Tag: craft of writing

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The Intentional Writer

Are You Intentional About Growing Your Writing Craft?

The intentional writer

Writers of all levels know the importance of continuing to learn new skills, refine writing skills, and challenge themselves. How intentional are you about growing your writing craft?

Would it help to set yourself some goals in the area of developing your writing craft? Here are seven areas where you can become more intentional about growing as a writer.

Three ways to learn your writing craft

Training – workshops, webinars, and classes. One of the best ways to learn writing craft is by listening to experts teach on specific aspects. This is one of the many benefits of attending writing conferences or belonging to a writers group that features monthly speakers. These events offer a variety of subjects for writers of all levels.  However, you can also find a good writing instruction on the internet, including free webinars. Many online instructors offer free webinars to attract students to their paid offerings, but we can benefit from their free content without guilt.

How intentional are you about learning? Do you have any upcoming workshops or conferences in your schedule?

How-to instruction – Blogs, books, and podcasts. There is no shortage of worthwhile how-to advice to help you improve your writing skills. In fact, you are reading this post right now. Good for you! How intentional are you about learning new skills? Do you browse writing sites on a whim, or is it part of your regular weekly schedule? When was the last time you picked up a book on writing with the intent to learn something new?

DIY – Active participation. The best way to take full advantage of either of the above options is to do the homework. This could mean working through exercises, if any are given. Or it could means going back to your work-in-progress and immediately applying something you learned in the workshop, blog post, or book chapter. Using what you’ve learned, rather than just reading or listening, will help cement those new skills or concepts into your brain.

Four ways to hone your writing craft

Feedback. Getting critiques of our writing is critical for writers of any level. We don’t know what we’re doing well and what we need to work on without feedback. We should be seeking input from a variety of sources, from fellow writers at our local writers’ group, to Beta readers, to professionals. Many conferences offer an option for fifteen-minute appointments with writing professionals. Come prepared with a printout of your first chapter and these short sessions are a prime way to get professional feedback without paying extra.

Look for good examples. One you’ve learned a concept; you can look for it out in the wild. Train yourself to pay attention to techniques, structure, and other good writing skills as you read, and when you watch TV or movies. Can you identify the key plot components, such as inciting action or midpoint twist? (A TV show can be a great way to observe the structure behind a story, because the show must move through the whole three-act structure in a short time.) It’s also helpful to keep a file or journal for collecting writing snippets that really hit you, such as great descriptions or pithy dialogue. These can inspire your own great writing.

Experimentation. You may prefer writing romances, but it’s good to stretch yourself and try a different style of writing from time to time. Perhaps try a brief sci-fi or mystery story, or write a poem or two. It doesn’t matter how good these pieces are, because the goal is to stretch your thinking and creativity muscles, not to create anything worth sharing with the public.

In a similar vein, experiment with how you write. Try various techniques, such as writing with music, or talking our your scenes out loud before writing them. You won’t know for sure until you’ve tried a new technique a few times whether it might enhance your writing.

Teach others. Teaching others what you know is a tried-and-true way to help others while also helping yourself. Teaching skills or concepts to others helps you master them and/or understand them on a deeper level yourself. You don’t need to be a best-selling author to teach writing skills. Whatever you’ve learned and found helpful will be helpful to others, too. So, never be afraid to share what you’ve learned with others who want to hear it.

I hope these ideas will spur you on to grow in your ability and knowledge as a writer. Which one of them will you take action in today?

Lisa E Betz

An engineer-turned-mystery-writer, Lisa E. Betz infuses her novels with authentic characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her debut novel, Death and a Crocodile, won several awards, including Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021). Her second mystery, Fountains and Secrets, released in January, 2022.

Lisa combines her love of research with her quirky imagination to bring the world of the early church to life. She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries. Lisa directs church dramas, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit her at lisaebetz.com or her Facebook page, LisaEBetzWriter.

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Uncategorized

Clarity is the Key to Great Writing

Craft Essentials

“You can solve most of your writing problems if you stop after every sentence and ask: what does the reader need to know next?”

William Zinsser, On Writing Well

As a reader, how long are you willing to struggle to make sense of an article or book that doesn’t seem to make sense? It may lack sufficient description or information – which deprives the reader of clarity. When that happens, I often believe the story existed in the writer’s mind but missed the transfer to the page. The reader is lost and often the work is abandoned. While this is a challenge for some, putting additional words on the page to clarify and connect the dots is easier than discarding those with whom you’ve already fallen in love.

The greater challenge – the opposite scenario – is also true. Have you experienced a highly anticipated book with a great premise but discover the author’s style features sentences the length of the Gettysburg Address? By the time you reach the end of the paragraph, the topic is muddled, and the reader is lost. The story line has taken a detour and the reader flips back several pages in an attempt to solve the riddle. The results are similar to those above. Frustration, and the book is abandoned. You may leave it on the nightstand to protect the wood from the water ring. But you’ve left it behind.

My favorite writing guru, Professor William Zinsser addressed the issue often with his students. “Clutter is the disease of American writing.”

As a writing coach, I’m often asked to review books for potential publication. Writers are hesitant to submit the work without a professional assessment. I provide this level of support and insight when working with an aspiring author. But when a writing hopeful has worked without coaching, mentoring, or input from a critique partner or group, anxiety about this next step toward publication is common.

Even in what I consider high-potential work, there’s often vital improvement that must be done before it’s submission ready. Routinely I find one of the two issues described in the opening paragraphs.

The “story” never made it to the page – at least not enough for the reader to be swept in.

  • Transitions are missing or insufficient.
  • Descriptions are sparse if they exist at all.

Far more often the problem is the in-depth description that sends the reader on a scavenger hunt for the plotline.

  • The elaborately detailed scene or section would have been improved had it been done in 1/3 of the time.
  • The reader is worn out and confused by the non-essential information which found its’ way to the page.

We do fall in love with the words we’ve written.

At times the words flow onto the page with little effort, plucked from the heavenlies, inspired by the moment or the muse. These are magical but elusive experiences.

More often we struggle and the word fairy mocks us. When the right words appear, we celebrate, energized to press on. The suggestion to remove even a few is akin to plucking out one’s eye.

But it’s not about us. It’s always about the reader.

“Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.”

William Zinsser

Which of these scenarios – too little or too much – are challenging you?

Deb DeArmond

Deborah DeArmond is a recognized leader in the fields of performance development, facilitation. She is a certified writing coach as well as an executive business coach. She is also an award-winning author.

Deb’s the author of Related by Chance, Family by Choice, I Choose You Today, and Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight! All three books focus on relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her humorous devotional entitled Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes was published in late 2019. Her newest release, We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished: Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life was released in July. She has published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, now in her 7th year for Lifeway Magazine with an international circulation of 300,000.

