Voice

"The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing." ~Sigmund Freud

Voice makes a writer recognizable, unique and special. Yet it's something many authors struggle with. It's well worth the effort to find your own personal writing voice. It's the very thing that will make your manuscript stand out among the throngs. 

Finding your voice

• Don't try to copy anyone else. Trying to mimic another author is one of the surest ways to lose your voice. Write like you, from your thoughts and the things in your head and heart.
• Keep your inner critic locked away until it's time to edit. That nagging little whisper in your head will always tell you something sounds stupid if it's allowed free during first drafts.  
• Figure out who you're telling this story to and write it as if you were actually telling them the story. If you're imagining you're telling it to your best friend, your voice will most likely be more intimate and relaxed than if you're telling it to a group of strangers. Are you telling your mother, your children? 
• Use the words you normally use. Resist the urge to sound writerly or smart by throwing in words that will send readers to a dictionary. That's a great way to pull them out of the story world. It's also a sure way to lose your voice.   
• Have confidence in your own voice. Think of your favorite authors and how unappealing it would be if they all sounded alike. They probably wouldn't be your favorite authors. You could be someones favorite author one day. You're voice is worth it.

Tomorrow's post - Writing  

Uninhibited writing

"Write a little everyday, without hope and without despair." ~Isak Dinesen

One of the best stories I've written to date came from a dream. Upon waking, I quickly jotted it down and there it sat in a notebook for a few years. Later, when I pulled it out to make a story from it, I found it needed very little editing. When I jotted it down, I wasn't trying to make it perfect, I was just letting it come out naturally. 

I wish it was always that easy. Just sit down for a few minutes and scribble out daydreams or nightdreams and viola! A wonderful story appears. Sometimes getting a story right feels like trying to bend re-bar with my hands. There are some things one can practice to help push that annoying internal editor out of the way and tap into stream of consciousness. 

1. Don't be afraid to write crap. First drafts always need a lot of work, whether you're stressing out about if it's good or not. Accept that crap will come out with the brilliance. You can always delete it later.
2. Relax. They say if you relax your face, the rest of your body will follow. In turn, a relaxed body creates a relaxed mind. A relaxed mind is more creative.
3. Write whatever comes to mind. Sometimes if you're writing from stream of consciousness,  strange and silly things appear on the paper, things that don't make sense to your internal editor. Don't delete it! Leave it there and let the piece sit for a while. When you go back to it, you might find the strange and silly parts make the story. You might decide some of them don't work at all and are ridiculous, but at least you gave them a chance.   

 Tomorrow's post - Voice 

When telling is better than showing. Is that even possible?

"Great stories happen to those who can tell them." ~Ira Glass

We've all heard the warning, no, the rule:  Show, don't tell. But, while showing should be the dominant force in writing, there are instances when telling is the best avenue.

When to tell -

• To compress time - Say your character just experienced something so extraordinary that she has to tell someone. She probably needs help, after all. Rather than having her actually rehash what readers just saw her going through, a quick summery is best. She told her sister what happened and they headed straight to the airport. In this same regard, there are times when a full-blown scene of showing would take too long because it's not that important to the story. Readers need the information, but it's not really scene worthy.
• To provide back-story - I try to only use summary for back-story as a last resort. But there are times when it's best. When the character's back-story isn't a big enough part of the plot to necessitate a flashback but is still important, summary might be the best way. But I'd say only if he doesn't have anyone he'd share it with through dialogue.
• To develop character - I think this has largely to do with pace and structure. There are times that just seem innate to telling what a character looks like, how they're feeling or what they're thinking. All showing with no telling doesn't always feel natural. Good stories are balanced and varied. 

 When not to tell - 

• Readers don't need you to explain what's going on if you've already shown it through dialogue or character actions.
•  Details matter. If your summery generalizes things too much, you probably need a full scene. 
• If your plot is moving too fast, you probably need to turn some of those summaries into scenes. 
• If beta readers are complaining that they're having trouble visualizing part of your story, does that section contain summary that you could expand into a scene with more sensory details? 

Tomorrow's post - Uninhibited writing  

 

Setting

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." ~Abraham Lincoln

Some books have the ability to open up and allow us to step into them. Setting is often a key factor in making this possible. More than merely where a story takes place, setting creates boundaries for a story and forces characters to react.  For instance, if a story takes place in Montana during winter, you can't have your character gardening outdoors. Shoveling snow would be more likely. If your story is set in ancient Egypt, characters can't whip out their cell phones to check the time or take a picture. 

