Lead Me Gently, Author...

by Cat Woods

When I open a book, I embark on a magical journey. The path is set before me, and page by page, I explore a new world until I reach the destination at The End. If I'm lucky, I will walk away changed somehow. Your words will have touched some inner part of me and asked me to evaluate and re-evaluate the way I live my life and the way I see the world. It will challenge me to be a better person, one more cognizant of the people and places around me. It will fill some small part of me I didn't know was empty.

And so I ask, lead me gently, author, and I will follow.

Help me discover amazing gems off the beaten path.

But please, please, please do not tell me what you want me to know.

Rather, let me attach my own meaning to your words. Ignite my senses so I can take away what I need from your writing. Help me feel your book in my heart and soul, not just swallow the sustenance you believe I need.

Tread carefully and don't moralize. Let your characters grow so that I may, too.

Guide me, don't instruct me.
Share without preaching.

Dear Author, I've been told that readers are lazy, that they need you to draw them a map from Point A to Point B. That assumption scares me. It means you are responsible for making the reading experience equal for every reader. It means there would be no need for book discussions because we've all walked in each other's footsteps over the same rocky terrain with our eyes trained on a sole destination. It means we will miss the greatest opportunity to look past the words and see between the lines.

We will miss not only the forest, but also the trees.
We will fail to see the magic hiding right beside us.

And so I ask, dear author, don't give your ending away on page one, and don't beat me over the head with your message.
Don't foreshadow so much...

...that you ruin the surprise.

Your book isn't a soap box.
It's a gift to the world.

Treat it as such.

How do you share your passion without crossing the line? At what point do we risk losing our readers to a pedantic attitude? When is it our job to connect the dots, and when do we allow readers to make their own connections? Is it important that our readers understand and feel exactly what we want them to, or is it more important that they walk away from our writing with the message they need?

Curious minds want to know.

Cat is an avid hiker and lover of all things amazing. She enjoys exploring off-the-beaten-path with her daughter in State Parks across the upper Midwest and thinks that regardless of the destination, the journey is half the fun. When she's not hiking in the woods, she's blogging at Words from the Woods or writing juvenile lit from her little house on the prairie.

Query Verb Power!

by Jemi Fraser

Verbs are awesome!

Oops. Are.

Not so awesome.

Obviously, we need to use 'to be' verbs in our stories. I imagine someone somewhere has written a story without using any 'to be' verbs, but I'm never going to attempt it. Contrived exercises like that drive me batty.

The being verbs can be passive. Boring. Not always, of course, but sometimes. And, in our writing, we need to avoid the boring. This is especially true in a query. Passive verbs and boring writing will both turn off agents - quickly. I've pulled out an old query to find out what verbs (in order) I used at the time...

surviving
turns
protects
torment
save
books...

If you're querying, or planning on it, check out your verbs in a list like this without the rest of the query. Do they convey action and/or the flow of your story? Do they match the style of writing in your story? Do they implore the agent to read on?

If not, maybe it's time to change it up.

Like many of my fellow FTWAers, I've learned a lot of my writing/querying tips from the awesome people over at Agent Query Connect. There's a forum for query help if you're so inclined.

Anyone willing to share the first 3 verbs of their query or story?

Jemi Fraser is (ACK!! Time to rewrite the bio!) an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs  and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

Learning to Rewrite

by Jemi Fraser

For me learning to rewrite a draft was NOT an easy road.

Stage #1 - Complete Ignorance

• in my first rewrite, I had no idea what I was doing. I went through the draft, fixed all the typos, tweaked some sentences, and was daring enough to eliminate a couple of paragraphs here and there
• then I met some amazing folks over at Agent Query Connect and learned that a rewrite should be a slightly more intense process

Stage #2 - Gaining Confidence

• the next step in my journey was realizing that everything I'd written in my first drafts didn't have to be included in the final draft. I could take out entire scenes. I could move entire scenes. Change pov.
• these realizations actually shocked me, and took me a while to wrap my head around 
• at this point, I carefully saved each new 'draft' with a date indicating the changes

Stage #3 - Gaining Crit Buddies

• this changed my world and burst my naive little bubble. And I will be forever grateful.
• I learned that a rewrite involved more than the tweaking I'd been doing.
• reaching deep down into the story was pretty tough. I was faced with some big realizations. Probably the biggest one was that external conflict isn't enough. There needed to be internal conflict too. For both my MCs (I write romance).
• this involved re-reading and re-writing scene by scene, making changes, keeping track of changes, making notes, deleting favourite scenes & lines, adding conflict (lots and lots of adding conflict)
• I no longer saved drafts, only the main one, with a folder (I'd discovered Scrivener at this point) with the very few scenes I though I might want to reuse or rescue somehow

Stage #4 - A Real Rewrite

• I tried my Stage 3 version of rewriting for several of my novels, and found it very discouraging. Several stories I know have tons of potential were languishing. I also discovered Stage 3 is HARD. Very hard. For me, a million times more difficult than writing a first draft.
• brainwave!
• I decided to dump all my chapters and scenes into a new Scrivener folder titled Draft 1
• because I love (LOVE!!) writing first drafts, I decided to treat Draft 2 like a Draft 1
• I rewrote the draft from scratch. At first I found it tough to not peek at the first draft, but it definitely got easier. The changes I needed to make were core changes and because of that, the story changed dramatically, while keeping the same basic plot elements, and I already knew those plot elements, so I didn't peek.

Stage #5 - Unknown

• as I'm evolving as a writer, I know my style will change too
• I've got 5 or 6 stories begging for rewrites (I was stuck fast in Stages 2 & 3 for far too long) and at this point I'm nearly salivating wanting to do a Stage 4 rewrite for each of them
• I wonder if I'll have discovered Stage 5 by the time I get to them all?

Learning to write well (and to rewrite well) is a personal journey. My journey will probably look nothing like yours, but I hope by sharing mine, you might find some ideas to help you move along to the next step. Or suggestions as to what Stage 5 might look like for me!

Do you rewrite? Do your rewrites look anything like mine?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs  and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

Dontcha Know and Other Vernacular Issues for Writers

by Cat Woods

Minnesota Speaker 1 according to the world: So, yeah, dad and me, we went down ta da park de udder day fer a bite ta eat. It was a fer piece, dontcha know.

Minnesota Speaker 2's illogical response that the rest of the world believes happens in every conversation: Ooofdah, dat is a fer piece.

Now, I get that I'm not "from Minnesota" in the traditional sense. I was made in Japan, born in Seattle and attended seven different schools on the west coast before settling into the great Midwest in the fourth grade. I've been a minority. I was in Washington when Mount Saint Helens blew and didn't realize that seeing the ocean was a big deal because I swam in it every weekend.

And maybe my varied childhood makes it hard for me to swallow the Fargo-esque vernacular that everyone else in the world believes is how all Minne-sooooo-tans speak. Or maybe it's so unpalatable due to the overuse of this vernacular in every portrayal of the Midwest. Either way, I despise this hacked-up version of our language as much as Southerners probably hate seeing "howdy" in every fictitious conversation involving them.

• Truth #1: Every living, breathing person in Minnesota does not say "ooofdah". After residing here for nearly 30 years, I still don't have a feckin' clue what that word means. It only serves to conjure up visions of stodgy, old grandmas in their housecoats and hair rollers leaning to the side of a stained and lumpy couch and letting one rip before uttering the word that is equally grotesque.
• Truth #2: Yes, Minnesota speakers are lazy language users. We "ta" and "fer" all day long. As a speech coach it drives me absolutely batty, and we actually practice correct enunciation during warm ups before competition. "To. To. For. For." I think this should be recited along with the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary schools each morning--and I'm only half joking. 
• Truth #3: Vernacular is a cool way to show character, place or time in writing. But, it can also kill a piece.