Deb helps clients achieve success in becoming the coach others desire to work through through her engaging inquiry, humor, and straightforward approach. Her clients have described Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at asking the questions that help “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”

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Craft Essentials

Do You Want to Write? Or Do You Want to Publish?

Craft Essentials

“The writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run the race.”

William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well

We’d exchanged some niceties. She complimented one of my books. I acknowledged her decision to pursue her goal to write. While she assessed me as a potential writing coach, I was doing the same for her as a client. I prefer to use the exploratory call to answer questions and determine whether or not we might be a good “fit.” She’d thoroughly reviewed the information I’d sent prior to the call and had no questions.

She moved ahead quickly. “I’d like to begin working with you as soon as possible.”

 I, however, had a few questions of my own.

“Tell me a bit about your writing experience. What is the goal you hope to achieve?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to see a book with my name on the cover sitting on a bookstore shelf. Publishing a book has been a long-time dream of mine.”

“Why do you write?” Who is your reader?”

Long silence. Finally, “As I said, my goal is to be a published author. I haven’t done much writing; it’s tedious and it takes forever. And I don’t know what you mean about ‘who is my reader.’ But I do know everyone will love my story.”

She had her eye on the finish line, never giving any thought to how to run the race.

She didn’t want to write. She wanted to publish. I suggested she consider a ghost writer to help tell her story. Immediately she perked up. “Oh! I thought that’s what you would do.”

Not a good fit. Publishing is most often the writer’s goal. But first, you must write.

According to New York Times writer, Joseph Epstein, 81% of all participants in a survey feel they have a book in them – and think they should write it. His personal opinion (for most) is they should let it remain within. Epstein was, at that time awaiting the release of his 15th book. His conclusion: “It is a lot better to have written a book than to actually be writing one.” 1

Zinsser would agree.

“Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard.” 

William Zinsser

There are moments of euphoria when a writing download delivers something truly delectable. The muse appears and the words flow, but he’s fickle more often than fair.

But, if you can say, with great certainty, your highest goal is to write the best story you can produce, keep reading. With perseverance to stay the course, and a commitment to excellence, you have a shot of landing in the pool of the potentially published author.

Good writing requires time. If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will do. So let’s discuss two practices that will give you a return on your time investment.

Map It!

Create a roadmap to take you from where you are, to where you desire to be.

1. Create a mind map

  • Write a brief synopsis of each chapter. Review it often to stay on track.
  • For fiction, create character profiles. Identify key beats that include an inciting incident, a complication, a crisis, a climax, and a resolution inside every beat.
  • For non-fiction, identify key concepts, research information, and resources you will provide for each chapter.
  • Use the information above to create a mind map to sequence the work. Find a variety or templates here.

2. Track it!

  • How often do you write? How many minutes/hours each day? Each week? Each month?
  • How many words do you need to write to meet the deadline you’ve set for yourself?
  • What’s your hard target – the “I will complete this work by . . .” date?

Without a goal, you’ll struggle to complete the work. To combat the “any path” meander, establish a word count target.

  • A word count tracker offers insight regarding your goal. It encourages you when you’re hitting the goal and informs you when you are not. Find various templates online to create a simple Excel worksheet at: binged.it/ 3xWkBt9
  • Invite a group of writing friends to exchange word count goals for the week. Report actual vs. planned. For greater connection, set up an online call and write together. At the end of the session, everyone reports their progress.
  • Many get caught in the trap of “edit while you go.” Assessing the work is a tactical function. Writing is a creative function. Both are essential, but don’t break the flow when the words are flying out of your fingertips! Resist the urge to polish while the heroine in your story dangles over the Grand Canyon!

Be the writer who runs the race. Deny the doubters their, “I knew you’d never finish that book,” moment. Defy the odds.

Write. Publish. Celebrate!

Deb DeArmond

Deborah DeArmond is a recognized leader in the fields of performance development, facilitation. She is a certified writing coach as well as an executive business coach. She is also an award-winning author.

Deb’s the author of Related by Chance, Family by Choice, I Choose You Today, and Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight! All three books focus on relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her humorous devotional entitled Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes was published in late 2019. Her newest release, We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished: Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life was released in July. She has published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, now in her 7th year for Lifeway Magazine with an international circulation of 300,000.

Deb helps clients achieve success in becoming the coach others desire to work through through her engaging inquiry, humor, and straightforward approach. Her clients have described Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at asking the questions that help “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”

1  Think You Have a Book in You? Think Again, Joseph Epstein / New York Times 09.28.2002

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Craft Essentials

Please Take Your Seat!

Craft Essentials

“The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis.” 

William Zinsser

I explored the idea of writing for several months before I realized it was not my idea. The Lord tapped on my heart, and I knew I was to write. As I became serious about moving forward, I engaged a writing coach. She was highly experienced and respected in the industry. She informed me early on there was much to learn but expressed her confidence I could be successful. “Please know, Deb, writing is a discipline. There are no shortcuts to writing well.”

During our first session she explored my goals and discussed the challenges that might derail me. It was not a long list, but the single item was demanding. I owned a business that required a significant amount of travel. She asked if this was the right time to begin and if I would make the sacrifice writing would require. I nodded. “Where do we begin?”

We discussed a project I had in mind, and she agreed it was a good starting point. At the end of that first session, she asked me to track the weeks’ writing sessions, down to the minute. “What day of the week, what time did you start, and what time did you end the session?” She called them BIC hours. I thought it was a writerly term, one I had not yet encountered. I refrained from asking for the definition. No need to remind her I was greener than grass. I was certain she’d realize it soon enough.

I faithfully kept the BIC Log and sent it to her each week prior to our session. She used it to assess where in my week I was most productive. There was definitely a pattern. This helped tremendously and I was able to establish a consistent schedule and routine. That BIC Log became my planner of sorts. I treated it as though it had been heaven sent; I didn’t question the process. I leveraged those productive times, blocked them on the calendar, and honored my commitment to show up at the keyboard when it was time to write. I sensed a pattern and rhythm that worked. On good days and bad, I wrote. I established words written as my goal marker rather than time in the chair.

My coach served as a wealth of information about everything related to writing. But it was the BIC Log that most impacted what I did and when I did it.

BIC, I learned several months later, was her abbreviated version for “butt in chair.”

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” There are many variations on this quote, but The New York Times attributed it in August 1977 to Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, co-writers of the Oscar winning screenplay for the movie Annie Hall.

Showing up. Butts in chairs, my friend is what the craft requires. Every line that never gets written is guaranteed to never be published.

