Critique Partners

Hi guys, I wanted to post this earlier and did not get the chance, I apologize for my lateness :) I hope you all enjoy what I have to say today :)

Yesterday, I lucked into another editor who happened to ask my if I needed a crit partner. Anyone who writes, and also edits, knows that finding time to write can be difficult, and the writing process can become more difficult in and of itself because you become inclined to start editing your own work as you write rather than just getting the story out.

So when the offer was made, my answer was Yes! A resounding Hallelujah! Yes Please! Be critical, be picky, be honest. Lord knows I can use the constructive criticism, and to be honest, if I'm not trying to pick apart my own writing as I'm doing it, I'm more apt to just write the story. However, my habits come from a rather picky mind... There are things that I absolutely can not stand to see in a manuscript.

Anyone that I've edited will tell you what my peeves are, and any editor will tell you we all have peeves. Each editor has slightly different peeves, however, we are all much the same. We will pick on you for repetitive words, lack of grammar, poor story structure, character inconsistencies, word choices, lack of flow, awkward word choices, so on and so forth. Editing can be a tedious process.

Just imagine doing this to myself, while trying to write...lol at times it can be funny, even if it drives me crazy :)

The thing is, I've got a backlog of stories that I've stalled on, because I've stopped writing them to edit them, and in the process have lost my flow. As a matter of fact, as a writer, I'd say that is probably one of my bigger flaws. You can tell when I've lost my flow because I've stopped to edit something. It's a characteristic I need to lose. So today, I'm grateful, that I have met someone that is willing and able to critique my work, and I am willing and able to do the same for her.

If you are an aspiring writer, let me point out the many, many benefits to having a critique partner. As writers, we are not objective. We are too close to the piece to see the flaws that may be haunting our "baby". Like I pointed out, editing is a tedious process, and we editors can be a tough bunch. I would rather be told by my critique partner that there are issues than to be told by an editor. Not because it sounds better, but because the time to fix fatal flaws is before you even submit your work.

A critique partner can lift your spirits when you feel like giving up on your idea, they can brainstorm with you, they can help you muddle through a scene, they can help you mesh out a character etc. An editor will tell you, "that doesn't sound like your character, please modify it." And you as the author, will need to figure it out.

A critique partner will give you insightful feedback about the story that can lead you to make wonderful changes in your book, leading to something you might not have thought of otherwise, thereby causing your book to be something more than you ever dreamed it would be.

Really this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to critique partners. I had one with No Matter What and Perfect Game. I have been in Critique Groups, and they have helped me tremendously! I have a friend that reads and gives feedback on everything I write and I do the same for her, and now my new Critique partner. Really, you can not get enough feedback on your writing before you submit to a publisher!

A couple of things to remember though, keep a thick skin. Do not take it personally. No one is out to harm you, criticize you, or tell you how horrible your work is. The point of a critique partner is to help you, not hurt you. If you take it personally, you will only get discouraged and then all is lost.

Writing is so much more fun when you have people to share it with. Ultimately, the Camaraderie I have found within this field, as an author and editor is what has kept me going. We are a great group, and I couldn't imagine loving any group of people more than I love my fellow authors and editors!

Join us for chat on November 18th!

Would You Dare?

“You always say you want to write but when are you actually going to do it?”
I was sitting in a café in central London when my friend asked me this. I can still see her face, still smell the coffee, still see the traffic passing outside the window…..

I had that horrible sinking feeling you get when you realise you’ve let your life fall into a rut. She was SO right. I’d wanted to write since I was a kid but somehow “stuff” always got in the way. I admit that the “stuff” was all positive, I was juggling a really demanding job, a hectic schedule and a full social life …. but there was still that nagging gap.

I probably didn’t have to resign from my job and change country but hell, as we say in Scotland “In for a penny… in for a pound” – if I was going to do something different I figured that I might as well go the whole hog and take a risk.

Now, I’m not a risk taker..... Not normally! But I was 36 years old and my life clock was starting to tick. I’d had a few friends leave this world too quickly and with a rude lack of notice. What if that happened to me? Was a good job and nice flat really all I wanted?

I’d grown up in Scotland although moving back home wasn’t all that easy. I’d lost contact with most of my school friends and I hadn’t lived here for 20 years. BUT I did have a dream and if I wanted to write, I needed somewhere cheap to live!

Once I started writing there was no stopping me. I wrote the first draft of Daring to Dream in about 2 months; reliving the pain of all my first dates and failed attempts at attracting the opposite sex as they poured out in the actions of Sarah, the young protagonist (although I have to confess I don’t have her endlessly long legs!) and as for Jason….. I’ve not met a woman yet who wouldn’t like to become more intimately acquainted with a body like his!

Daring to Dream was an absolute pleasure to write and came from having the courage of my own convictions. I hope you enjoy reading it and please let me have your comments – feel free to share what dare! - I’d love to hear from you!