Three things to keep in mind while creating setting - 

• Use the five senses. This anchors readers into a story. What sounds are there? What smells? I once read an article that said smell is directly related to memory. If you get readers senses involved, they're more likely to remember and connect to your story. 
• Avoid the forbidden info dump. This bores readers, which is also forbidden. Try to describe setting by having characters interact with it. Have him trip over the tree roots as he runs from pursuers rather than say tree roots surround him.  
•  You can also use setting to underscore a character's mood. For instance, if it's raining when your character receives bad news, it amplifies his emotions. If thunder and lightening accompany his fear, he's going to become even more afraid, and so will readers. 

Tomorrow's post - When telling is better than showing. Is that even possible?  

The Liebster Award

 

A quick little aside from A to Z ... Last Sunday, my blog was nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Miss Kate over at My Next Life. Thank you Ida Chiavaro @ Reflex Reactions, for nominating me for the award today! Since Kate nominated me first, I'll be answering her questions. I don't think I'm up for doing this twice. I'm always up for a challenge, so here's what I have to do:

1. Post the award on my blog

2. Thank the blogger who gave me the award and link back to their site

3. Post 11 random facts about myself

4. Answer 11 questions that the presenter of the award has asked

5. Nominate 11 new bloggers with fewer than 200 followers that I want to pass the award on to

6. Ask my nominees 11 questions of my own

So, first things first. Thank you so much Kate for nominating my blog! This should be fun. 

11 random facts about me:

1. I'm a night owl. Always have been, and probably always will be. Mornings make me sick.
2. I LOVE the Avatar cartoons.
3. I have a great need for organization, yet I'm not very organized. Working on it!
4. I have a very acute sense of smell. Nothing drives me from a room faster than a bad odor. 
5. I have an out-of-control chocolate habit.
6. I write in the bathtub. No, not on a computer. I use the old-fashioned pen and paper method. I type everything into the computer after it's written.
7. I lost all sense of taste except for bitter one time. Everything I ate tasted bitter. It lasted a week and then remedied itself. Thank God! After some online research, I think it was caused by pine nuts that had gone rancid. 
8. I like to swing.
9. I have redhead pride.
10. I own a lot of books I haven't read yet.
11. I LOVE dreams, even the bad ones.  

 My answers to Kate's questions: 

1.If you were an animal what would you be? 

I'd be a bear. They're at the top of the food chain and only have to watch out for humans. They're also very protective of their young. I pretty much live that life already. 

2.What is your favorite book of all time (or two, or three)?

This is a hard one. I'm just gonna go for it: Strangers by Dean Koontz, Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and The Book Theif by Markus Zusak.

3.What's your biggest fear?
This is also tough for me to answer. I have many fears. My biggest is that something bad will happen to my son.

4.If you could have any talent (that you don't already have) what would it be?

I'd be super flexible. I'd be Elastic Woman.

5.If you could invite three famous people (alive or dead) to dinner, who would you choose?

John Malkovich, so I could listen to his unusual cadence all evening. Dean Koontz, to see if his real life sense of humor matches his writerly one. My deceased grandfather, because I miss him and I'd love for him and my son to meet.

6.If you had a time machine, where would you go first?
To the future, to a time when my son is old. I want to see what he'll do with his life.

7.If calories didn't count, what would you eat today?

Barnanas, all day. They're dehydrated banana chunks covered in dark chocolate, for those unfortunate enough to not know.

8.What book do you wish you'd written?

The one I did write. :)

9.What antagonist do you most relate to?
This is a really good question, but I'm drawing a huge blank. Maybe someday I'll think of an answer and do a whole blog post about it.

10. If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be?

Well, at first I was thinking I'd want to relive a day when I made a really bad decision so I could change it, but then that would alter my entire life and I might not like where I am now. So I'll stick to just a replay of a really great day. None stick out as better than others. I get pretty excited about little things, like seeing my garlic growing after a snowy winter and about smelling summer on its way, so I have a lot of good days. 