The days your fingers fly over the keys, and you can barely contain the rush of words, are victories. It feels effortless and you emerge feeling victorious Those days happen. They just don’t happen often enough. Relish them. It’s the contrast to the days you decide to clean out the fridge or rearrange the pantry instead of facing the keyboards that are treacherous. Definitely not BIC days.

Why does this happen?

Two major challenges become hiccups along the way: procrastination and distraction. When we feel uninspired, we avoid the keyboards. Procrastinators are often labeled as lazy. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s not a lack of interest or commitment. In fact, science suggests most procrastinators are perfectionists. The lack of inspiration or confidence is the factor that pushes us to avoid writing in those times.

“If I am not clear about the next steps in my story, I can’t move forward.” Or “I can’t locate the research I need to proceed.” And for many, the only solution is to avoid sitting in that chair altogether.

What to do?

Here are a few tips to help you settle into that seat and forge ahead—regardless of your emotion in the moment.

Bring to mind something related to your writing you’re putting off right now — you’ll probably find the task has many, if not all, of the characteristics that identifies it as procrastination-worthy. Here are four top examples.

  • Imposter Syndrome: “I’ve told everyone I’m writing a book. What was I thinking?”
  • The task is boring: “I thought writing a book would be fun. This is a lot of research!”
  • The task is difficult: “I have request for a proposal, but it’s complex. I can’t do this.”
  • The task is ambiguous or unstructured: (Vague, confusing, unclear). “I don’t even know where to start!”

What’s the impact of these statements and why it is important? Because it’s what we’re telling ourselves, about ourselves. And it’s all dangerous self-talk that tries to convince us to quit. To clean out the pantry and rearrange the potted patio plants instead of pushing through.

Today you can increase the odds of achieving your writing goals, whatever they might be. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Put your sitter down in that chair and write!

Deborah DeArmond is a recognized leader in the fields of performance development, facilitation. She is a certified writing coach as well as an executive business coach. She is also an award-winning author.

Deb’s the author of Related by Chance, Family by Choice, I Choose You Today, and Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight! All three books focus on relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her humorous devotional entitled Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes was published in late 2019. Her newest release, We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished: Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life will be available in late July. She has published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, now in her 7th year for Lifeway Magazine with an international circulation of 300,000.

Deb helps clients achieve success in becoming the coach others desire to work through through her engaging inquiry, humor, and straightforward approach. Her clients have described Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at asking the questions that help “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”

William Zinsser was a writer, editor, and teacher whose book, On Writing Well sold more than 1.5 million copies over three decades by employing his own literary craftsmanship to urge clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity. Monthly we’ll tap into his insights and perhaps you too, will find life-changing messages in the wit and wisdom of William Zinsser.

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Craft Essentials

The Life-Changing Message of William Zinsser

Craft Essentials

“Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be confused. Be tired. Be depressed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident.”

William Zinsser

Have you noticed the tendency to include elaborate descriptions, adjectives up the wazoo, and dialogue that seems either lifeless or exhaustively pointless? A bit like that last sentence? It’s not new, in fact, many of the great writers of days gone by might be guilty of writing beyond the reader’s interest.

Each word must have a purpose, according to William Zinsser. It is the consistent insight he offered to students attending his Yale writing classes in the 1960’s. “Simplify your language and thereby find your humanity.”

I’ve purchased a book or two that needed his input, haven’t you? Sentences so long and descriptive you were forced to circle back to the start to remember the topic at hand.

So, who is this word wizard?

William Zinsser was a lifelong journalist and non-fiction writer. His career began in the news business in 1946, writing for the New York Herald Tribune. His work would ultimately include 18 books on a variety of topics including jazz, travel, and a memoir. But he may be most remembered as the author of the highly acclaimed book, On Writing Well. With a focus on the craft, the book has undergone seven revisions covering three decades.

Because I am a book hoarder and consider my favorite volumes priceless, my shelves have long outgrown the ability to hold them all. As I began to create the format for this column, I waded into the collection of boxes stored in the garage. My husband considers them invaders in his sanctuary. There in a misshapen cardboard tomb, I spy the 30th Anniversary Edition of Zinsser’s book. The cover copy beats the drum: More Than One Million Copies Sold.

Appears the author might have found his audience.

Long before “writing tight” was inscribed in our mind, Zinsser focused on a lean approach to storytelling. It was devoid of the adjective addiction that plagued many of the publishing world’s favorites. Did he instinctively know? As you read his observations of the writers of his day, I believe it is the respect Zinsser had for his audience that ruled his writing philosophy.

“The adjective that exists solely as decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader.”

William Zinsser

It’s one of my favorite quotes. As a writing coach, I observe many starting out, still new to writing, who stumble into this trap. But it’s not just the newbies. Many writers develop habits during their early years they never abandon; they consider them “part of my style.” These writers view the reader as one with fewer than five senses, requiring elaborate descriptions of what they could easily envision on their own. The reader is forced to abandon his or her imagination to embrace that of the author. It’s a loss for both parties.

Writing lean, writing tight will always be a characteristic of strong writing. Expand your word knowledge. Make the synonym finder your best friend. Choose the right words rather than many words. It will delight your readers and you might just hear Zinsser chuckle from that amazing library in the sky.

Thanks for taking time today to read this first foray into my new column here at Almost an Author. Craft Essentials: From A to Zinsser will appear monthly in the Craft tab. If you’re serious about advancing your skills and focused on the next steps of your writing journey, I invite you to join us. Perhaps you too, will find life-changing messages in the wit and wisdom of William Zinsser.

Deborah DeArmond is a recognized leader in the fields of performance development, facilitation. She is a certified writing coach as well as an executive business coach. She is also an award-winning author.

Deb’s the author of Related by Chance, Family by Choice, I Choose You Today, and Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight! All three books focus on relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her humorous devotional entitled Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes was published in late 2019. Her newest release, We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished: Making the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life will be available in late July. She has published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, now in her 7th year for Lifeway Magazine with an international circulation of 300,000.

Deb helps clients achieve success in becoming the coach others desire to work through through her engaging inquiry, humor, and straightforward approach. Her clients have described Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at asking the questions that help “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”

Categories
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Using Novels as Craft Books

mystery suspense thriller

What’s the secret of using others’ stories to beef up our own without plagiarizing?

I’m always looking to craft my suspense/thriller manuscripts into something that’s worthy of publication. I find reading a well-crafted novel in my genre is one of the best ways to improve my own writing.

Recently, I finished one of the many suspense novels by an author I enjoy, but I wasn’t keying in on any kind of errors (there were none to my eyes) in order to dash off a negative tweet or post, or to simply lose myself in the story, but to learn.