Grammar Girl has two fabulous articles on her blog discussing the hows and whens of writing slang and writing dialect, both of which make up the everyday language of certain populations at any given time. Her recommendation is to use such things sparingly and mostly in dialogue.

For instance, "Groovy" quickly places someone (beach bums or druggies?) in the 1970s--although I've only ever heard one Minnesota, college-educated man use this word, and that was in the late 2000s. Use of this word in a current novel could be used to effectively date the story, or to show an intriguing aspect of someone's character--aka the attorney from above.

A delightfully, unexpected example of how to use vernacular showed up in my inbox this morning from Chick Lit Goddess, Isabella Louise Anderson. Her blog post delivers an excerpt from a novel, Dear Carolina, that highlights two very different character voices. From this short plug for a beautiful sounding story, we catch a glimpse of how writers can effectively show social status, education and experience through simple language usage.

But what should writers do about words or phrases or even geographic differences that are nearly impossible to use without confusing a handful of readers or overburdening the majority of our audience with boring explanations?

Conversation 1

• I once used the word sneakers to describe my MC's shoes. A critique partner from a few states away asked, "What's a sneaker?"
• "Tennies."
• "A tennis shoe."
• "But your MC isn't playing tennis. They are called athletic shoes."
• * yeah right. Jimmy slipped on his ATHLETIC SHOES, tied them and headed outside to play. not*

Conversation 2

• "Come over tonight for some taverns."
• "So, we're going to the bar for dinner after meeting at your house?"
• "I think she means sloppy joes."
• "Aren't they called BBQs?"
• "Nah, they're just shredded beef sandwiches, dontcha know."
• "I'll bring the pop."
• "I like Coke."
• "I don't do drugs, but I'd love a soda."
• *i'm ready for coke after this conversation*

Conversation 3

• He climbed in his pickup and headed down the street.
• Collaborator 1: Only farmers drive trucks. A teenager would never drive a truck. Especially to school.
• Collaborator 2: This story takes place in the Midwest. Everyone drives trucks here. Even business professionals drive trucks.
• Collaborator 1: Not here. This would confuse readers. It has to be a car. Either that or you have to tell readers that in other parts of the US, kids who aren't farmers actually drive trucks.
• Even though he wasn't a farmer, he'd always loved driving trucks, as did many of his friends in the Midwest even though kids on the west coast would call him a freak for doing so because nobody in California ever drove trucks unless they were farmers. You see, sometimes things are different in different parts of the country and that's okay even if it feels unusual to some people. Now...where was I? Oh yeah, He climbed into his pickup, cracked a soda and swore never to collaborate on another project again.

Conversation 4

• Your MC cannot be in Carter Elementary. Elementary = kindergarten-4th grade.
• No, it's always k-6.
• Well, ours is k-5, with junior high grades 6-9.
• We don't have junior high. Middle school is 5-8 and high school is 9-12.
• *le sigh*

Based on life experiences and the language in which people use from infancy on, getting simple ideas across can be cumbersome and frustrating for writers. But it shouldn't be. Maybe it's naïve of me to think that readers carry a certain responsibility in using context clues to infer the definition of words they are unfamiliar with. After all, it is a skill we teach kids in school (the elementary, middle, junior and high versions) to help build their vocabularies. In my opinion, writers cannot carry the full burden of describing in detail every little language nuance that might possibly trip up readers from different areas or generations. Yes, we need to write clearly and succinctly. However, we do not need to act as a dictionary.

 

To recap: Writing in heavy dialect risks annoying readers. Novels riddled with "all y'all", "oofdah" and "hey" get old fast. A smattering of well-placed words like "groovy" can lend character to certain characters. As a side note, though, it is very easy to use vernacular, dialect and slang to stereotype characters or date a piece, and this is bad. Very bad. All this said, it is impossible to use completely common words that will alleviate any confusion for every reader because the world is a big place and language is as vast and as varied as the individuals who use it. 

 

So, dear writers, at what point do you strap on your sneakers and run with your word choice? How do you know when your novel's vernacular is too much? When is it not enough? How much description do you use to define potential troublesome words or phrases? How does this vary by age group or genre?

 

Curious minds want to know.

 

Cat Woods has never used the phrase "dontcha know" and ridicules with impunity those who do. She also wonders why the rest of the world quotes the movie Fargo (North Dakota) when making fun of Minnesota dialect. Some day she might write this into a novel, but for now, she's content with blogging at Words from the Woods and supporting the middle grade anthology she was contributing editor for. Tales from the Bully Box is part of a bully prevention campaign that is near and dear to her heart and has its own website at The Bully Box.

Meaningful Connections: The Semicolon

by J. Lea López

I think semicolons get a bad rap. I've been asked on more than one occasion about the proper use of semicolons. I've also heard other people respond to such questions with snarky replies like, "I just don't use them at all. Solves that problem!" If you're someone who struggles with semicolons, hopefully today I can clear up some of your confusion. The following example sentences are taken from my current work in progress.

Semicolons and Lists

I'll get this one out of the way because it's the usage I am least often asked about, and it's probably not one that will come up as often in fiction as the main usage we'll be discussing. When you're listing something in a sentence and the individual list items contain commas, you can use semicolons to separate the items in the list so that you don't end up with a sentence that looks like William Shatner dropped all his extra commas in it. For example, if I'm naming places I've lived, I might tell someone, "I've lived in Towson, York, Pittsburgh, and Manchester." No need for a semicolon anywhere in there. But if I want to include the states along with the cities, that automatically adds four commas between each city and state. In that case, I'll separate each list item with a semicolon, and it'll look like this:

I've lived in Towson, Maryland; York, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Manchester, New Hampshire.

If I just list them as Towson, Maryland, York, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh... etc. it becomes unclear whether I'm saying that I've lived in Towson, and I've lived in Maryland, and I've lived in York, and I've lived in Pennsylvania, and so on.

Independent Clauses, Comma Splices, and Conjunctions

The most basic explanation you've probably heard is that you use a semicolon to join two independent clauses. An independent clause can stand on its own as a complete sentence.

Independent clause: Tears well up behind my eyelids.
Independent clause: I squeeze them tighter so I won't cry.
Correct semicolon use: Tears well up behind my eyelids; I squeeze them tighter so I won't cry.

It sounds easy enough, but I know that many people still falter when it comes to using semicolons. Have you had a critique partner or editor call you out on comma splices? Those occur when you use a comma alone to join two independent clauses, and they are incorrect. You don't want to end up with comma splices any more than you want to incorrectly use a semicolon.

Comma splice error: Tears well up behind my eyelids, I squeeze them tighter so I won't cry.

Another way to join two independent clauses is with a comma and a conjunction. However, you don't use conjunctions when you join clauses with a semicolon. (You can use a semicolon and conjunction with lists as shown above.)

Comma and conjunction (correct): Tears well up behind my eyelids, and I squeeze them tighter so I won't cry.
Semicolon and conjunction (incorrect): Tears well up behind my eyelids; and I squeeze them tighter so I won't cry.

A semicolon can replace a period between sentences, and it can also replace the comma and conjunction between independent clauses. It can replace those, but should it? This is where I think a lot of people falter in their use of semicolons.

