things people won't like. So, before my book comes out, here are my true confessions:

I wrote in first person, present tense. This point of view isn't for everyone. Some have called this point of view gimmicky. I don't agree.

My book is for young adults. There are no swear words, sex scenes, or graphic violence. I know some say writing for teens, or writing "clean" for any age group, brings less depth to difficult topics. Okay, maybe my book isn't gritty, but I don't shy away from truth, no matter how dark it is.

My book is not a great work of literature. As I've said to those who ask, the plot is basically "plucky girl saves the world, inspired by hot boy." I wasn't aiming for a Man Booker or Nobel prize. I only want my novel to be entertaining and thought provoking. I think I've achieved that, and I think that's enough.

There will be people who love my book. There will be people who hate it. I'm okay with that, and while I know my book isn't perfect, the one apology I will never make is for writing it. I did my best, and that is all I can do.

If you are so kind as to be one of the people who someday buys and reads my book, I have only one request. Whether you enjoy the book or not, please appreciate how difficult it is for any artist to put their work out there. We are opening our souls to the world, and that is not something everyone can do.

The Truth About Advances

I never expected to sell my manuscript for tons of money. I had fantasized about it, sure, but as big publishers passed, I knew the six-figure, multi-book contract was not going to happen. Still, when my small, independent publisher made me an offer, I was a little bit shocked.

Really? That's it?

Years of work. Thousands of dollars invested. For lunch money.

Okay, maybe a little bit more than lunch money, but you get the idea. Not very much. I talked to some of my writer friends, as well as a couple of small publishers, and here are a few things I learned about advances:

1. Even the big publishers are offering smaller advances. While big deals still happen, most debut and mid-list authors can't expect a lot. I heard numbers from $1,000 to $5,000.

2. Bigger advances don't mean better advances. Advances are just that, pay advances. A number of writers told me they wish they'd gotten less money upfront so they could have earned out their advances sooner. Why? Many authors described the time waiting until they'd earned their advance out as very stressful, filled with the fear they would never make enough sales. A lower advance takes off some of that pressure.


3. Small independent publishers typically offer hundreds of dollars instead of thousands. Shave off one zero from each of the above numbers and you get the idea.

4. A few writers I spoke with didn't get any advance at all, despite the fact their publishers called themselves "traditional" publishers. I'm not sure how traditional a publisher is if they don't offer an advance at all, but a couple of the writers were happy with their publisher despite no upfront money. I personally wouldn't do this, but I guess if you're getting a lot of great services from your publisher and aren't spending any money yourself, it could still be a decent deal.

Would you accept a publishing contract that didn't include an advance? How small of an advance would you be willing to accept?

Fan Fiction - Good or Bad?

My first novel, handwritten by yours truly when I was 13. I called it my own, but it was fan fiction.

In recent years a number of authors have become very successful writing fan fiction. As in, best-seller and movie-deal successful. This tends to irk those of us who are purists. After all, our work is original. We don't understand how the market could reward people who didn't even come up with their own ideas. But is fan fiction really that bad?

As much as I am loath to admit it, fan fiction is actually a good thing, and here's why:

1. Writing fan fiction inspires a lot of people to become writers, me included. The stories we read don't end when the book stops. We imagine different endings, or new scenes, and when we get really brave, we write them down. My first novel, written when I was 13, was Bonanza fan-fiction. Sure I changed names and a few minor details, but there were a lot of similarities between my novel and your average Bonanza episode. Writing that first novel, no matter how derivative it was, gave me the confidence to believe I could write.

2. Writing fan fiction makes learning to write easier. Two of the most difficult things in writing are world building and character development. In fan fiction, those things have already been established for you. Think of it as writing with training wheels on. Eventually you'll have to go out on your own, but not having to master every aspect of writing at once makes the process more enjoyable, and if something is fun, we're more likely to keep at it.