So, I studied how this author assembled everything throughout her book. It’s harder than it sounds because I kept getting lost in the story and characters, but I forced myself to maintain my scholarly approach and stay in critique-mode. I even jotted down actual notes. (A great way to make sure your Comparables and their summaries in a proposal aimed toward traditional publishing are accurate.)

I noted the following:

What was the author’s first sentence, first paragraph, first page? How did she end the first chapter?

How did she make use of the second chapter? Did she introduce the antagonist or the love interest with a second Point of View? If so, how often did she bring it in? Every other chapter? Every few chapters? Did she give each POV several chapters in a row before changing POVs? Did she bring in more than two POVs?

I made special note of how she ended the third chapter because the first three chapters are included in a book proposal and potential publishers base acceptance or rejection on these. From these chapters, I tried to figure out what drew this particular manuscript to the publisher when it was just a few pages within the author’s proposal. Hint – end the third chapter with a tasty cliffhanger, something to encourage the acquisition editor to ask for a full manuscript!

In what ways did the author end the first quarter of the book? Was there a transition in the main character’s journey?

What about the midpoint of the book? Was there a ‘pow’? A major main character realization? A big reveal? An unexpected twist? Some authors do a big midpoint and the reader can actually turn to the middle of the book and find it exactly on the page half-way through the book. Dean Koontz is big for his midpoint ‘pows’. And yes, my ‘template’ author provided one as well.

At the start of the second half of the book, what happened in the plot? What did the characters do differently?

Did the second half build toward the climax in a logical way? Did the climax keep the reader turning pages?

How was the denouement handled? Did the story answer all the questions the author presented? Did it set up a second book in a series? Even if the book is part of a series, it should still end with all loose ends neatly knotted.

Finally, was the ending satisfying and did it make sense? There’s nothing worse for a reader than to lose themselves in a story only to slam against an ending that leaves them hanging. Don’t be that author.

I also studied details––word choice, sentence structure, paragraph structure, use of phrases versus full sentences, dialogue, character description and development, scene description, and cliffhangers. What were the mood, tone, and pacing, and how did they create the feeling the author was trying to portray?

I use books from my favorite genre––mystery, suspense, and thriller––as a sort of textbook for crafting my own stories. But don’t get me wrong. I often just read to lose myself in the author’s fictional world and escape my own for a few hours.

“As writers, our greatest instructors will always be other stories. Novels, television, movies, graphic novels, video games — anything that tells a story is our mentor and our muse.” John Matthew Fox

Every story can serve as a catalyst for ideas and a conveyer of information to guide us.

It’s good to know we have multiple ‘craft’ books at our fingertips with every novel we read. In fact, they hold important secrets for our own. It’s best we mine each one.

Write well, my friends.

PJ Gover

PJ Gover encourages her readers to live the thrill one story at a time. She wrote her first thriller at age nine, all of six pages, but only returned to creating suspense/thrillers years later after unearthing her deceased father’s secret work designing missiles for the government. After thirteen writing awards, including five for first place, her high school English teacher must be shaking her head in disbelief. A ranch in Texas serves as home base. Offer her well-crafted chili rellenos or anything gluten-free and you’ll have a friend for life. Jim Hart of Hartline Literary represents PJ.

She’d love to hear from you!

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Becoming an Author

5 Acting Books Every Writer Should Read

If you are a writer who is serious about pursuing publication, perhaps you have a couple of writing craft books on your desktop. Any aspiring author who hopes to grow as a writer should continue to immerse him or herself in techniques that can take their manuscript to the next level. There are plenty of books written by professionals who can help you structure your plot, create captivating protagonists, and learn how to show instead of tell. But have you ever tried to apply methods and techniques geared toward other artistic professions?

As an actress, I am always trying to find new ways to grow in my craft—such as, you guessed it, reading books on the craft. I have learned techniques and methods that have not only taken my acting craft to the next level but my writing as well.

So if you have exhausted your pile of writing craft books, then you, too, may find one (or all) of the following books useful for learning skills that can add depth your characterization, emotion and action, character relationships, dialogue, and scene structure.

1. The Warner Loughlin Technique – Warner Loughlin’s method to developing authentic characters is one that has been applied to both actors and writers alike, including Disney animators. If you only choose one book in this list to use for your writing, this is the one I would recommend. She teaches how we can apply human psychology to develop realistic, intuitive, three-dimensional characters whose worldviews and emotions have been shaped by their past experiences.

2. The Meisner Approach Workbook – Meisner was a well-known acting coach whose method of acting continues to be applied by professional actors and acting teachers today. The Meisner technique is fully introduced in the original book, On Acting. This workbook, however, covers the fundamentals taught by Meisner that can help both actors and writers alike practically craft realistic character relationships and authentic behavior in dialogue.

3. Respect for Acting – Uta Hagen taught actors how they can remain organic in their actions, behavior, and emotion while portraying various characters. If you find yourself struggling with knowing what your characters should “do” within a scene—and how to connect behavior with emotion—you may want to consider applying her techniques.

4. The Power of the Actor – The practical technique presented in this book allows actors to deepen their characters through a process of script analysis. Writers, too, can benefit from these exercises, as they will allow you to deepen both your characters as well as your approach to scene construction.

5. The Actor’s Art and Craft – This book uses an approach to the Meisner technique that is clear and concrete, giving actors a solid framework for rounding out their character’s inner lives. These exercises can provide writers with a method on how they, too, can construct dynamic characters, dialogue, and emotion.

Have you studied the craft of acting, and if so, what techniques have proven to be helpful in your writing? Let me know in the comments!

Tessa Emily Hall is an award-winning author who wrote her debut novel when she was sixteen. She is now a multi-published author of both fiction and non-fiction inspirational yet authentic books for teens, including her upcoming release, LOVE YOUR SELFIE (October 2020, Ellie Claire). Her passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as a Literary Agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. Tessa is guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 128 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, teaching at writing conferences, coaching young writers, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is to connect with readers is on her mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: www.tessaemilyhall.com.

Categories
Guest Posts

10 Tips to Ruin Your Book and Lose Your Readership

Writing your book should be something that the author finds interesting. However, in the long run, you aren’t writing the book for yourself. You’re writing it for your audience, which you aren’t a part of. This means that you need to offer them something worth their time and attention, which can put you under a lot of pressure. Some writers crack under this pressure and start to do things that are likely to ruin the book and make them lose their readership. This is something that you have to avoid.

In the spirit of learning through examples of what NOT to do, here are ten things that will cause you to ruin your book or lose your readership.

Wait for inspiration

This is something that too many writers are guilty of. I don’t know where they got the idea that you can’t write a good book (especially fiction) without inspiration. So, they do all sorts of time-wasting gimmicks, sit on a spot, and relax while waiting for inspiration, take coffee, take a walk, etc. These are not bad by themselves, but if you’re doing them to get inspiration, then it’s a waste. The best writers don’t wait for inspiration to write. They write to get inspired. The worst part about waiting for inspiration is that it might never come, and even when the inspiration does come, it’s not a guarantee for a good novel.