Meaningful Connections

A semicolon isn't something you just go tossing into your manuscript between sentences for the sake of variation. There's more to it than that. A semicolon joins two clauses that are closely related; your intended meaning is a vital part of this punctuation choice. This is where the thrill and joy of writing, of crafting worlds and lives and stories practically from thin air, should push aside any disdain you may have for the banality of grammar rules. Personally, I think grammar is pretty rad, but I know most of the people asking me about how to use semicolons don't necessarily share my enthusiasm. It's not a matter of The "rules" say I "can't" use a comma here, because "rules" or whatever. (And I totally hear you using those scare quotes in your mind when you complain about grammar like it's some old curmudgeon yelling at you to get off his lawn. Don't deny it.) A semicolon is an option that allows you, the author, to better convey the meaning of and relationship between the words you've so carefully chosen. The relationship between clauses feels very different when separated with different punctuation. Let's take a look at another example.

Separate sentences: I can still smell him in our bed. I didn’t mind it for the first few days, but tonight it’s unbearable.

Comma and conjunction: I can still smell him in our bed, and I didn’t mind it for the first few days, but tonight it’s unbearable.


Semicolon: I can still smell him in our bed; I didn’t mind it for the first few days, but tonight it’s unbearable.

Using two separate sentences in this example would be perfectly acceptable. Each thought stands on  its own grammatically, and there's nothing wrong there. Joining them with a comma and conjunction results in a long, awkward sentence. It doesn't really work because it tries to force a closer relationship between the two sentences than there actually is. There isn't a strong enough correlation to warrant joining the sentences that way. (Compare that to the example in the previous section, where there was a strong enough relationship that using a comma and conjunction would've been a decent choice.)

But the semicolon! Be still, my grammar-loving heart! Because the two sentences are closely linked, a semicolon is a great way to express that connection. As the author, it's your prerogative to choose the punctuation based on what you want your words to convey. For me, in this instance, using a period and creating two separate sentences felt a bit too detached. This comes from a female narrator whose fiance has very recently died. There is emotion and meaning in that small space between sentences, and using a semicolon to bring them together subtly highlights that relationship.

Have I helped you clear up any questions you had about semicolon usage? If not, feel free to ask a question in the comments.

J. Lea López is an author who strives to make you laugh at, fall in love with, cry over, and lust after the characters she writes. She welcomes online stalkers as long as they're witty and/or adulatory. Kidding. Maybe. Check for yourself: Twitter, Facebook, Blog. She will also take her red pen to your words if you ask nicely enough.

5 Reasons to Read Your Draft Aloud

by Jemi Fraser

As a teacher, I'm pretty comfortable reading aloud. I know not everyone is, but I think there are some really valid reasons why you should read your story aloud to yourself. Not the first draft, but when you're nearing the end of the process, when you suspect the story is almost there.

Here are some of the benefits I've found from reading aloud my own stories - and the stories of others.

Read Aloud Benefit #1 -- Stilted Writing

• what may sound okay on paper, might reveal itself as stilted once you read it aloud
• of course there are different levels of formality in writing and in speech, but generally, we want our writing to sound accessible and comfortable
• if you feel even a little awkward reading a certain section, rethink it because your readers may feel just as awkward when they're reading it

Read Aloud Benefit #2 -- Sentence Structure

• as you read, you'll notice if your sentences aren't working
• sometimes, they're just too long -- you should be able to breathe easily as you read
• you'll also be able to hear if you've got a variety of sentence lengths. If many of your sentences match structure-wise, you'll probably find yourself sounding mildly robot-like. Mix it up!

Read Aloud Benefit #3 -- Dialogue

• dialogue should sound like people talking (obviously), so, if you've got a problem, reading aloud makes this one easy to spot. If you automatically change your words to their contraction form as you read, it's a good idea to do that with the written form too. Same with sentences, words, or phrases. If you say it differently from the actual text (good readers do this all the time because their eyes are tracking ahead), consider if what your brain substituted is actually a better choice
• when you're reading aloud, it's also easy to spot when you have too much dialogue with too few physical actions or reactions between. If you get confused as to who is saying what, your reader is going to be confused as well

Read Aloud Benefit #4 -- Humour

• humour is tough! I'm not talented in this area at all, but I've read aloud a lot of books by authors who are
• when you read aloud, you'll hear & feel the beat of the humourous sections, and it's easier to tell if it's working or falling flat
• you'll find there are better places for humour than others (in the sentence, in the paragraph, in the chapter)
• you'll hear what works directly after that beat of humour - sometimes the silence of a chapter ending is the perfect finish for the punch line

Read Aloud Benefit #5 -- Practice

• one day, you might be asked to read aloud some of your own work - at a book club, a book signing, on TV, or to a group of movie directors asking how you want to play out a scene (hey, if you're going to dream, dream big!). You want to be comfortable doing that. 
• as with anything else, reading aloud takes practice. I would NEVER ask a student to read aloud something they hadn't had a chance to rehearse and I'd suggest the same to you. The first time we do anything, we tend to not be very good at it. So, don't make an important read aloud your first time. I advise students to read aloud the section at LEAST ten times before they present. 
• the more you read your own work, the more natural your voice. You'll know when to pause, when to inflect, how to pace yourself. And you'll actually find yourself having fun!

Hope some of those help you decide to try this out! I've found it a very helpful and effective editing technique. Have you tried it before? Any tips or reasons to add?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs  and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

5 Tips for Fleshing it Out

by Jemi Fraser

Last month, my post talked about 5 Tips to Trim Your Writing. This month, I'm tackling the opposite. With my current rewrite, I attempted to plot (kaboom!) and ended up with a shorter story than I expected (15k shorter).

So, now I'm focusing on how to flesh out a story without padding it. Some of the things I've discovered:

Fleshing it Out Tip #1 -- Emotions

This one I'm having a blast with. I write contemporary romance, so it's all about the emotion, but I think that's true for most stories. It's the emotions that pull me in and make me gobble up those pages, no matter what the genre is.

Delving into the character's emotions helps the reader connect and makes the writing much more interesting. For me, plot is obviously important, but it's how the characters respond to the plot that intrigues me. So, show that!

Fleshing it Out Tip #2 -- Show, Don't Tell

Another fun one, and very connected to #1. Telling removes the emotion. Wasn't it Mark Twain who said, "Don't tell me the old lady screamed, bring her on stage and let her scream"? Looking for those telling words/sentences in the draft helps me find places I can strengthen my story and make it longer/more compelling at the same time.

Fleshing it Out Tip #3 -- Dialogue

Connected to #2! I love dialogue and tend to include a lot of it in my writing naturally, but there are still places I find where I can have my characters really showing...by telling. Dialogue infuses the story with life and lets the readers hear your characters talking. It also gives the reader a visual--and mental--break from narration, thus increasing the pace of your story.

Fleshing it Out Tip #4 -- Description

Blech. I'm not an especially visual person or writer. My descriptions tend to be focused around the emotions of the characters. And I'm not a fan of reading paragraphs of description either, so I tread very, very carefully when I do this.

For people, I sprinkle in the description. A mention of hair colour by another character here, a comment about height there. Nothing obvious, certainly no looking in the mirror and offering up a self-evaluation. For example, rather than saying my character is short, I'll have her drag a chair over to reach something off a high shelf.

For places, I don't mind stringing a sentence or two together to anchor the reader in the setting, especially when it's a new place. I try to focus on what the character would notice, and only on what is relevant to the story.

I'd rather leave most description up to my readers, but I'm learning I need to include those anchors and let the readers fill in the rest.

