Tag: critique

Categories
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.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

The Writing Community

March of every year is Brain Injury Awareness Month. It’s a time when brain injury survivors, caregivers, and medical professionals rally together to raise awareness about the impact and dangers of brain injuries.

It is a very strong and informative community that is willing to help others cope with an invisible disability that affects one and a half million Americans each year.[i] This is the first year I’ve decided to participate in the community awareness effort.

I shared my personal story about my disappointments, struggles, and successes since suffering my T.B.I. in 1997. The response has been tremendous and I’ve learned much more from others who have similar injuries. A community such as this has many benefits:

  • Encouragement and inspiration.
  • Contacts.
  • Opportunities.
  • Shared lessons.

Although each brain injury is different, we can still learn from each other. Being part of the community is a cooperative effort where individuals both give and take along with others. I hope that I helped others as much as they’ve opened my eyes.

Ever since my accident, loud noises or too many sounds at once seem to frustrate me and hurt my ears. All of this time I thought it was simply because my ears were compensating for my poor eyesight.

However, over the course of the month, I encountered countless stories from others about how loud sounds affect them negatively, too. It only took me more than twenty years to learn this and I may have never understood it if it weren’t for the brain injury community!

Likewise, I’ve been fortunate to know and learn from many gracious and giving writer friends within the writing community. The same mindset applies within this community—we give as much as we take. The community is all about sharing and helping others.

COMMUNITY?

Here are a few of the dictionary’s definitions of community:

  1. The people with common interests living in a particular area.
  2. A body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society.
  3. An interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location.
  4. Joint ownership or participation.
  5. A social state or condition.
  6. Social activity: fellowship.

The benefit of community is never having to go it alone in our common area of interest. I can’t count how many times I have hit a brick wall in my writing and reached out to fellow writers for help. My biggest cheerleader on my journey, DiAnn Mills, always reminds writers to expect an adventure. There are ups and downs in this profession. One of the great aspects of writing for AlmostAnAuthor.com is being connected to writers of different mediums who are willing to help and offer advice.

Recently while I was doing a revision of a screenplay, I reached out to some other screenwriting friends for some tips and advice. One of them is a thirty year Hollywood veteran who has graciously mentored and helped me hone my craft of screenwriting. He doesn’t hold back and gives me the stone cold truth. A couple of years ago he shared with me about his own troubles in learning the craft. I feel honored and privileged to have him share some of his wisdom with me, no matter how blunt it may be.

TOUGH LOVE?

Every since I first became a part of the writing community almost a decade ago, I have been shown tough love by some of the most respected writers and editors in the business. For example: After failing to proofread my bio for a writing course, I was quickly rejected by the program—only to be given a second chance.  What’s more, I received sage advice from Jerry Jenkins himself, who said, “From here on out write like a professional. I don’t care if it’s a love letter to your sweetheart, proofread it like a professional. All of your writing is an example of your work.”

Less than six months later my first writing mentor Roger Palms told me, “There are no shortcuts, learn the craft.” The truth may sting at first, but in the end, it is for our good. Honest critique from fellow writers:

  • Builds our writing skills.
  • Prepares us for the journey ahead.
  • Shows us where we need to improve.

 You don’t have to be disabled to need help in life. We can learn from the mistakes of others and hopefully avoid them ourselves. Author Jerry Jenkins is known for his no-nonsense “thick-skin” critiques where he pulls no punches in his honest evaluations of a would-be author’s work. He has helped launch the careers of many writers within the writing community.

How have you benefited from the kindness of the writing community?

[i] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pubs/tbi_report_to_congress.html

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
Mastering Middle Grade

Three Things I Wish I’d Known

Do you ever stare at one sentence until your eyes start watering? Have you had to read that one sentence a few times before the words carry less sting and begin to make more sense?

That happened to me when I opened a rejection email, skimmed the courtesy introduction part, and then reached the paragraph that started with

“I’m sorry to say I stopped reading after chapter 7.”

Ouch.

After I put some ice on my bruised ego, I decided to send the offending manuscript to some trusted reader partners.

I truly did want productive feedback. But in the dark, vain corner of my heart I sought validation. I knew my readers would review my work, love (nearly) every word, and validate  They’ll prove this agent wrong and my pride will be healed and I will send this gem back out into the world and so on and so forth and what have you.