3. For serious writers, fan fiction will evolve into something more. There is one fan-fiction series I can't bear to read. The characters are so close to the ones in the original series, I can't help but think of the original series while I'm reading. This same author, however, has written other books, and they are some of my favorites. Same world, same concept, but now so far removed from the original they aren't recognizable as fan fiction in anyway.

In short, we've all got to start somewhere, and fan fiction isn't a bad place to begin.

Have you ever written fan fiction? What book or movie was your fan fiction based on?

When Your Agent (Or Anyone Close to You) Behaves Badly

Sometimes even good people do not-so-good things.

The other day, my newsfeed erupted when a literary agent, in connection with a review of one of her client's books, called a book blogger a not-very-nice name. I felt bad for the blogger, I love her reviews, and the author, who is one of my favorite writers. I didn't feel so bad for the agent, who should have known better.

Before long the name-calling had taken on a life of it's own. People were saying the author had been the name-caller, and were taking the associated book off their to-be-read lists. I'm sure sales will be negatively affected.


On social media, least said, soonest mended, does not apply. If anyone representing you makes such a huge mistake, they must be called out, quickly and cleanly. In the above mentioned case, the author made no note of the agent's poor word choice, but simply continued her very public social media conversation. Much better would have been something like: "Please don't call X a B. She is a great book blogger and I appreciate her thoughtful reviews."

Perhaps the author was worried about offending her agent. Instead she offended hundreds of readers.

Like it or not, as authors we are public figures and must behave accordingly. I don't want to pass judgement on the agent, even the best of people have bad days and make mistakes, but what would you have done if you were the author and your agent made such a huge mistake?

Delays and Starting Over

Time - There's always too much of it when you're waiting, but never enough when you're trying to get something done.

I got a contract for my first book, ALL THINGS NOW LIVING, last June, and immediately dove into the sequel. Writing with purpose was exciting. Within a few months, I had that all-important first draft completed, and was ready to revise.

Maybe not.

After a careful review of the manuscript, I decided things weren't working. The story was too busy, the main plot points didn't hit where they were supposed too, and the stakes were either too similar to the first book's (How many times can one realistically save the world?) or not high enough.

So I started over. Chapter One, Page One.

A few months later, my second attempt finished, I decided the manuscript still had major problems. Closer, but one of my greatest fears is putting out a dreadful second book.

Now, after two complete first drafts, I have started "first" draft number three. I think this is the one, but regardless, I didn't meet my deadline. My goal was to have book two ready for the editor by the end of 2015. That isn't going to happen.

Which brings me to news about the release of my first book, ALL THINGS NOW LIVING. I had been aiming for a December 2015 release, but with a small publisher and an editor with a very busy life, things didn't happen the way I'd hoped. I don't have a firm release date from my publisher at this point, but the goal is to put out the best book series possible, even if it takes a little longer.

Okay, we're still a few days away from New Years, and I don't do resolutions, but my goals are to get ALL THINGS NOW LIVING published and finish at least books two and three in the series.

Have you had any writing disappointments this year? How did you handle them? Are you going to keep trying in 2016?

Turning NaNoWriMo Into NaNo-Me-Mo

I love the excitement that surrounds National Novel Writing Month. I've never won. I rarely am working on a brand new story. I don't care. For me, NaNoWriMo isn't about everyone else who is writing and their goals. It's about me.

NaNo-Me-Mo

I've known a few people who gave up on NaNoWriMo, even though they really enjoyed it, because their writing goals didn't coincide with the rules. My advice? Forget the rules.


You may not be able to write a 50,000 word book in 30 days. You may not want to. But you don't have to give up on the camaraderie and fun.

Make it NaNo-You-Mo.

Creating Three-Dimensional Characters

Scary-real characters.

One mistake a lot of beginning writers make is to write flat characters. By flat I mean the character is unremarkable, forgettable, cliché, or even interchangeable with other characters. How can we make our charcters feel real?

1. Character Sheets

I write character sheets on all of my named characters, even if they only appear a few times in my stories. A character sheet is a list of everything you know about your character. Do an internet search for "writing character sheet" and you'll come up with lots of examples.

