As with all things writing, there are about 10000 different ways to do anything. But my WIP is on a tight deadline, so I developed this technique to revise thoroughly and quickly. If you want, you can check out my outlining technique to see what I did on the front end to reduce revision. Then follow me down the rabbit hole of madness! Step 1: Get Input While Drafting. I had a workshop group for my WIP, but you can also do this with a critique partner. There are a lot of forums/blogs that offer CP services, but a particular favorite of...
I recently finished my first draft of Illuminate, which was very exciting! Don’t get me wrong—there is still a ton that needs to happen before it goes to agents in the spring. But there’s a thing that happens when you finish your draft: You have to start thinking about the next story. The way I write is by focusing my creative energies on one story at a time (“time” can be exclusive, or “per day” if I am drafting and revising two different projects). This means I don’t usually have a pocketful of future-stories I’m eagerly waiting to work on. As a result, whenever I...
I have friends who absolutely love writing their story’s climax. It’s their favorite part of the writing process. I am not one of those people. The thought of writing a climax makes me want to do my laundry. I would rather clean the hair out of my drain than start drafting my climax. I cannot tell you how spotless my house gets when I reach the latter third of my novel. The first draft of my climaxes (and everyone’s, I’d hazard) are terrifyingly awful. But this time around, I wanted to put in work beforehand to help save on rewrites after....
Revision can be a taxing process. Trust me: When am I not revising something? (Spoiler: The answer is I am in a perpetual state of revision.) This month, I set out to finish revising the last 12 chapters of WIP Blessings that have been hanging over my head since January. And I did it! And it wasn’t terrible! So how did I make editing over 30k in three weeks fun? 1. Print the sucker out At some point in your revision process, you’re gonna need to print that baby out. (If you’re like me, you’ll probably print it several...
There is a lot of angst (and helpful tips) on the internet for writing your query’s actual summary/hook, but what I’ve always found absolutely terrifying is that fine balance between “Dear Agent, I did my research” and “Dear Agent, I know where you sleep.” Hopefully it’s a given that if you’re querying, you need to research the agents you’ll be submitting to—including perusing their Twitter feed, blogs, and interviews. Susan Dennard has a lovely post about this over at Publishing Crawl. So take a look at that. If you didn’t click the link, the short version is: Research like the...
Working through the middle part of my WIP has been like slogging through a constant state of writer’s block. I’m still on my tight deadlines, though, and don’t have time to cast my hand over my brow and bemoan my muse (which is honestly the funnest part of catching a cause of The Block). As a result, I’ve been resorting to some strategies to keep my story moving forward, despite my muse’s best efforts to pull it to a grinding halt. When the inspiration stalls and enthusiasm lags, I find it helpful to… Dance It Out You think I am...
When you dive into worldbuilding, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirl of landscape and custom and fashion. But don’t forget to build details like your, country’s flag’s colors or design! Designing a flag can help you discover something new about your country’s history and myths. Just have a look at some of our real-life flags and all the history, stereotypes, and attitudes associated with them. (The Union Jack and the imperialism ingrained in its very design. The American flag, the very image of which seems to conjure eagles and liberty (or rednecks). Canada’s red leaf and maple syrup....
I’ve finished my WIP’s first journal, and I have to say: I’m in love. Before this journal, I never knew the wonders of graph paper and all the creativity you can unleash on it. Having a journal can be a great way to keep notes, brainstorm off the computer, do research, or just relieve stress. My journal was stuffed with the usual sort of thing (character arcs and bios, scene ideas, name research, etc.), but I also branched out and tried to find unusual or more creative ways to explore my story. Below are my five favorite creative activities that...
I find myself unexpectedly with a set of books on my hands. Blessings started out as a straight-up standalone book, and Illuminate jumped on board as a companion book/sequel of sorts, and other ideas are still coming. It occurred to me the other day that I have an actual series, and no idea what to call it. Of course, it’s likely that whatever series title I come up with will be changed when/if it goes to publication. But I still need something to call the collective project. Are you in the same boat? Well, below I’ve compiled all the research...
I’ve been watching copious amounts of figure skating on the Olympics (this is why I missed church two weeks in a row shhh) and it’s reminded me just now much I love dance. There is so much you can tell about a person from watching how they move. Look no further than two Russian figure skating superstars: Julia Lipnitskaia and Evgeny Plushenko. Dance is a great way to discover something about a person: How they like to move, how comfortable they are with the opposite sex (yes I am from a Jane Austen novel), what sort of music appeals to...