Fleshing it Out Tip #5 -- Character Arcs

This one is more complex than the first four. Here, I'm looking for the pace of how my characters are growing. I want them to slowly learn to change, have strategically placed AHA! moments, and obstacles tossed in their paths to have them second guessing their realizations. This is another instance where I find Scrivener invaluable. I can colour code, or use the side bar, or make another file to put side by side in order to track the arcs. Then I can spot where the arc needs some help, tweak a scene here, add a scene there, throw in another obstacle, or three.

There are many more ways to flesh out a story (adding in a subplot and looking for plot holes to fill in come to mind), but these are the 5 I'm working with. Any tips to add? Do you like fleshing it out or do you prefer to trim?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs  and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

5 Tips to Trim your Writing

by Jemi Fraser

Many beginning writers end up with enormous word counts. (If you want to check out my story, it's over on my blog today).

Trimming Tip #1 -- Adjectives & Adverbs

Cut. Cut. Cut. Sure you need a few adjectives, and sometimes they enhance your prose, but be careful! I'm not an especially visual person or writer, but I was floored when I first learned this tip and realized how many adjectives I had in my draft. Nearly every sentence was sprinkled with writerly words that screamed AMATEUR!

Ditto the above advice for adverbs. It's a little easier to edit for these though. Use that handy-dandy Find tool (CTRL F) and search for 'ly'. We all know not all adverbs end in ly, but many do, and this tool makes it easy to spot them. It also takes you out of the flow of reading the story, which is very important when editing. Often replacing your verb/adverb combination with a stronger/more explicit verb makes your sentence stronger.

Trimming Tip #2 -- Cutting Scenes

Whole scenes. As you're editing, ask yourself about the purpose of the scene. If it's not moving the story along, not increasing the tension or the conflict or the stakes, bring out the sword and slash away. Painful, yes, but maybe you can keep some of them as bonus content for visitors to your website. (Make sure the quality is high, after all, there's a reason you're cutting in the first place!)

Trimming Tip #3 -- Filler Words

We all have them. Some of them are more obvious than others. Once I feel pretty good about a draft, I dump my story into Wordle and eliminate all the proper nouns (right click then delete). The bigger the word, the more times it appears. Then use that CTRL F tool to help you find and eliminate as many as you can.

Some words that often appear as fillers:

just, suddenly, again, eyes, look/looked/looks, seemed/seems, feels/felt, smiles/smiled, really, very, maybe, quite, started to...

Trimming Tip #4 -- Qualifiers

Eliminating words and phrases like 'a bit', 'a little', 'sort of', 'seemed to' 'felt like', can all make your writing stronger and, as an added bonus, make your characters less wishy-washy at the same time. If someone's mad, let him/her be all the way mad!

Trimming Tip #5 -- Echoes

This is my Achilles' heel. As the self-proclaimed Queen of Redundancies, I've literally cut thousands of words by eliminating phrases and sentences where I'm repeating information already provided. Trust your readers not to be idiots, they'll get it the first time. (<-- Which is a great example of a sentence including an echo!)

Trimming the fat out of that draft will do nothing but enhance your story. Don't be afraid of that delete key. If it helps, imagine Legolas or Aragorn at your side, sword in hand, as you slash your way to a stronger story!

Do you enjoy the Slash 'n' Burn rounds of editing?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs  and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

A Writer's Guide to Getting Your Sexy Back

by +J. Lea Lopez 

Source

To clarify, the sexy you're getting is for your writing. Sorry, I can’t help you with the real thing. Or maybe I can. But that's not a discussion for this space. Ahem. Focus, please.

Whether you’re writing hardcore erotica, sizzling romance, or just a single scene requiring some Tab A into Slot B action, I’m here to help you put your sexiest foot forward. We're going to focus on the language of the scene.

Let’s face it: it’s very easy to write a bad sex scene. You run the risk of clinically sterile language, or the opposite – coarsely pornographic language. There’s also the potential for unintended comedy. I don’t want that to happen to any of you, so I’ve compiled a few guidelines. Note that I didn’t say rules. It’s up to you to decide if/when to use each of these tips. And fergawdsakes, don’t overdo it with any of them!

More descriptors ≠ more sexy

Breasts are not made any more appealing when described as amazingly perky, round, brown sugar-colored globes of desire. Really? Would you say that to your partner, or want it said to you in a moment of passion? ‘Course not. You/they would likely burst into a fit of laughter. It's also important to find the right descriptions. For instance, wet is always preferable to moist. Stick to one, maybe two good descriptors, or let the image stand on its own. This also ties into my next point:

Euphemisms are your enemy

If everyone calls it a cock, there’s probably a good reason. Don’t go trudging through the thesaurus looking for other names for human anatomy. Abandon the aforementioned globes and just call them breasts. Or maybe your character would say tits. Titties and boobies are giggle-worthy and should be avoided at all times, in my opinion.

When in doubt, revert to the standard slang, or DON’T NAME BODY PARTS at all. Yeah, you heard me. She let go a breathy moan as he pushed into her. No need to say what pushed where – we already know.
Here are some tried-and-true anatomical words to use (try not to blush):

• cock
• tits
• ass
• breasts
• dick
• pussy
• clit
• nipples (not nips – please don't say nips)
• cunt

Cunt has become much more mainstream of late, but it's not my personal favorite and I don't think I've ever used it. I rarely even write it because it doesn't hold positive connotations for me. Pussy is weird for me too, but I'll take that over cunt. It takes a very skilled writer to use that word in an erotic context and not make me flinch. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use it, though, if you like it. It's just not for me. I think it even sounds awful. Go ahead, say it out loud (preferably when you’re alone – not on the bus or at work). It’s guttural – all hard consonant sounds. Doesn’t scream sexy to me. Which brings me to my last point for today:

Pay attention to sound

No, not those sounds. Yuck. I’ll leave that for another post. I mean, pay attention to how the words you choose for your scene sound to the ear. I don’t know about you, but even when reading silently to myself, I still hear the words in my head, and, to a lesser extent, feel them in my mouth (oh boy, you’re gonna have a field day with that phrase, I’m sure.)

Never underestimate the sexiness of well-placed alliteration. His thumb slid over the sliver of skin peeking out above the waistband of her jeans. That s sound is just sensual, both to hear and to say, isn’t it?
To me, open, round vowel sounds as well as softer consonant sounds like f, h, and l (to name a few) can be the sexiest. The heat of his breath sends a slow shiver from the nape of her neck to her toes. Mmm, sounds yummy, right?

To contrast, clipped vowels and hard consonant sounds often are less sexy. You’d do well to notice that most of your standard curse words have this characteristic – fuck, shit, bitch, etc. I’m not saying there’ll never be a place for an urgently whispered Fuck me! in your manuscript – there is certainly occasion for something like that. Short, hard-sounding words can convey urgency. But an entire scene, or even just a few sentences, full of those types of words can really kill the mood.

Especially use this guideline any time you’re thinking of some anatomical euphemism. As I mentioned, cunt sounds harsh to me. Words like rod and pole don’t sound particularly sexy either, and even invoke painful images at times. Unless you’re writing some sort of BDSM scene, these are not the images you want to paint in your reader’s mind.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you write a sex scene, and I promise you’ll have something that gets the heat level rising.

Do you have any favorite words that you find super sexy, or words that make you cringe?

J. Lea López is an author who strives to make you laugh at, fall in love with, cry over, and lust after the characters she writes. She welcomes online stalkers as long as they're witty and/or adulatory. Kidding. Maybe. Check for yourself: Twitter, Facebook, Blog. Get help with your sexy scene writing here.
 

5 People Watching Tips

by Jemi Fraser

Summertime is here (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) and many people will be heading out on vacation sometime in the next few months. As a writer, one of my favourite things to do on vacation is people watch.