Let me tell you what actually happened.

I got some comments back that changed the way I think about writing for middle grade. Here are the biggest three:

1) Quick starts are the best starts.

If you think you need to set the stage for eight- to twelve-year-old readers by filling the first three (or more) chapters with character and location descriptions, think again. Start in the middle of action or they will get b-o-r-e-d fast.

Think of your book as a swimming pool. Middle grade readers don’t want you to hold their hand and walk them through the shallows. Middle grade readers are eager to jump in to the action of your world. If you try to show them their way into it, they will leave. For example:

My old writing: Susie Queue was the shortest girl in her sixth grade class. She had chestnut hair and dark eyes that observed every envious look the other girls shot her way.

My new writing: Suzie stretched to retrieve her books from her top locker. She tried to ignore the girls giggling next to her and focus all her energy on not being late to class.

The first two sentences were passive, observational. We were told about Susie, but nothing really happened to pull us in. The second two sentences dropped us into action. We learned about Susie because of what she did. As she does more, we will learn more.

2) More pages, more problems (but in the best way).

Protagonists need problems to solve. If those problems are too simple, a middle grade reader at best will become bored and put the book down. At worst, they’ll get offended and tell their friends not to bother reading it because “it’s for little kids.”

Good stories have main characters who have something to gain and something to lose. Know what those are for your characters. Make sure in every scene you’re using them to move the story forward. When your characters are comfortable, your reader is probably bored.

3) Humor is your friend.

I wrote a protagonist who lost his parents, his sibling, his best friends and then his dog over the course of three chapters. It was an overly intense, emotional mess that nobody wanted to finish.

I realize that I just wrote about giving your protagonist high stake problems to solve. Keep doing that. Also, give your reader a little laugh occasionally to let them breathe. Think about the times in your life where you’ve been in a low place. Having a friend to make you smile gives you the energy and encouragement to keep going. Write that smile to give your readers the emotional breather so they are ready to turn the page.

What are some things you wish you had known when you began writing for middle grade? Anything you’re still curious about?

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
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

The Value of a Good Critique

Every writer can use a solid critique of their work, especially when they are preparing their work for professional submission. Even a seasoned writer needs a partner. This is because, as writers, we are too close to our own work to see the subtle changes that need to happen within our stories to make them the best that they can be. It may be something obvious, like clarification of a character’s intent, or it might be less glaring, like tweaking a sentence to change the meaning behind the words of the story just slightly.

However, just as not all writers write exactly the same, not every critique partner will be alike, either. Here are a few suggestions for finding the right critique partner for your fantasy/sci-fi genre stories.

Writer groups. Most authors seek to belong to at least one writer group that meets locally. This is the most personal way to find a critique partner that might be right for you. Take care to choose someone who writes within the fantasy/sci-fi genre and doesn’t have too contrasting of a voice between their work and your own. This will help you both to focus on your stories, without getting distracted with style or genre differences. The benefit of a local critique partner is that you can meet together in person, as often as you like. But don’t get discouraged if you don’t click with anyone in your hometown. There are other ways to connect with fellow writers, as well.

Online groups. With the dawn of social media, many authors have some sort of online presence. Take a look at writer groups that your fellow writer friends are part of or ones that they follow, and then join them, too. Here you can watch the chatter within the group and find someone with a similar writing style that you think might work well with you as a critique partner. Establish an online relationship with them by commenting on their posts or responding to their comments on other posts. Then reach out to them through a personal message explaining why you think you would work well together. Be sure to establish a working relationship with them first, so they can separate you from a stranger whose message they may dismiss.

Conferences. Once again, here you will have the personal edge when searching for a critique partner. A conference is a great place to network and meet fellow writers you otherwise would not have had the opportunity to meet. There’s no need to find a partner who lives in the same town as you, since it’s just as easy to communicate electronically. Find the right person with whom you click the best. Understanding your partner’s writing style and voice is more important than living in the same time zone. Passing along critiques to one another can be as simple as commenting on a Word doc emailed once a week, or it can be more in-depth with a weekly or monthly Skype call where you can talk face-to-face.

Take your writing to the next level and engage with a critique partner. Not only will you glean valuable information from the comments your partner suggests on your own work, but you’ll grow as a writer as you critique their work, as well.

Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mama to three daughters and a doting wife to one husband. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing, drinking coffee and anything Star Wars. You can connect with her on Twitter @lauralzimm, Instagram @lauralzimmauthor, on Facebook and at her website Caffeinated Fiction.

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

Preachy or Peachy

My critique group says my MG fiction is preachy. Now what?

First let me say that I love my critique group. I’m not writing about y’all. We’re solid.

Getting productive feedback on your work is a lifeline. It’s critical to have fresh eyes to review your words and point out where things are working, where they can be improved, and what should be thrown out.

Now, unless you’re a pastor, you probably don’t want people to react with “that chapter/section/story is a bit preachy.”

If your first response to this kind of criticism is like mine (i.e., hackles raised and shields up), may I share with you something I’ve learned that might ease the sting?

Many people feel a calling to write for kids because they want to share their love of Christ. As one of my sisters would say, “ain’t no shame in that.” It’s only natural for that love and enthusiasm with sharing the message seep into our writing (okay, maybe for some of us it’s less of a seep and more of a flood).

At the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference Children’s workshop, one of the faculty reminded us that our primary target audience is between eight and twelve years old. Our audience is soaked in a learning environment six to eight hours a day, five days a week.

This means they can smell a lesson from 500 yards away. If you come at them with teaching wrapped in a cute main character, they will put your book down.

Like us, kids read fiction to be entertained, escape their troubles, and explore the world. Who can blame them?

Do you have a lesson or a story?

Ask yourself – and honestly answer – if you are trying to impart a lesson or tell a story. Knowing your objective is half the battle. If your heart is telling you to teach children about Christ’s love, as important as that is – it’s not a story.  If your heart has named a character who has a unique adventure, you have a story.

If you have a story, go back through your manuscript and find ways to let the story shine. Bring it to life with realistic characters, imperfect allies, obstacles to overcome and plenty of excitement.  Doubt that it will be “Christian” enough? Don’t. Because you’re you and you love Christ, your world view will show up in the telling of it, I promise. And you never know how God is going to use your words.

Maybe you feel like you have less of a story and more of a lesson.  That’s a great thing to know. If this is the case, writing a nonfiction book may bring you more success. In nonfiction, you still have freedom to use more direct language, cite more Scripture, conduct interviews and collect data that will bring your lesson home in a very real and accessible way for kids. Instead of trying to force a tale around a message, just bring the message.

Most importantly, when you receive feedback that shakes your gut a little bit, know that you’re not alone. We’ve all been there (multiple times, probably) and lived to tell the tale. Use it for good and know your Father sees you and is working for your benefit.

Oh- and if this post comes off a little preachy, know that I hear you and I’m working on it.

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
Write Justified

Before You Hire an Editor

 

You’ve written your masterpiece. Or at least a short story, novel, or essay you believe worthy of publication. But is it? Other than your mother, who thinks everything you write is perfect, has anyone else laid eyes on your work? Is it really submission-ready?

Writers need editors. As a freelance editor, I hope that doesn’t conjure up an image of a stern-faced, red pen-wielding person whose only purpose in life is to make yours miserable. Far from it. Would you be surprised to learn that editors face each project with as much trepidation as you do when submitting a piece for their review? Though I can’t speak for others, I know that to be true for me. [bctt tweet=”My goal is to help you make your writing say exactly what you mean in as clear and understandable language as possible.” username=””] Peter Fallon describes the relationship between writer and editor as more of a duet than a duel. It ought to be a collaborative, not adversarial relationship, intended to make your writing sing.

Assuming I’ve convinced you that you need an editor, here are three things to do before passing your work off to a professional.

  1. Format:    Standard publishing format calls for one-inch margins, 12 point font, typically Times New Roman, double-spaced with one space between sentences. Yes, if you learned to type on a typewriter, you learned to put two spaces between sentences. And habits die hard. But in the computer age with proportional fonts, just hit that space bar once after a period or other end punctuation.
  2. Spell-check:    Do run spell-check, even though it won’t catch all the errors. Spell-check won’t find homophone errors or actual words used incorrectly. But it can eliminate extra spaces, double periods, and other kinds of errors that creep in when you’re in the zone and the fingers are moving faster than the brain.
  3. Critique:   One of the best things a writer can do is seek out other writers who will honestly critique her work. Whether you join a group such as Word Weavers or search out an accountability partner who can also offer meaningful feedback, you need someone to look at your work with unbiased eyes. As a reader would. A good critique will point out the positive and negative aspects of your writing and suggest ways to clarify the language or engage the reader more effectively.