2. You Know Everything. Your Reader Doesn't Have To

By the time you've filled out a page or two about your character, you are pretty familiar with who that person is. A temptation is to add all of the great new information to your story. Don't. The character sheet is to inform you. Just by knowing your character well, you will write them differently.

3. Mix It Up

Okay, you know your character well. Now think of one thing they would never do, or something that is totally the opposite of where they came from and who they are. Now make that part of their character profile. Don't we all have internal conflicts? Aren't we all walking contradictions? Your characters should be too.

Certainly this list isn't exhaustive, but it's a start, and if you do these three things, your characters will feel more real to your readers.

Go Ahead - Get Emotional

I can't believe my character just did that!

My niece has watery eyes, and sometimes looks like she is crying when she isn't. Not long ago she was about to go on stage to play her violin when she began tearing up. "Great," she said. "People are going to think I'm being moved by my own playing."

Maybe it's not good for a violinist to cry at the sound of their music, but writers should get emotional over their work. Have your characters surprised you? Have they brought you to tears? Good.

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." - Robert Frost 

First Drafts - The Fat and Skinny of It

I just finished the first draft of THE STARS IN THEIR COURSES, the second book in my SEVENTH DAUGHTER series. To celebrate, I thought I'd share my process, just in case someone finds what I do useful.

1. I use the Blake Snyder "Beat Sheet" to outline my novel, from his book SAVE THE CAT.

2. I write the first scene; what the main character wants, what is keeping them from getting what they want, their attempt to overcome the obstacle, and how they are thwarted from their goal (most of the time they are thwarted, once in a while I let them get what they want). I follow the scene with the hook for the next chapter, always related to the scene I just wrote. That's Chapter One. The next scene and hook is Chapter Two, etc., etc., until the book is done.

2. I don't worry about the words at all. Once in a great while I will write out part of a scene the way it will be in the final draft, but most of the time the writing is absolutely awful, filled with showing instead of telling.

3. I cut what doesn't work. If a scene doesn't move the plot forward, it's gone.

Essentially I end up with a super chubby outline. I don't write from my first draft. I open a new document and only refer to the first draft as I write out each chapter, scene by scene.

My first draft helps me by nailing down the plot, sub-plots, and character development, all the difficult stuff, before I am actually writing. This keeps me from wasting time going down rabbit holes. The first draft I just finished is only 17,000 words, but when shown instead of told, it will easily end up at 70,000 - 80,000 words, perfect for my YA series.

What do your first drafts look like? Do you create a skeleton to build on, or a bloated monster you have to to cut?

Are Most Writers Introverts or Extroverts?

Books - Great to read or hide behind!

My husband's favorite summer vacation is camping. Mine is backpacking. While at first these two activities may sound similar, they are, in fact, very different. My husband likes to sit around a fire and do nothing but visit with people day after day. I prefer staying on the move in a remote area where I can run off the trail and hide when I hear other hikers headed our way.

I like people. Really, I do. Quietly. From a distance. Watching them. And no, I'm not a creeper, I am an introvert writer.

The idea of writer as introvert is almost a stereotype. While I know there are plenty of writing extroverts, I would say most of my writer friends are introverts. The best writers must be able to thoughtfully observe human behavior as well as spend hours alone. Most introverts come by these traits naturally.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Sharing the Writer's Process or Should Harry & Hermione Have Ended up Together?

Are you trying to tell me Harry Potter didn't really happen?

JK Rowling famously bared her writer's soul in an interview she did with Emma Watson for Wonderland Magazine in February of 2014. Here is a quote from the article:

"I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron. I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility."

Despite the fact some fans used this interview to come to the conclusion JK Rowling now believes Hermione should have ended up with Harry (she does go on in the interview to say Harry and Hermione were, perhaps, a better fit) I see this more as a example of writer's confession. Once a manuscript is published, there is no taking back what was written. The writer must live with their choices.