1. Spot the Tourist

Or business person or teacher or musician or pilot or artist or... Switch it up to find different kinds of people during different parts of the day. Look beyond the obvious clothing and check out some of the less obvious clues: head up/down, eye movement, fluid/jerky body movements, facial expressions, accessories, hair, jewelry, hand gestures... Think about the vocations of your characters and find someone who does the same job. How do you know?

2. Eavesdrop

So much fun! Love hearing bits and pieces of conversations and wondering about what happened before to create that particular snippet and what will happen afterward. You can capture great hints for dialogue: length of sentences, tone, pauses, interesting speech patterns and so much more.

When you're eavesdropping, listen to the flow of the various languages and dialects as well. Can you identify the speakers' home regions? What makes their speech patterns special? Listening to people speak different languages to each other is especially fascinating - I love the blend of the languages and the brain's ability to think in both at once.

3. Big Crowds

If you have the chance to be in a big crowd at a sporting event, a concert, charity event or any other big venue, look for what stands out. Who's been dragged to the event and is bored beyond belief? Figure out why that person is there (obligation, business, love...). If it's a sporting event, spot the people who are cheering against the home team and watch how they handle it.

Look at the range of outfits in the crowd. Listen for the uncomfortable voice or the one that drips with sarcasm or the person on the edge of tears or temper. Find the most passionate fan. Watch the body language change as the event moves along. Find the couple most in love, the one about to break up.

4. Public Transit Footwear

When I'm on public transit (everything from subways to buses to boats) I like to check out footwear first. Then I build an image in my head of what else the person might be wearing. After I've got the image set, I check out the reality. It's often WAY different from my expectations. (You can do this anywhere, but for some reason, I like public transit for this  one!)

5. Clothing Fiascoes

(Disclaimer: I am one of the least well-dressed people I know!) As you're moving through your vacation, look for those folks with the wildly inappropriate outfits, then assess their emotional states and figure out how they ended up wearing the exact wrong thing. Are they over-confident? Oblivious? Obnoxious? Rude? Desperately uncomfortable? Superior? Again, body language, tone and eye movements are your friends and will tell you so much more than the person would expect.

So while I think vacations are the perfect time to leave your laptop at home and recharge your energy, there's no need to let your observational skills get rusty!

What's your favourite people watching venue?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs  and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

Realistic vs. Logic

by Charlee Vale

"That's not realistic."

Have you ever heard this said about a book? I have. Honestly, it's one of those things people say that drive me crazy, in all it's many variations. "That wouldn't happen." "People don't talk like that." "That's not the way things work."

The reason this makes me go a little batty is that the last time I checked, I didn't go into a novel looking for reality.

When I go into a novel I go looking for a story. I want it to engage me and sweep me up and make me believe in fantastic things and feelings; shock me with unspeakable horrors and make me shiver. No matter what genre you apply this to it is the same. Books aren't reality, so why they should be bound by the same set of rules?

But sometimes when I hear these things, I know they're not saying what they mean. They say 'that's not realistic,' and what they mean is 'this doesn't make sense.' And when something doesn't make sense, that's a problem.

Even though fiction isn't bound by the rules of reality, it's bound by it's own set of rules: the ones you create. In the realms of your writing you always must construct how things work--a structure for the audience to rely on. If you don't create a strong enough framework, or break the rules of the world you created, your audience will become confused and disconnected.

A perfect example of this is Shakespeare. Shakespeare's plays cannot be considered 'realistic' by today's standards; after all, the people wear funny clothes, say funny words, and do funny things. But do the they make sense? Yes. Each Shakespearean play has an internal logic and structure that allows us to understand, follow, and empathize with the characters. We don't care that it's not realistic.

If you make sure your world works, no one will notice it's not real.

Charlee Vale is a Young Adult writer, bookseller, agency intern, photographer, and tea lover living in New York City. You can also find her at her website, and on Twitter, and trying to make sense of her worlds on paper.

Oh, No! Then What Happened?

By Matt Sinclair

The other day, I saw a question from a writer who was asking if it was ok if the tension in his story wasn’t all that intense. I’ve not read his story, so I don’t know if 95 percent of it is an action-packed adventure and he was concerned about that remaining 5 percent. I don’t know if it’s a cerebral thriller that traps readers in mental zigzags of seemingly contradictory paths that turn out to make perfect sense in the end. I don’t know if it’s a tale about a baby kangaroo whose best friend got in trouble and went to bed without any supper.

But one thing I’m fairly certain about: if a reader gets bored, no matter how well you write, you’re at risk of losing a reader. At a certain level, writing is a symbiotic relationship with readers. A writer needs a reader. Without a reader, the writer gets stale and dies, unknown and unremembered. Not forgotten, mind you, because no one ever knew about me…er, the writer… in the first place. The relationship goes both ways: a reader needs a writer. Sure, a voracious reader can probably be sustained by dry technical manuals and watching rabbits eat the grass in the back yard -- at least for a little while -- but most readers need meatier stuff.

We writers sometimes play hard to get. We talk about how we write for ourselves and don’t care if our books sell -- if we ever write a complete book much less get it published. But secretly we all want to have some recognition that our perspective is at least moderately interesting. It’s not about the art of writing, it’s about communication, having a voice, being acknowledged for existing.

Tension in a story isn’t about violence or death, it’s about characters having a skin in the game. If your main character walks away from the central conflict of the story and never returns, then we’re following the wrong character. “But,” you argue, “the central conflict is what’s going on in that character’s mind.” Maybe so. Show me. But, God forbid, don’t bore me.

You see, I only have so many minutes in the day to read, and right now, I’ve got a four-year-old who wants one more rendition of the trouble that ensued when Elmo was delivering a stinkweed plant to Oscar. A barber was caught off guard by Elmo’s sneeze and buzzed a reverse Mohawk along a customer’s scalp. His sneezing caused a monster-built brick wall to collapse; so did the cans Bert was stacking in the store where he works. I think there’s an untold story about circus elephants running amok in avenues near Sesame Street.

Tension. We learn its value at an early age. We remember it and learn from it. Use it copiously.

That reminds me, did you know that only a couple blocks from Mr. Hooper’s store, there’s a blue-skinned guy in a trench coat selling counterfeit ‘O’s?...

Matt Sinclair, a New York City-based journalist and fiction writer, is also president and chief elephant officer of Elephant's Bookshelf Press, which published The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse, which is available via Amazon and Smashwords. Earlier in 2012, EBP published its initial anthology, Spring Fevers, which also is available through Smashwords, and Amazon. Both anthologies include stories by fellow FTWA writers, including Cat Woods, J. Lea Lopez, Mindy McGinnis, and R.S. Mellette; R.C. Lewis and Jean Oram also have stories in The Fall. Summer's Edge and Summer's Double Edge will be published in the summer of 2013. Matt blogs at the Elephant's Bookshelf and is on Twitter @elephantguy68 

5 Reasons Why We Fail at Our Writing Goals

by Jean Oram

Blah, blah, blah New year's Resolutions, blah, blah, blah. You've already broken some, haven't you? A study out of University of Scranton (I know! Scranton really actually exists beyond The Office!) says that by this time in January approximately a THIRD of us have FAILED at our resolutions. One third. That's within the 2-4 week period after New Year's. And only 8% of resolution makers are successful in achieving their resolution.

Okay, before you go shove your mouth full of cake and give up on your publishing quest and writing resolutions… listen to this:

People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions. Source

In other words, keep making resolutions and keep making GOALS as you are more likely to succeed.

But why do we fail and what can we do about it?

I'm so glad you asked.