Aside from the value of the honest feedback of a critique, the camaraderie of other writers is essential for the often-lonely exercise of writing. It may be just the motivation you need to keep putting pen to paper.

These simple steps will save your editor time and frustration, save you money, and ensure the writer-editor relationship gets off to a good start. It may just be the beginning of a life-long friendship.

Categories
A Little Red Ink Editing

What is a critique?

What is a critique?

Well, it’s one of my favorites. A critique is very much like a macro edit, only the editor probably won’t comment in the margins of your manuscript. Rather than take the time to stop and comment throughout, the editor acts as a reader and sends you their notes at the end. (Hint: that’s why I like it.)

It’s still important to choose your freelance editor wisely, seeking out someone with a good track record and respect from others in the industry. But this is a step that, used wisely—especially if you’re someone who has spent the time to learn the craft well and doesn’t need help on the fundamentals of writing—can save you from paying for a full macro (or substantive) edit. You still probably need a line edit, a copy edit, or a proofread after this, though.

Let’s get a little more in-depth. What is a critique exactly?

A critique highlights your strengths.

While your editor reads, he or she is taking notes. Lines that made an impression, scenes that were meaningful, moments that characters won your affection. Any moment where they sat safely in the palm of your hand, caught up in the story and feeling exactly as you wanted them to—those will get some praise.

I might compliment your solid hook and satisfying resolution. Tell you how quickly I felt anchored to your story world. Anywhere from beginning to end, plot to pacing to POV and back—if you did it well, I’ll tell you so (and give an example or two).

While I’m reading and targeting items on my checklist, I’m noticing the problem areas as well.

A critique points out your weaknesses.

The first chapter didn’t grab my attention or empathy quickly enough. There was a three-page backstory info dump. Your main character isn’t very likable. Your antagonist is a bit cartoonish. The middle sags. This moment—which really needed to pack a punch—got weak-kneed and sat down.

Those are easy enough fixes. But there may be something more in depth.

What if I can’t keep up with all six POV characters? Or, perhaps, I can keep up with them, but one of them adds nothing to the plot—nothing complex, nothing that makes the POV worthwhile.

What if you have four minor characters who all do essentially the same thing? Can one or more of them be combined?

Perhaps a character’s motivation wasn’t compelling.

If you think this part of the edit might make you cry, don’t fear too, too much.

(Honestly? It might make you cry. I’ve gotten a few that have made me cry, because I’m not armadillo-skinned).

But there’s hope.

A critique makes suggestions.

When I do a critique for someone, I don’t merely point out their manuscript’s flaws and say, “Good luck with that.” I make suggestions. I brainstorm ideas. I come up with a compelling reason or two for something and list a few spots where that might be easy to work in.

A good editor will share ideas about how two minor characters could be combined.

She might suggest adding a scene or two. She might suggest cutting a scene or two.

Your editor could say, “Cut all the on-the-nose writing.” If there are details everyone knows happened, but they don’t move your plot forward? Snip, snip, snip.

[bctt tweet=”A critique is an editor’s professional opinion of your work. Ultimately, though, the choices are yours to make. #editing #critiquevsedit”]

A critique is subjective.

Ultimately, though, the choices are yours to make. A critique is an editor’s professional opinion of your work. If they know what works in your genre, trust them. But don’t let anyone make YOUR story THEIR story.

Sift through the advice.

Put the letter away for a few days and do nothing to your manuscript.

Definitely consider the major weaknesses. Work on those.

And then look at the brainstorming ideas again. A few of those ideas will be gems, maybe even be enough to help you fall in love with a story that was beginning to suck the life out of you. (Hey, it’s happened.) Figure out what you can do with them, and let them take your story to the next level.

And then go for it.

On your own.

A critique is the end of that bit of editing.

Unlike with a macro edit, where there may be a bit of back and forth on the editing (some go as many as three rounds), a critique is sort of a standalone. The editor reads your books, writes the critique up, and sends it to you.

That’s it.

What you do with it from there is all you.

To me, though, that’s fun. As an editor, I find it enjoyable work. As an author, I find it empowering. I know what to do to make my story better.

Question

Have you had a professional critique done? How did you feel about it?