Feel insecure about your writing

Good writers have learned to write without stopping to think about what they’re writing and how good or bad it is. Taking time to dwell on your writing during early drafts will only make you feel bad about it. It might start as a self-critic or inner critic, but it might quickly degenerate into fear; fear of not selling a copy, fear of people hating your work, etc. Once these thoughts start creeping in, you begin to ruin the book you’re writing.

Ignoring the craft

Every craft has its rules, structures, and techniques which must be applied to be successful. Writing isn’t any different. One of the best ways to ruin your book is to be an artistic rebel and ignore the craft. Abandon the works of previous writers before you. Listen to no critique and don’t entertain feedback. Just do whatever you want; however, you want it.

Have a chip on your shoulder

Beyond ruining your book, this is the fastest way also to ruin your career. When it comes to publication, make sure that your best tools are defiance and arrogance. No one should ever reject your manuscript. It’s an insult to you and your hard work for anyone to say no to your writing. Rebuke them publicly if you can. Perhaps you can also drag them on social media for being so short-sighted. Do all of this instead of having a rethink and then learn from their criticism of your work and improve it.

Chase the market

There’s popular publishing saying that it’s too late to join a trend once you spot it. It would be best if you ignored this saying. Get the bestselling novels and study them to find a trend. Once you notice the trend, then write your book following this trend. Be extremely market-conscious. It would help if you neglected the fact that people would’ve moved on from that trend into something else by the time you’re done writing yours.

Take shortcuts

Since you’re trying to ruin your book, taking shortcuts to everything will do you much good. The boom in e-book and increasing ease of publishing means that you can self-publish, right? So, why work with a publisher when they’re likely to reject the work after all? Get your friends to help you preview your book and get a freelance editor to edit it, and you’re good to go.

Disregard the audience of your book

You’re trying to write a bad book, so why should you care about what the audience feels or says? That should be none of your concerns. Your book is your book, regardless of whatever experience the readers get while reading it. Write it as lazily and as carefree as you possibly can. Create boring plots and make them read your chapters without actually reading anything. You might lose a few readers, but that shouldn’t be a problem. That’s the goal, right?

Break every known (and unknown) writing rule

You don’t have to give yourself to learning writing rules and how to write in the first place. You don’t owe anyone that, do you? However, should you somehow know some writing rules already, make it a point to continuously break and disregard every one of them in your novel. After all, writing is about getting creative. So, get creative even with simple things like grammatical structure and create bad writing.

Don’t ask for or pay attention to any feedback.

People have a way of making others feel bad about their works. This is done out of jealousy most of the time. (Or so the bad writer thinks.) So, don’t allow anybody to get to you by asking for their feedback. You’re an island by yourself; you don’t need anybody’s feedback. You’ll be fine on your own. You’re a champion; that’s what champions do. If people peradventure send you their feedback, ignore them. Don’t even read or listen to it at all. You have no more growing up to do.

Be a quitter

There is no shame in quitting. If things seem to be going too well with your book, you can choose to stop and if things aren’t going well either, quitting is always an option. You don’t even have to finish the novel. Writing a good book can take a long while, and you’d need to persevere through that time, but you’re an author, not a marathon athlete. Why do you need to persevere with anything?

Conclusion

It’s important to note that this article is for those looking to ruin their books and reputation as authors and don’t mind losing their readership. If you’re looking to write a great book, you should do the exact opposite of this article or look elsewhere for tips.

Leon Collier is a blogger from the UK, working for AssignmentHolic, where he provides this writing paper service. He loves to write about everything: pop culture, history, travel, self-development, education, and marketing. When not writing, you can find him behind a book or playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on @LeonCollier12.

Categories
Writing for YA

Writers Gotta Read: Where to Find Book Recs and A Short List of Suggested Reading for YA Authors

I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next month is National Book Month!

Attend any writing class or conference and someone is bound to tell you if you want to learn how to write well, read a lot of books. This is timeless advice. 

To write well, there are required three necessaries: to read the best authors, observe the best speakers, and much exercise of his own style.

Ben Jonson (1640)

Read your genre, but also read other genres. While craft books are a must, don’t limit yourself to only how-to books, but immerse yourself in novels.

Where to Find Book Recommendations

I asked a bunch of readers where they get most of their recommendations. Goodreads is a popular choice. Facebook book groups, the Bookstagram Community on Instagram, and Booktube also top the list, but let’s not forget the old-fashioned bookstore, friends, and librarian recommendations. 

If you’re looking for a specific genre or type of book, Goodreads is a good place to start. Readers can sort their books by shelves, tagging and categorizing books. Goodreads is great for organizing to-be-read lists, books you’ve read, and posting opinions and reviews.

My all-time favorite place to find bookish friends and book recommendations is in the Bookstagram community on Instagram. It’s fun to connect with readers of all sorts. It’s an easy way to find a genre or type of book.

I write YA Contemporary, but struggle to stay within a single genre for the posts I upload because I love books so much. I tend to roam widely in the Bookstagram community and check out what other bookish folks are reading. What’s a writer without a massive, impossible to finish TBR list?

Genre Specific Recommendations

Some of my YA author friends suggested a few books to specifically help YA writers hone their craft. I am listing both novels and instructional books.

Sara Baysinger writes YA fantasy, and is the author of The Vanishing Spark of Dust, Ashen City, Black Tiger, and White Dawn.

Her recommendations:

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell is Sara’s go to craft book. I agree with this one wholeheartedly! My copy is dog-eared and highlighted. (This book is part of the Write Great Fiction by Writer’s Digest. The entire series is excellent.) 

For fantasy writers, Sara recommends The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. 

Diana Sharples is a multi-published author of Contemporary YA (Running Lean and Running Strong) and Contemporary YA Mysteries (Finding Hero, and The Because…series.) Diana has turned her pen to mostly mystery these days, so I asked her for books to help YA writers interested in that genre.

Her recommendations:

She chose A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (added this one to my list!) and

Writing and Selling your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron.

Diana also recommended Felicia Bridges novels for those interested in YA Historical fiction.

Tara Ross is the author of the YA Contemporary Fade to White and the host of The Hope Prose podcast for writers.

Her recommendations:

Tara picked Nadine Brandes’ Fawkes for Historical Fantasy and Shawn Smucker’s The Day the Angels Fell for Contemporary Magical Realism. 