5 Reasons We Need to Set Goals in Order to Succeed as Writers

1. We can be likely to take the path of least resistance (i.e. a tad lazy).

People who make goals (not talking resolutions now, just goals because goals are a PLAN, not a HOPE or a WISH) are 80% more likely to succeed. Goals are plans with timelines, and a specific end goal. When you make a goal you tell yourself some interesting things--and one of them is to get up and get moving. (A powerful way to achieve your goal is to remind yourself of that goal as soon as you get up in the morning--even before a cup of joe.)

How to succeed: Make a goal. Don't talk yourself out of it. Find a way to make it happen.

2. We get vague.

Written goals lead to conscious and an intentional working towards them. Why? Because we've had to write them down and in doing so we can see exactly what we need to get to and then automatically begin breaking down what we need in order to get there. It engages a part of our brain that says, "How do I…?" and "Why do I…?" and "What do I…". We get specific.

How to succeed: Write down your goals and be specific about what you want to accomplish at what level and by what date.

3. We get distracted.

Goals are plans. They are a way to stay on track by giving us something specific to work towards--especially if we check in on them regularly. Writing down our goals helps us focus on the steps to get to our goal.

How to succeed: check in with your goals on a regular basis to see how you are doing.

4. We shrug off our ideas and 'stuff.'

Goals can help us stay personally accountable as well as stay motivated in reaching our 'plan.' But it is easy to shrug it off when faced with diversions, failures, and roadblocks unless we make ourselves accountable on a larger (ego-smashing) level. In other words, find a goal buddy. Find someone to check in with--ideally someone who can be both encouraging as well as willing to give you a swift kick in the denim.

How to succeed: Social pressure. Make yourself socially accountable.

5. We fail to see how far we've come.

One of the coolest things about setting goals is watching your own progress. I used to write down HUGE goals and then only check in once a year. Oh, wow. Look all that failure in a three-ring binder. Ouch. Now, I have a notebook where I write down what I want to accomplish that week or day and I check off all the things I've done as well as keep stats on my platform growth. Looking in that book is the proof that I am actually getting somewhere. I can also feel the success (daily if I want). And that, in turn, spurs me towards more achievements. You could even say it is empowering and provides resilience.

How to succeed: Be kind, rewind. I mean, be kind to yourself if you fall down. Enjoy your successes.

Now that you've looked at goal setting from the write angle, what are your goals for 2013? What stands in your way? How do you plan to leap that hurdle? Share in the comment section.

(And by the way, how are those resolutions going?)

Jean Oram has set more goals than she has time to accomplish, but she is still happily blogging away about writing at Jeanoram.com as well as tweeting as @jeanoram. She has a post-apocalyptic chick lit short story, Crumbs, in The Fall: Tales From the Apocalypse.

All Things in Moderation - Even Writing Advice

by J. Lea López

 Have you ever watched one of those weight loss stories where the person who's lost 120 pounds says something along the lines of, "I had tried everything. Every fad diet, every pill. Everything. Then one day I woke up and I knew I couldn't live like this any more. I was killing myself. That's when I started my journey to getting truly healthy. It was hard work. But I did it, and I feel great."

Well, I'm there. With my writing, that is. And hopefully you can learn from my journey.

I also have weight struggles, but I've never been one for crash dieting to the extreme. There are all kinds of "cures" and systems out there, many of which seem to contradict each other. Low Glycemic, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Gluten-free, Paleo, all bacon all the time (I don't know if that's really a diet, but I could get behind that). There are a lot of people who seem to do well on each of these plans, but sometimes people can take it to unhealthy extremes. The same goes for writing advice. Taken to extremes, even the best advice can be detrimental to your writing. I'm sure you've heard - and tried to implement - a lot of it:

• No adverbs. Ever!
• Action, action, action! Tension, all the time! 
• Be unique - but don't be so unique that you're the only one who will get your writing.
• Start smack dab in the middle of the action and let every word further the plot from there.
• Banish every trace of passive voice.
• Read all the classics because they're the only benchmarks by which to measure your talent!
• Characters shouldn't growl, breathe, or hiss their words. Using anything other than "said" is a crime against humanity!
• Personalize your query - but don't kiss ass.
• Blog, tweet, market, network and get your name out there - but do it the "right" way.

The list could go on and on. There are valid points of advice that inform each of those statements, of course, but too often we try to incorporate too much of other people's advice into our technique. Then we wonder what happened to the voice, the pizzazz of our own writing that we were pretty sure was there when we first started.

I was tweeting with a writing friend the other day about food and nutrition. I told her that my approach now was more along the lines of everything in moderation, while focusing on thing that are as natural as possible, not depriving myself of fun stuff, not beating myself up when I don't eat as well as I want, and being aware of foods that are triggers or have specific health consequences for me, as opposed to what other people tell me my body should or shouldn't have.

Then I realized my personal approach to writing and publishing had shifted to something very similar recently.

Somehow, somewhere, one day, something just clicked. I'm open to learning new things, hearing criticism, discovering better ways to do things and challenge myself as a writer. But the bottom line is that literary crash diets, like the nutritional ones, will ultimately get you nowhere. I know my own strengths as well as my own weaknesses, and the plethora of writing advice and literary techniques are like a massive buffet that I can pick and choose from to get my desired results.

This year, I hope any of you prone to dangerous writing crash diets will learn to take all advice in moderation and trust your writerly gut. Do you know why there are so many nutritional plans out there that all seem to work for so many different people? Because health and nutrition isn't one-size-fits-all. Neither is writing.

If you've deleted every adverb and gerund from your writing and it still seems a bit sickly, take a deep breath and a step back. Trust me, it will click. It will be hard work to get your writing into prime condition. But it will be worth it.

Are you guilty of crash dieting with writing advice in an attempt to get your writing in tip top shape?

J. Lea López writes erotica and women's fiction. Find her on Twitter or her blog. To read some of her mainstream short stories, check out the anthologies The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse and Spring Fevers. Find some of her erotic short stories on her Facebook page.

Five Must Hear Podcasts for Writers

by Jean Oram

I've recently discovered podcasts as a part of my quest to improve my writing. While some of you may be laughing and saying they've been around for ages, it's only recently that two events in my life have conspired to make podcasts something I can sit through.

One is a half decent smart phone that can handle podcasts. And two is (mostly) getting over my Talk Radio ADD. (When I was a kid my parents had CBC (Canadian Public Broadcasting--kind of like NPR) on in every room and every vehicle 24/7. It wasn't until I was a teen that I finally realized there were other radio stations out there. Over time I learned to tune out CBC because it was a lot of talk-talk-talk going on around me all the time. Problem is… my Talk Radio ADD applies to pretty much anything recorded that involves talking whether it happens to be talking books, talk radio, or podcasts. Which means I get a minute or two into a program and slowly, without noticing, I tune out. Welcome to my happy place.)

The podcasts I am recommending here are five that I enjoy and seem to be able to stay tuned into. They are well worth listening to (on your phone or online) and can teach you a lot not only about writing, but about the business side of things as well.

Five Podcasts Worth Listening to for Writers

1. Writing Excuses

Motto: 15 minutes long because you're in a hurry and we're not that smart

Oh my god, what is not to love about that motto? Great, brief, and highly informative podcasts that don't ramble on and waste your time. It's put together by several people and they will often interview others. Seriously great.

Website: http://www.writingexcuses.com

2. Copyblogger

Motto: Content marketing advice and solutions that work

If you follow me on Twitter [@jeanoram] (and if you're not, why not?), you've probably seen me tweeting Copyblogger's blog links. Basically, their podcast covers similar content to their blog. Everything from how to write a headline (for your blog, newsletter, press releases and more) to how to market (your books, your blog!) is covered. Their podcasts include interviews and are always informative. It is a painless way to learn how to draw people to your blog, as well as do a little effective book marketing.