Grace

A Word Is A Word Isn't A Word

Hi, I'm Debbie, one of the editors here at Lyrical Press. Some of you all are lucky enough to have me as an editor, and some of you know me by way of facebook, myspace, writing groups or some other means. Some of you might not know me at all. And if you don't it's so nice to meet you. I have been writing for about four years now, and editing for about three. I am a mom to a beautiful little seven year old girl named Cheyenne. I love to cook and do many crafts, including scrapbooking and crochet. I am a huge music fan, and I believe that there is nothing music can't solve, and music is my tool for writing too :) Often I can be found with the music blaring and my nose glued to the computer either writing or editing. One of my quirks is that I can't work in silence. It bothers me lol. I have to have the TV or radio on, or my daughter talking to me....silence is deadly or so they say :) I also am a big nature freak. I love to be outdoors walking, swimming, hiking, at the park, whatever as long as it involves the sunshine, trees and everything outside :) Lucky for me I have a laptop and pair of sunglasses :)

Anyway, I've written an article I'd like to share with you guys about word choice. This is something I posted on my own blog a few days ago and I'd like to share it here also. So, without further ado, enjoy, and please don't hesitate to ask questions, leave me a comment, and/or just say hello!

As an editor, one of the things that peeves me is to come across a manuscript that is so good, but for the fact that the author has used the same words over and over again. Many times, authors don't realize just how often they are using what we like to call "pet words". Words that could be replaced by an alternative, but have become so easy to the author, they are thoughtlessly placed in the manuscript in order to "get the story out."

We as editors understand this concept. However, once the story has been written, there are certain tricks and tips that you as an author can use to look for these overused words and change them. First, let me stress to you, READ your manuscript. Don't think because it's written that you are done. The writing is the easy part. You as an author now also have the responsibility to perfect it. The first step in that process is to read word for word and ensure that what you have written makes sense. Does it flow? Are all your facts straight? Are your character names right? Do you overuse them? Do you overuse your pronouns? Are you straight on your character's motivations and traits? While reading, take notes. Are there words popping up more frequently than others?

Yes? Please say yes, because ALL authors have them. If you think you don't you are fooling yourself. With your list in hand, and manuscript read, use Microsoft Word's Highlight Feature. I use a different color for each word. Highlight these words so that you can easily see them and change them. If you don't know how to use the highlight feature, leave me a message, I will send you detailed instructions. It's really simple.

Now, with the words highlighted, you can go back and once again read your manuscript, this time editing the things you noted on your first reading and changing those words. It makes a difference what words you use. Why use the word look 60 times when there are so many others. Have you put the word shook in your manuscript 100 times? Well, why can't he or she rock, sway, didder, stir etc. And it goes beyond choosing synonyms. If you've used this word so many times, maybe it's time for your character to stop shaking. Take the word whisper. There is only so many times and so many ways a character can whisper before it becomes unreal. A character doesn't whisper all the time, well, unless they've had a tracheotomy and that should be explained, and then we editors will understand.

The bottom line is your word choice matters. It REALLY does. Don't choose these words that people will have to look up. No one wants to sit there with a dictionary and read your book. Why would I want to stop reading your story to look up a word I don't know? At the same time, don't dumb it down. Just write....write like you're talking to a friend. Talking to the average Joe. Let's face it. That's who is reading your book. So words like gesticulate might not be fitting when you can so easily say your character stirred in his sleep. Who says he gesticulated?

Before you submit your manuscript, take a moment and read it out loud. It may sound all good in your head, but when your hear it read, it may be totally different. The flow really comes out when you hear it as opposed to reading it. You'll hear those words that don't fit. You'll hear when you've said a word over and over again. You'll hear words that aren't ringing true. You'll hear it...and it's another way your brain operates that will help you submit your best work!

As authors that is what we all should want...our best work!

What makes us do that?

Author.
What a lovely word. A title I always dreamed would someday be mine. Since the release of my first novel, The Timestone Key, on October 19, I’ve been pinching myself a lot—trying to make sure that this experience is a dream-come-true and not just a dream.

When I was 22, I was in my first interview for my first job, an English teacher position at the local high school. The superintendent asked me what I saw myself doing when I was forty. I realize now that the definitive answer would have been something that mentioned still being a teacher at that school. Instead, in my naiveté, I answered, “I hope to have written the great American novel.”

Well, it isn’t exactly THE great American novel, and I didn’t make it by the time I reached forty, but seeing my name on the front cover of a book is certainly the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me.

The Timestone Key is the story of my heart—a romantic Arthurian fantasy conceived while on a vacation in England. I dragged my husband from one Arthurian site to another on my own quest. Stonehenge. Camelford. Tintagel. Glastonbury Tor. The places themselves conjured a story in my mind. I couldn’t rest until I had it written down.