She loves The Emotional Craft of Fiction for an inspiring and educational craft book. For practical use, Tara recommends anything by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, but The Emotional Thesaurus is a fav of hers. I second The Emotional Thesaurus. It’s a great, easy to use, tool to help a writer get unstuck when describing emotions.

My Picks:

In addition to popular fiction, I read classics, curious as to what gives them their staying power. One classic YA writers may want to peruse is The Outsiders. 

I write contemporary young adult and enjoy authors such as Laurie Halse Anderson, Jason Reynolds (The Boy in the Black Suit), Laura Namey (The Library of Lost Things), Alison Gervias (The Silence Between Us), Kasi West and Jenni Han (for romance), and more! 

For craft, books by Writer’s Digest Publishing always seem to provide solid advice.

What about you? Where do you get your book recommendations? Do you have any must reads for young adult writers?

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

Mentor Texts for Authors

I love having family and friends who teach at elementary schools for lots of reasons, but especially because of the opportunity to learn from them. One of the phrases I’ve heard but until recently was too shy to ask about was “mentor texts.” That phrase has flittered through a handful of conversations, usually when we are talking about children’s books we love.

Someone will say, “Oooh I love Kevin Henkes, I have used his books as mentor texts for using adjectives,” or “Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is a perfect mentor text for teaching how to begin a story.” Teachers love using great books to spark a love of writing in children.

In her book Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, Lynne Dorfman describes mentor texts this way:

Mentor texts are pieces of literature that we can return to again and again as we help our young writers learn how to do what they may not yet be able to do on their own…. Mentor texts help writers to notice things about an author’s work that is not like anything they might have done before, and empower them to try something new.

In other words, mentor texts showcase the lovely ways authors wield words as building blocks to construct stories.

Mentor texts are a valuable learning technique not only for our youngest readers and writers, but it holds up well for us, er, older writers too.

In a recent SCBWI workshop on preparing your manuscript for submission, Deborah Warren of East West Literary Agency recommended utilizing mentor texts to help authors polish their own work. Here’s how she explained it: “If you’re struggling with dialogue, find a scene you think handles dialogue well, and study it. What makes it work? Why does it work? Deconstruct it and learn how that author does it. Then apply what you’ve learned to your manuscript.”

Notice that Ms. Warren does not instruct writers to “copy what you’ve read” from manuscripts. Instead, she encourages us to examine the elements of writing that resonate the most with us. She encourages us to become writing students and practice our craft, using pieces of literature to, as Dorfman says, empower us to try something new.

For example, if I have a scene that needs help establishing my setting, I might look at this paragraph from the opening of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax.

The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first. Through the pads of his paws, along his spine, in the sensitive whiskers at his wrists. By the vibrations, he learned also that the road had grown coarser. He stretched up from his boy’s lap and sniffed at the threads of scent leaking in through the window, which told him they were not traveling into woodlands. The sharp odors of pine-wood, bark, cones, and needles-slivered through the air like blades, but beneath that, the fox recognized softer clover and wild garlic and ferns, and also a hundred things he had never encountered before…

I am excited to keep learning and growing in my craft by using mentor texts to help me revise and strengthen my manuscript. Have you worked with mentor texts before? How has it worked for you? Let me know in the comments.

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Trust the Process

Over the past four months, we’ve had to follow a set of guidelines set by medical experts and our government to flatten the curve, which resulted in an economic shutdown of our country.

When the covid-19 virus made its way to America, nobody knew what to do or how it spread. Because it was a new threat to the entire world, each country endured the same learning curve:

  • Seven billion people all around the globe had to make some sort of adjustments to their daily lifestyle.
  • Everyone had to learn on the fly, which usually means learning from our mistakes.
  • Entire economies suffered financial crises.
  • As I write this nearly a half million people have died from the virus.

Sometimes the learning process of life involves loss and pain—welcome to life in the year 2020. Get over it, there is only one alternative and none of us are prepared for it.

If that sounds harsh, it’s reality; it’s something I learned growing up as an Army brat. My father was quick to discipline me as a child, not to hurt me but to help by giving me a set of rules to follow. For example: if you’re on time—you’re late, if you’re early—you’re on time if you’re late—you’re in trouble.

I didn’t understand it at the time, but his “guidelines” were part of the process of making me a mature man. Now I’ve learned to to trust the process.

Trust the Process!

No one likes rules or guidelines, but we all know we need them and they are a benefit to everyone. After I had my accident, my doctors and therapists let me know the guidelines for my recovery: never try to walk on my own, quickly report any changes in how my body felt, slow down and learn to listen.

During those early days, I had to learn to trust my doctors, therapists, and nurses as they followed the procedures for people with my specific injuries. It was hard and humbling, it wasn’t quick and painless like I wanted. But with each small victory, I learned to trust the process more.

Trusting the process applies to a writer’s journey, no matter how great an idea or story you have to share:

  1. Learn the craft.
  2. Build a platform.
  3. Write your project.
  4. Find an editor (a professional one with a good reputation.)
  5. Seek representation (they are your partner on the journey.)

Publication isn’t an easy path, nor is it a fast track or pleasant trip. But every writer needs to learn to trust the process. Recently, I asked my writing mentor, Christian author DiAnn Mills, for advice to aspiring writers who haven’t learned to trust the process.

She replied with sage advice for us all.

“Writers are given the gift of communicating through the written word to teach, entertain, inspire, and encourage others. The ability to create is a process; we must learn to crawl before we walk. If we had the gift of art, music, dance, math, or science, we would spend hours perfecting our skills and abilities. To stay current with our gift, we continue to learn even if viewed as an expert. Such is the way of writing. We gather our tools, sharpen them, and continue to explore our craft.”

Crafts, like trades, are learned over time, not instantly. The wise writer understands the benefits of being patient in trusting the process.

Benefits?

When we slow down and allow the process to work we can reap the benefits. I am not a legalist, but because of my upbringing, I like boundaries and guidelines, mainly because they help keep us focused on our goals.

  • They help fix our attention and efforts.
  • They save valuable time.
  • They help reduce risk to ourselves and others.
  • They can be trusted.

Regardless of our career path, the process can be trusted because it has been tested by others who have gone before us and have achieved their desired goals. Ultimately that is why we need to trust the process.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing Tip #12 – Be On Guard Against Pride

I once did a brief stint as a nanny. I absolutely loved the baby I took care of, but the mom and I had little in common. She was a young mom with her first child. I had been a stay-at-home mom for over twenty years and was looking to re-enter the workforce.

Each weekday at 7 am I would arrive at their house for work. I would take their precious six-month-old from her crib, change her, love on her, feed her breakfast, wash the dishes left scattered from the previous evening, then carry out a variety of household chores along with my nannying duties. This all took place while the baby’s mama worked-out, watched television, and spent time on the internet in her upstairs loft area.