Website: www.copyblogger.com

3. The Creative Penn

Motto: Helping you write, publish and market your book

Put out by author Joanna Penn, it features interviews with authors, marketers, and pretty much anyone who has a thing to do with publishing and writing. While this podcast can ramble a bit, the variety and content makes it worth it. (Plus you can jump ahead.)

Website: www.thecreativepenn.com

4. DBSA Romance Fiction Podcast

Motto: All of the romance, none of the bullshit

That's right. These are smart broads who happen to read category romance. And while their focus is romance some of their podcasts such as "Book Accessibility for Sight-Impaired Readers" is something ALL authors need to check out. You could be missing out on one of the biggest reading markets out there. Listen to it now!

Website: http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/podcast

5. Grammar Girl

Motto: Quick and dirty tips for better writing

Brush up on your grammar in short and sweet segments. If you've ever Googled anything grammar related, this site has has probably popped up on the first page of results. Something I've learned from their podcasts: "burnt" is typically British, and "burned" is typically American.

Website: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com

Now that you've looked at podcasts From the Write Angle which one will you start with first? Are there some must-listen-to podcasts on your list you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

Jean Oram is a fiction and nonfiction writer who writes stuff and is always up for a challenge such as writing post-apocalyptic chick lit such as in her story Crumbs found in The Fall: Tales From the Apocalypse. She also blabs on about writing on her blog.

ASKgiving: Writing and Publishing Q&A

By the whole From the Write Angle crew (compiled and condensed by Jean Oram so any omissions leave her to blame)

As part of our AskGiving (Happy Thanksgiving weekend!) here on From the Write Angle, we took our reader's burning questions about writing and publishing (there were some good ones!), and put our group brain together to come up with some sage advice from the fifteen of us.

While this is based on our experiences, you may have had (or will have) different experiences. Feel free to weigh in and comment on these questions (and our replies) in the comment section. Power of the crowd!

All righty… Let's talk turkey. (And maybe grab an extra slice of pumpkin pie, we've got lots to say and we don't want you starving while you read.)

Am I Too Late to the Party?: Market & Timing

This reader has a project they first queried three years ago and has recently been drawn back to it. Their project has a male vampire antagonist and neither young adult nor a paranormal romance. "It leans more toward the horror category, or at least dark urban fantasy." Over the past few years, the market has become over-saturated with vampires and this reader wonders if an agent might oval-file their query without even a glance as soon as they see the word "vampire."

In today's market, is it even worth my time to query this story, even though it is different than the "norm?" I know about subjectivity and the "you never know until you try" thing, but I would really appreciate your honest take on this, as far as traditional publishing goes.

Marcy Kate O'Connolly steps to the plate with the real reason vamps are out: It's because of an oversaturation in paranormal romance/urban fantasy novels (both YA and adult categories). Your book sounds (from your description) as though it is more likely to be horror and I've heard that that genre is starting to make a comeback. Agents are actively seeking it out. You'll do best with a fresh plot that is not paranormal romance-y. Be sure to position the book in a way that makes it clear it's horror.

J. Lea Lopez shares some Twitter expertise from #tenqueries and #10queriesin10tweets on why agents pass on queries: Familiar tropes without anything to make them truly stand out. You have something familiar with vampires, so you'll likely need a unique twist and compelling voice/style of writing to grab an agent's interest. Make sure your query pitches the story in a way that emphasizes the horror genre and what's unique about your story so the last thing an agent will think of is any of those other vampire stories.

I Want to Share: Permissions & Copyright

I'm getting ready to self-publish my novel but I need to secure permission to three songs and two poems that I quoted within the text. However, upon conducting research to find the original publishing dates and the publishers of these works, I am stumbling. Is there a particular website that is devoted to helping contact these places to ask permission to quote their work? Or do I have to hunt them down one by one and somehow find the right source to ask permission? I know the easiest thing to do would be to just give up and delete the non-public domain poems, but at least one of the songs I need has to have a quote because that's where the novel takes its title from.

Using her librarian charms, Mindy McGinnis dug up this article which has lots of links and will walk you through it: http://www.copyright...information.htm. She also found this link for your poetry issues: http://www.audensoci.../copyright.html.

Marcy Kate, using her librarian-in-training charms, suggests you start looking here: http://www.copyright.gov/records/. They have a searchable database, but it only goes back so far digitally.

Meanwhile, J. Lea provides some optimism: We've all seen at least a few books that quote songs or other authors, so it's obviously possible. I'd pursue it as far as you can, and then if you go the traditional publishing route with an agent, they may have additional knowledge or resources on the subject.

Help, I Genre Hop!

What if you have very different books? Should you sacrifice an agent who would be PERFECT for the first book, in exchange for an agent who would be mediocre for both?

The general consensus on this one was best put by Sophie Perinot: You really can't "have your cake and eat it too" right out of the gate. You need to pick a genre, build a brand and THEN branch out.

Jean Oram added: "You never know if an agent is 'perfect' until you have had a conversation with them and they have read your work."

Marcy Kate: Don't rule an agent out based on what they state they rep initially as long as they rep the genre & category of your strongest project. When you get The Call, I can almost guarantee you they will ask about your other projects and where you see your career headed.

Matt Sinclair reminded us that: Some agents might think of writers who genre jump as dilettantes.

Jean says the real issue sounds like you have two very different books. This may actually mean you will need a pen name and have two 'careers' on the go--build two different brands. When you have very different books the issue becomes building an audience. This is the TOUGHEST part of being a new 'unknown' debut author and particularly if you genre hop. If your first book is in one genre and the second book in a different genre, it is going to be difficult to build a loyal audience who buys all your books--publishers like to see an increase in sales between books one and two (which leads to more book deals!).

Sophie Perinot has heard of well-established authors being told by their publishers to set aside some of those genres and get back to basics. "ANYONE who wants 100% control over what book (as in plot) and what genre they write next needs to stick to Indie publishing."

Game plan: Take your 'best' story (or the one you are most likely to be able to write a follow-up story genre-wise) and get an agent for that book. Worry about the other book later. You never know. The agent might be just as pumped about the 'other' book.

As Marcy Kate reminds: Most agents want to represent you for your career, not just one book. And your books may not be as different as you think. For example, if you write children's books (PB/MG/YA), you may have more wiggle room between age levels and genres than say a writer trying to launch a career on chicklit novel and a hard sci-fi space opera.

This Plot's Got it Going On… and Then Some

What if you have too much going, plot wise, in your book, but one event leads to another which leads to another; in other words, it's all connected. How do you pare it down?

Riley Redgate suggests looking for shortcuts. In other words: If you have a plot that goes from A to B to C to D, try looking for a smooth transition from B to D instead. Sometimes that'll involve cutting out plot locations or introductions of new characters - but then again, sometimes you never needed those locations or characters in the first place. I'd say the key to streamlining a twisty, convoluted plot is to think about the straightest logical path from your beginning to your ending. The plot points that deviate the furthest from that path are the things you should consider compromising.

J. Lea adds, See if there are characters or portions of your plot that can do double duty instead of having lots of little things going on. Also, take a long hard look at some of those subplots and twists and ask yourself two things: 1) do they really feel organic to the story, or do you get to a point where it feels like a soap opera, with yet another over-the-top complication before every commercial break? and 2) are they actually important plot points that need to be shown to the reader, or can some of them "disappear" into backstory that is only alluded to after the fact, when necessary?