As I writer, I am torn by this sort of admission. On one hand, I get a peak into JK Rowling's writing process, which is great, but another part of me wants to plug my ears and sing la-la-la-la-la. Harry Potter, after all, really happened, didn't it? JK Rowling couldn't have just made it all up. And Hermione ended up with Ron. End of story.

Do you like hearing writers talk about what might have been, or would you rather they keep their mouths shut?

 Magazine

interview Emma Watson did for Wonderland Magazine

interview Emma Watson did for Wonderland Magazin

In Sickness and in Health

I hope this isn't either of us this winter.

This month I was all psyched to get into NaNoWriMo when three days in I felt a stabbing pain in my right side. Having experienced such pain before, I knew the drill. Two weeks and one emergency surgery later, I am much improved, but while I was sick I got absolutely no writing done. It's an observation more than a critique. Despite spending days laying around doing nothing, I wasn't able to write.

I've heard of a number of writers who suffer from chronic illness yet still manage to type out award-winning and best-selling volumes. My little bout gave me new respect for them. Seriously, when I don't feel well I can't think.

Are you able to write when you are sick? How do you push through the physical and mental malaise?

When NaNoWriMo Doesn't Go So Well

This is probably not going to be me. Yes, I'm a loser.

The intimidation factor hit the first day of NaNoWriMo. Writers proudly proclaimed they'd not only gotten in their 1167 words for the day, but more. And when I say more, I mean 6,000-7,000 words and up. In a few hours. Meanwhile, after typing all afternoon, I hadn't met my minimum.

Yes, I'm super happy for everyone who can speed write, but fast drafts are not part of my pyche. So why do I do NaNoWriMo?

1. It's a great excuse to write, especially since I don't get paid for writing very often and certainly not a lot and my family sometimes questions why I spend large amounts of time writing. "But Honey, it's NaNoWriMo! I have to spend all day writing."

2. It's great to be part of a writing community. Okay, so I do get jealous of the people who put up serious word count, but not that jealous, and it's more important for me to be a part of something bigger than myself.

3. I get a lot of writing done during NaNoWriMo. Seriously. Maybe not 50,000 words, but more than I usually do, and while I may not crank out the numbers, I like to pretend what I do write is pretty decent and *maybe* a little closer to publication than what faster writers put out.

So don't give up. Write. NaNoWriMo is not a competition. It is an event, and to me, everyone who participates is a winner.

How Many Books Am I Really Going to Sell?

Last month I attended a writer's conference. One of the speakers was a well known publisher who has had a lot of success with his imprint. He gave a talk about his experience in publishing. Included in this talk he listed his favorite books he had published as well a few of his best selling books, along with sales figures. Many of us in the audience, want-to-be writers, were shocked at the numbers. Most were low. Horrifyingly low.

How low?

New York Time's best selling pictures books, less than 10,000. New York Time's best selling middle grade books, less than 20,000.

I shouldn't have been surprised. A few months before the conference I submitted to a publisher who asked for comparibles. I didn't list best sellers, but books I thought were the most similar to mine and would have similar sales. I was told that one book I had listed as a comp, published by one of the Big Five publishers, so far had sold less than 500 copies, after two years on the market. That is not a typo. A YA dystopian, the first in a triology that was published in it's entirety, put out by one of the Big Five publishers, sold less than 500 copies in it's first two years of sales.

Ouch.

I came to learn these numbers came from BookScan, and do not actually include all sales, but are a good indication of sales in general. I also learned talking about average sales numbers is tricky, but for traditionally published authors, "The average sale of a hardback book by a first-time writer is 400 copies." (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/mar/25/fiction.features7) And it's worse for those who are self-published. Sales "average out to around 54 sales per title." (http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com/2009/03/sales-statistics.html)
Yes, I found it difficult to come up with current numbers, but if anything I suspect competition has increased and sales numbers are even lower now.

For the new writer, what this means is you can't write a book and hope it will sell. You have to get out there and sell it. If you want writing to be your profession, not only do you have to be a good writer, you must be a serious business person. Probably as important as improving one's writing is learning and implementing smart marketing techniques.