Once per week I would purchase groceries for the family. How I loved those shopping trips. It was a time to escape the house, with my little sidekick, and be free from the weird, intermittent, scrutinizing gaze of the mom.  While on one of these excursions I learned a valuable lesson. That fateful day a note was scrawled at the bottom of the usual, lengthy, handwritten grocery list. It read, “Some of these items may not be familiar to you. If you need help, feel free to call.”

That note rattled my cage. Who did this woman think she was? Did she presume I was a total ignoramus? Did she not realize that I had been purchasing groceries since before she was born? Yes, their family may have had a higher economic status than I. And admittedly, the dinners I prepared for them every night seemed foreign to my traditional taste buds. But if I could successfully follow the fancy recipes to cook their trendy, health-nut cuisine then surely … surely, they could trust me to read and execute a basic shopping list. The nerve.

I was indignant from the time I entered the grocery store’s sliding doors until I reached the last item on the list. It was then that I realized I was in big trouble. The final line simply read, “frozen concows”.  Mind you, this was before the Smartphone era—no instant information available at my fingertips. I broke into a sweat and began scanning the frozen food shelves, like a pirate hunting for lost treasure. Concows, really? What kind of hipster, voodoo, culinary nonsense was I hunting for?

Thirty minutes later I had thoroughly examined every item in the massive frozen food section. No luck. My angel baby still sat contently in her toy laden grocery basket sling. I opened some organic fruit puffs, placed a few in her lap, then frantically called my husband. “What in the world is a concow?” I said, the moment he answered the phone. After several humorous quips, because that’s how my hubby rolls, he finally admitted he had no idea.

He and I spent twenty minutes brainstorming the dilemma. I tried to pick the word apart. I knew the root word con meant with. So, it would stand to reason that a con-cow must be a product that contained cow–or beef. But my husband quickly reminded me that con could also be an abbreviation for contra, which means false or against. Considering the family I worked for ate mostly vegan, that made more sense to me. We concluded the item in question must be a faux beef product. Feeling more equipped for the battle, I hung up with my husband and headed for the fru-fru frozen foods section to continue the search.

When I could find no meat substitute branded with that name, I finally broke down and asked a store associate for help. He took a moment to look over the same frozen section I had surveyed all afternoon then confidently declared that their store must not carry frozen concows.

Somehow, that didn’t seem right. And I could not—would not—return to my employer and admit to her that I had no idea what a concow was.

“Just call the lady you’re working for and ask,” my friend advised when I phoned her to vent. But I couldn’t. I didn’t want to admit to this mom, who didn’t even take care of her own kid or house, that she was more knowledgeable than a seasoned homemaker like me. Also, I didn’t want to give her the ammo to treat me like an underling when I was already feeling like one. After I made this shocking and shameful confession to my friend—while having a total meltdown, a still small voice from within pinpointed the problem. Pride.

Pride had been lurking in the shadows of my thoughts since I had first taken the nanny position and had finally reared its ugly head in the middle of aisle 15. I had never considered myself a stubborn or prideful person. But God has a way of using everyday frustrations to expose the hidden places of our hearts. I decided to humble myself and call my employer for help. She didn’t answer. “What now, Lord,” I asked.  I looked down at the crumpled list in my hand—and viewed the last entry with fresh eyes. The scripty handwritten letters I had deciphered earlier as an “n” and “w” were actually “u”s. The item she wanted me to purchase was couscous. It was misspelled.

Pride can be as difficult to spot in our own hearts as concows in a grocery store. Why? Because often our eyes are so fixed on what we perceive as truth that we neglect to acknowledge the source of truth.  As writers—detection become even more complicated. There’s a fine line between professional confidence, which we are always encouraged to project, and pride—the counterfeit. That means, if we are writing for Him we must remain ultra-vigilant against the corrosive nature of this sly vice.

Pride can undermine our teachability, ruin our professional relationships, and even poison the very words we have chosen to write for God. The funny thing about pride is—those who are plagued by it are usually the last to recognize the infection.

Have you ever dismissed a writing craft teaching because the instructor was much younger than you? Have you ever quit an agent or turned down an offer to submit to an editor because you felt you were not given your due respect? Have you ever secretly felt animosity toward someone who won a contract or contest because you knew you were more talented than them?  Are your social media posts preachy in nature and directed toward a group of individuals you hope to reach? Are you easily offended when someone critiques your writing? Do you feel the need to work your list of writing achievements into a conversation to gain other’s esteem? If so, you may be dealing with pride. May God open our eyes, examine our hearts, correct our path, and conform our writing to glorify Him.

Scripture: Philippians 2:3, James 4:10,  Proverbs 11:1

Fun Fact or Helpful Resource: One of the best, and most painful, resources I’ve ever found to help diagnose pride is Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s Evidences Of Pride test. It can be found here.

Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.

Categories
The Intentional Writer

How to Face A Critique

The intentional writer

Does the word critique fill you with dread? It shouldn’t.

I have learned most of what I know about writing by receiving critiques. It started in school, when teachers graded my first early efforts. It continues today every time I seek the input and feedback of others.

All artists need feedback in order to improve their craft. Consider a piano student. Each week she goes to her instructor and receive a lesson, which consists primarily of a critique on whatever skill she is trying to master. The same goes for an athlete and her coach.

Critiques should be welcomed as a writer’s best tool for improvement. Here are some suggestions for making the most of critique sessions.

Tips for facing a critique

  • Attitude is key. Start with a teachable spirit. If you are not open to feedback and willing to learn then there is no point in asking for a critique.
  • Remember a critique is not an attack on you or your worth. It may feel painful, but a good critique will always help you grow rather than tear you down.
  • Think of the person giving the critique as a teammate or coach, not an adversary.
  • Remember, a critique is not a contest. There are no winners or losers. You are not at war and you don’t need to defend yourself.
  • Listen to everything politely and without interrupting. Listening silently does not mean you are being passive, or that you agree with what is said.
  • Expect to learn something. Approach every critique session with the attitude: What can I learn from this discussion?
  • Even if you disagree with a critiquer’s opinions, you can still learn something. For example, you might learn that some readers will not understand a paragraph the way you meant it to be understood. That is valuable feedback.
  • A good critique will cite specific examples of what is being criticized. If examples are not cited, ask for some. Example: “You say my writing is choppy. Can you show me what you mean by that?”
  • When it’s practical, ask the critiquer for suggestions on how to improve. You can learn much from someone who points out a writing weakness and then shows you how to make it better.
  • There are two main kind of information you gain from a critique. A) How well am I mastering my craft? and B) How well am I communicating what I am trying to say? You need feedback in both areas.
  • You do not need to follow all advice you receive in a critique session. Use your best judgment. (If you receive similar feedback from several sources, you should take a good hard look at the issue. If you don’t agree, begin to ask why they think what they do and see if you can get to the root of the problem.)
  • When you consider how much weight to put behind a critique, consider the critiquer’s experience, skill, and familiarity with the genre and today’s publishing realities.