What is it that drives us to tell our stories? Where does the compulsion originate? In her famous diary, Anne Frank wrote: “I want to go on living even after I die.” Poignant words from a writer lost to us well before her time should have even begun. But I get what Anne was saying. I want my children and my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren to know who I was and what made me tick. It’s a way to touch immortality at some level.

So today, we’re celebrating life and dreams that come true! Share with me what compels you to write or read or draw or do whatever it is that you truly love.

And BTW, I got that teaching job!

I think I'll take a bath. Yes, definitely. After a ten hour work day in the hair salon I'm ready to sit, relax, and soak. Maybe I'll add some candles and soft music, too. That's what us romance writers do you know. We have husbands who massage our feet. Children who listen and reply to us with a courteous 'thank you' or 'please'. Our homes are kept spotless by maids and we have cooks who whip up delicious healthy foods we rave about at our weekly women's group. Then, of course, we all have pool boys. Hee heee heee. Pool boys! Can I get anymore cliche'? Well, I could add that we all have a cabana, too.

Yes, I'd love to take a bath tonight but its just not going to happen. Writing duty calls and when that happens I better listen or I'll be up all night troubled by the fact my characters are in limbo. This is a sure fire sign I need to get typing. Many authors say they need to purge themselves everyday but I sometimes don't have it in me. When this happens I simply write in my head until a complete story has formed. It could take days to liberate myself from the saga that has been building in my mind. I once wrote and edited a complete novel in five weeks. Sleep was an option and there was no clean clothes in the house, but everyone seemed to manage while Mom became a hermit living in 'The Cave'. ('The Cave' is what we call my office because there isn't any windows in it.) The hard part for me isn't thinking up stories to tell. Oh no! I'm much too simple of a person for that; or am I complex? You be the judge.
The hardest part for me is sitting my butt down and writing. The fear of failure is what kept me away and why I didn't start telling tales until I was in my thirties. Now I can't stop!

My debut novel, Divine Turmoil, took me about ten months to write. I enjoyed the seclusion of weaving lives into stories of love. Through the process I often wondered: Who were these people living in my imagination? What do they want out of their lives? Where are they going and how will they get there? All valid questions and important when it comes to making sure a plot is intriguing enough for a reader to need to finish the story. 

From that first word I've ever typed to the ending of Divine Turmoil, I always knew how very lucky I am to be able to verbalize my daydreams into playful words and entertaining stories. I never doubted I would see my novel up for sale. Insecurity isn't an option when a goal is set and your dreams are hinging on you to make them a reality. If I learned anything from this journey it is that even in our busy everyday lives we need to remember who we are. I am a wife, mother, laundry mat, taxi, maid, cook, thank goodness I don't have a pool! But most of all, I am a writer and I love what I do.

Rebecca Rose

You can read more about this author at https://sites.google.com/a/authorrebeccarose.com/divine-turmoil/ 

Roget's. Love him? Or love him not?

Back when I first started writing with intent to publish, Roget's Thesaurus was my trusty best pal. He and I spent hours together coming up with brainy alternatives to everyday words -- most notably synonyms for "said". (My copy still falls open to the "say" page.)

Yowch. I thought I was so original because I'd come up with 98 different ways for my characters to express themselves. Then I read Stephen King's On Writing and it took the wind right outta my literary sails. King told me if my dialogue was strong, I didn't need all those silly variations. Well. You know, he was right. And when I started my revisions, I discovered it was obvious when a character exclaimed, because we have punctuation for just such an incident... Nor did I need crazy adverbs attached to "said", such as "said angrily". If the character's language is strong, as it will be if he's angry, why talk down to the reader? Garsh. That Mr. King knows his writing!

But what about all the other cool words in that fat little paperback? Surely it's more descriptive to have a vehicle "careen" off the road than to simply drive off. We get a great visual when a character saunters, limps, or promenades, rather than when she simply walks. Kinda feels like I still need the thesaurus.

Should I end this co-dependent relationship? (I'd planned to include Roget's in the dedications of my first book! We really do go back. Maybe I owe him. He probably meant well...)

After careful consideration, I've decided to keep things casual (platonic, nonchalant, perfunctory) and only turn to him for great verbs -- except for dialogue tags. Seldom-used adverbs, adjectives, and nouns tend to come off sounding a bit la-dee-da (professorial, hoity-toity, commencement speechish) for the voices of my characters. Not to say I won't consult Roget if I'm stumped (befuddled, flummoxed, at a loss) for a word now and then, but I'm careful not to get too dependent (needy, clingy, tied to the apron strings of).

After all, I wouldn't want to offend (gall, rile, piss off) my muse, who's been with me since I was 8 and the only way I knew how to tag my characters' speech was "said" and "asked".

Sometimes less really is more.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!
http://www.piperdenna.com/
http://piperpatter.blogspot.com/