11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Right where I am. I live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

My 11 picks for the Award and blog challenge:

Heather Jacobs @ Heather Jacobs
Thelma @ Widowsphere
Colleen Chen @ Collen's Write Brain
Gwen Tolios @ Fulfilling Dreams
Jay Noel @ Jay Noel Writer on Fire
Donna Smith @ Mainly Write
Shell Flower @ Tangent Shell
M.J. Joachim @ M.J. Joachim's Writing Tips
Rebecca Douglass @ The Ninja Librarian
Jennifer @ A Creative Exercise
Claire Goverts @ Claire's Writing Log 

My 11 questions for those who accept the challenge:  

1. Who is your biggest inspiration?
2. What is/was your relationship like with your mother?
3. Do you have pets?
4. What is your guilty pleasure?
5. Do you outline or are you a seat-of-your-pants writer?
6. Do you write aspects of your personality into your characters?
7. Last time you lost your temper, what caused it?
8. What would your dream vacation be?
9. Do you think you're weird? Why or why not?
10. What do you think your purpose is?
11. If you were going to a deserted island and could only take three things, what would they be?

I don't believe there's a time restraint on this, so if you decide to take it on, don't feel like you have to do it today.

Rejections

"Rejected pieces aren’t failures; unwritten pieces are."  ~ Greg Daugherty


Anyone who's submitted their work for publication has seen the face of rejection. Probably many, many times. I happens to ALL writers. Check out this list:

1. John Grisham’s first novel was rejected 25 times.
2. Beatrix Potter had so much trouble publishing The Tale of Peter Rabbit, she initially had to self-publish it.
3. Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, received 121 rejections before it was published. It later become a best seller.
4. Gertrude Stein spent 22 years submitting before getting a single poem accepted.
5. Judy Blume received rejections for two straight years.
6. Madeline L’Engle received 26 rejections before A Wrinkle in Time was published. It's a good thing she didn't give up. The book won the Newberry Medal and become one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.
7. Frank Herbert’s Dune received 20 rejections before being published.
8. Stephen King received dozens of rejections for Carrie before it was published.

Why manuscripts are rejected -

A manuscript could be rejected for any reason, really, but here are some of the most common:

1. It's just plain bad. May this not apply to you or me.
2. It's good, but the agent or editor just isn't feeling a connection with it.
3. It's good, but the agent or publisher isn't looking for that type of book.
4. Spelling and grammar problems.

May the above list of authors inspire you to never give up. Have a wonderful weekend!

Monday's post -  Setting
 

 

 

Query letters

"Above all, a query letter is a sales pitch and it is the single most important page an unpublished writer will ever write. It's the first impression and will either open the door or close it. It's that important, so don't mess it up. Mine took 17 drafts and two weeks to write." ~Nicholas Sparks

Writers agonize over query letters. Personally, I dread the synopsis more, although, considering the above quote, writing a query letter still makes me sweat. In a query, you have about three short paragraphs to tell agents or editors about your book and about yourself.

The opener

Agents and editors receive a lot of queries every day. One way to catch their attention is to let them know you've done some research about them and their company. Drop in a few of the titles they represent that you've read, tell them why you think they would be the right fit for your book. 

The blurb


This is the hard part. How in the world do you decide what to include and what to leave out? In a query, you have one paragraph to entice a potential agent or editor to read your sample chapters. Explain your main character and what happens to him in a consice and engaging way. Many agents and editors like to know the setting as well. Imagine you're writing the blurb for the back of the book. They say a query should be written in the same tone and voice as the novel so editors/agents can get a better idea of the book.

 Your bio

This is where you tell about yourself. If you don't have any writing credits, just tell them where you live and what genres you write in, or something along those lines. I do believe having a resume helps when it comes time to query for a novel. Not to say that if you have no previous stories published agents and editors will write you off, but if they see you've been published in various magazines and anthologies it shows them that you already know how to work with an editor, at least to some extent. It also shows them you're most likely into this writing thing for the long haul. Believe it or not, some people feel they've accomplished all they need to with only one book. They can somehow continue on with life without imagining things and writing them down. I don't get it, but I've heard it's true.

The internet provides a ton of good information about writing query letters. Here are some helpful links:


http://poewar.com/how-to-write-a-query-letter/

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/08/how-to-write-query-letter.html

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-write-a-query-letter2

Tomorrow's post - Rejections