Unfortunately, we have all experienced critiques that did more damage than good. It happens. Here are some suggestions to avoid non-constructive critiques and mitigate the problems they create.

Tips for protecting yourself against malicious or unhelpful critiques.

  • Be suspect of any critique that is 100% praise.
  • Do not expect expert advice from beginning writers.
  • Do not expect good writing advice from those who don’t write and rarely read.
  • Realize that someone who does not enjoy your genre will probably not enjoy your manuscript. This does not mean their critique is unhelpful, but you might need to guide them to look past the genre to specific things. For example, ask them: “Can you picture my setting?” or “Can you follow my main character’s logic?” 
  • Don’t expect a helpful critique from someone with an axe to grind against you or the topic of your manuscript.
  •  Learn who not to ask! When someone rips your writing to shreds, choose not to open yourself up to that pain by asking them again. Like anything in life, we need to keep wise boundaries.

Critiques are important and powerful tools for improving our craft and honing our manuscripts. May you face them with confidence and utilize them wisely.

Award-winning writer Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a unique story to tell the world. She loves inspiring fellow writers to be more intentional about developing their craft and courageous in sharing their words. Lisa shares her words through speaking, leading Bible studies, writing historical mysteries, and blogging about living intentionally.

You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.

Categories
Becoming an Author

10 Writing-Related Books Every Aspiring Novelist Needs

When I was a teen, I loved to read. I loved to write. And I loved to read about writing. I was just as thrilled to receive a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers as I was The Hunger Games. These books—the ones that taught about how to write and edit compelling fiction—stirred my passion. It was thrilling to witness how the reading experience of my stories improved, too, when these tips were applied!

Now, when I mentor aspiring authors or meet them at conferences, I try to recommend at least one book. I know they’re invested in their careers. They don’t allow pride to hold them back from becoming even better writers. It’s this dedication that may someday result in publication. And the result of these studies will be evident in their manuscripts. It will be worth it when an agent shows appreciation for their lack of “telling,” or when an editor can save some of his/her red ink because of the lack of exclamation marks.

So, are you ready to become an educated writer, too, and build your library of writing resources?

Below are the top 5 books that have most benefited my writing.

I am a huge advocate for any craft book written by Susan May Warren. She has helped this character-driven novelist understand how to create an organic plot that stems from the character journey. I can’t recommend her teachings through My Book Therapy highly enough! (No, this isn’t sponsored.) 😉

This was the first writing craft book I bought as a teen. I devoured it. What I found to be most beneficial was how it covered various aspects of the craft and career—from plotting and building characters, to blogging and book signings. Although some of the content may be outdated, Christian novelists can still treasure some of the timeless advice found here. 

After I wrote what would become my debut novel, I was clueless about fiction “writing rules” and expectations. Reading this book helped me to clean that messy draft and transform the manuscript into one that I wasn’t embarrassed to submit.

Similar to the previous book, this one helped me prepare my manuscript for submission. The writers of this book—publishing professionals—address the most popular mistakes newbie writers make and expound on how to improve.

When I needed a quick pick-me-up for my writing journey, I’d turn to this book. This compilation includes advice for novelists by top CBA professionals. Each tidbit of advice was easy to digest and served as just the fuel I needed to keep moving forward.  

Below are 5 additional writing-related books that aspiring novelists can find useful: 

I would love to know about your favorite books for novelists! Leave them in the comments below.

Have you read any of these? If so, let me know what you thought!

Tessa Emily Hall writes inspirational yet authentic YA fiction to show teens they’re not alone. Her passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as an Associate Agent at Hartline Literary Agency, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. Tessa’s first teen devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, will release with Bethany House in 2018. She’s guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 116 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating her insulin pump, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is by connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: tessaemilyhall.com.

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Becoming an Author

Should Aspiring Authors Learn the Craft of Writing? – Part 1

I was in third grade when I first fell in love with the craft of writing.

Notice that I said the craft of writing, not the act of writing itself. See, I had already started writing/dictating stories at the age of three—but it wasn’t until my third grade year that I learned more about the storytelling process in school.

This was probably my favorite grade in school simply for this reason alone. My teacher taught our class how to brainstorm, outline, write a rough draft, revise, and write a final draft. We learned the basics of how to write essays and construct stories. Although I was already a “writer,” my writing became more developed as I continued to learn. 

Fast-forward several years. In high school, I decided to take my writing seriously. I built my overall education of the craft by taking courses, reading books and blogs, and attending conferences/workshops.

I fell in love with the process of learning.

It was enthralling to watch my dialogue push the story further and become punchier as I learned how to spot the excess clutter. Sure, I already knew the basics of creative writing—and as an avid reader, I could spot the difference between good and bad storytelling. But it wasn’t until I became a student of a craft that my fiction took on a new level.

I now had the tools I needed to transform a surface-level scene into one that went deeper into the heart and mind of my POV character. The descriptions were given new depth as I applied techniques that “showed,” allowing readers to feel the warmth of the sun on their skin rather than simply being told about how it was a “hot and sunny day.”

Sure, I could’ve written stories without this education—but why would I have wanted to risk that? By becoming a student of the craft, I was learning how to write a story of publishable quality. One that could provide a richer reading experience. One that would have higher chances of landing a publishing contract in today’s age.

Not only that, but being a student of the craft is exciting! Why wouldn’t I want to immerse myself in learning from professionals about this passion of mine? Especially since I wanted to be the best writer possible, delivering stories of top-notch quality rather than simply mediocre stories.

Now, as a literary agent and YA acquisitions editor, I can always tell when a writer has done his/her homework in learning the craft. When I find a writer who is also a student of the craft, this is another way that they achieve the “it factor” in my mind.

But if studying the craft is this important, then why are so many aspiring authors reluctant to put in the effort?

In the next post, I will share five of the most common reasons why writers often neglect to build their writing education.

In the meantime, share your thoughts in the comments! I’d love to hear if you, too, are a student of the craft—or if you’re the kind of writer who would rather write intuitively without the distraction of “rules” hindering creativity.

Tessa Emily Hall writes inspirational yet authentic YA fiction to show teens they’re not alone. Her passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as an Associate Agent at Hartline Literary Agency, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. Tessa’s first teen devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, will release with Bethany House in 2018. She’s guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 116 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating her insulin pump, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is by connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: tessaemilyhall.com.