Marketing My Own Work… Do I Have To? (Two for One)

Our readers realize times have changed in the publishing world and that publishers expect authors to help with marketing and promoting their own books.

What sorts of things do you do to promote? I'm guessing you can't rely only on your own social media. You have to go beyond that to reach out to people who are unknown. How do you get yourself in front of readers?

AND...

How important do you think it is to be a worldly, sophisticated, charismatic type of person when you are an author, in order to succeed? Do you think getting published is in the end more about good writing, or about being this charming sort of person?

J. Lea: The writing is always the key.

Marcy Kate warns: Social media is NOT for marketing. It is for engaging with other people and being part of a community.

Sophie says, being visible to the reading public these days means things such as getting reviewed by popular bloggers in your genre and setting up a blog tour, using Google ads, Facebook ads, trying author buzz, or doing a traditional book tour (signing and speaking at numerous indie stores). It can also include blogging and/or guest blogging.

But, she says the keys to whatever marketing you do are: 1) set a budget (minimum is generally suggested as 10% of your advance, but many debut author go higher); 2) make sure you KNOW who your reader is (write out a description of your target reader); 3) don't be scatter-shot in your efforts-- pick marketing outlets (real or virtual) that will expose you to the target reader you have defined (and that means not accepting every blogging invitation and not wasting time on promotion that will largely reach people outside your ideal audience).

And finally, she cautions: DON'T COUNT YOUR PUBLISHER OUT! They can get you reviewed places you likely cannot reach on your own and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL they can get you coop (paid space on the "New Release" table or an end-cap or window). A lot of authors will tell you that the weeks they spent in a featured location were by far the best selling weeks of their early release period.

MarcyKate throws a little research to back up Sophie's experiences: Studies have shown very little correlation between a social media presence and sales. HOWEVER, those same studies have shown that it is a fantastic tool for building brand awareness which is why having a social media presence is important and recommended. In other words, if you join Twitter, do not repeatedly link to your book on Amazon, or retweet your own blog links all day. Talk to people. Interact with them. Tweet about what matters to you or what you find interesting. In other words, be sure your profile (or timeline if you're on Facebook) isn't all ME ME ME.

Jean chimes in to add: Think of the 80-20 rule. 80% about others and unrelated-to-you stuff, and 20% about you. (It's easier to piss off your audience than to win them over.)

Marcy Kate also suggests you reach out to your local area. If you have local papers that review books or list events, send them (or have your publicist send them if you have one) a press release about the book's release and any local book signings or launch events you might be doing. You never know what might lead to an interview or profile, and that could definitely generate both sales and attendance at those events. Even if you don't have a big budget and don't have the advance funds to reach a national audience in a big way, there are still lots of little things you can do locally that can have a positive impact.

J. Lea: Being brilliantly charming with a mediocre or poor product won't get you very far. If you have a wonderful book but maybe you're a bit shy or introverted, don't worry. Let your words speak for themselves.

Your take-away--as put by Marcy Kate (but definitely echoed by all of us): "The book is the most important thing… That said, you still should keep your public-facing persona respectable and in a positive light."

Look Into Your Crystal Ball: What is the Future of Publishing?

With all the merges/acquisitions going on in the world of publishing, where do you see the literary future? In the hands of megapubs or in the hands of those who march to their own drummer (self-pub)?

J. Lea believes traditional publishing isn't going anywhere. It may change, but it won't go away. Self- and indie publishers are seeing wonderful growth right now, and digital publishing is giving voice to experimental or edgy writing that might have been overlooked in the traditional model.

Jean thinks that those who treat book publishing as an ever-changing business and are willing to change things up are more likely to succeed.

Sophie suggests that the best things a writer can do are: 1) write the best book he/she can; 2) keep up with the industry--developing your craft isn't enough you have to build your knowledge of the business side of things; 3) be flexible and ready to roll with the punches--if you have your mind set as to how things are going to be then chances are they aren't going to be like that at all; 4) know when to walk away--everybody has a point at which the rewards of writing might be outweighed by the hassle. As in any career/profession you are not an indentured servant. Know what your personal limits are and be ready to enforce them (for some this may be a dollars and sense equation for others a satisfaction vs. aggravation balance).

J. Lea also adds: What I think (or hope) will happen is that both the traditional and the indie sides will continue to grow, change, and thrive. I think the traditional model is going to have to learn a few things from the indies, especially concerning time from acceptance to publication. Likewise, there might be something in the gatekeeper model that can benefit readers who love indie books, but would like a better way to easily identify quality. Traditional and self publishing can certainly coexist happily in the same publishing marketplace. It's my hope that we continue to grow together, with each facet of the publishing world learning from the others, and continuing to produce quality books for readers.

To Hire Or Not To Hire: Editors Pre-Queries

If our manuscript has been edited by several critique partners, is it okay to submit to an agent as is (traditional publishing), or should we hire an editor prior to submission? Or would professional editing be handled after agent accepts your manuscript?

Sophie provides the short answer: It is in vogue. But a good editor can cost thousands and less editing is going on at the agent and editor level.

She adds: "If you have the discipline to rewrite and edit then surely you can find some good critique partners and get your manuscript in query-ready shape."

Jean says that if you feel it is strong enough, then submit. But if you get a lot of rejections, looking at your manuscript again might be the thing to do. Some good editors will give you an overall story report/critique ($300 for 90,000 words) which is handy if you feel it is something with the story and not the writing.

Help! I'm a Nobody in my Query Bio

In a query letter, especially in the instance of having no previous publishing experience, should we include a personal paragraph? I.e. What we do for a living, interests, etc. Some agents say they like to get to know the author, whereas, other agents say keep it strictly about the book.

One word that shouted through our conversation about this one: NO.

And a bit of… maybe.

Sophie's rule of thumb: When in doubt leave it out.

Or as Jemi Fraser says: Unless your bio is relevant it's okay to skip it.

Some exceptions:

Marcy Kate says that unless it is directly relevant, no do not worry about it. If you have professional marketing experience in work life, or have worked in publishing in some capacity, that's appropriate.

Jemi says, that if you feel naked without including one, a short one-liner would work - try to use your voice to your advantage.

Sophie: An agent who becomes enthralled with your query and subsequently your manuscript can have his/her curiosity about who you are satisfied when he calls to get acquainted. Bottom line: In fiction the work has to stand on its own. It either captivates or it doesn't.

The End: Should it Be in Your Query?

If the query letter is supposed to hit the main points of the story, does that include the end, or should we save that for the synopsis?

Short answer: No. (Don't include the end.)

R.C. Lewis: First off, I would never say a query letter is supposed to hit the main points of the story. Definitely not the end. A query doesn't summarize the story. It introduces just enough of it—the protagonist, the conflict, what's at stake—to become an enticing bit of agent-bait.

Sophie puts it another way: The query is about piquing interest. Details/events just need to be carefully selected and pithy.

Marcy Kate gives you a formula to help you out: A good rule of thumb is to cover approximately the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the manuscript in the query. By that point the story should have covered the inciting incident, the antagonist and the main conflict. When to give away the farm (the story's ending): In a synopsis.

Short & Sweet Credentials: The Short Story

Can/should writers self-publish a short story on Amazon? (I have this one story I want to put up because I don't want to go though the hurdle of selling it--I want to concentrate on my current work in progress. If I do end up publishing it, I plan on making it free.) Will agents be more attracted or repulsed by this? If its a short story and free, is there a chance they'll read it, find it engaging, and have more interest in your manuscripts?

Jean fires a few questions back to help you figure out what is right for you: "Why do you want to do this? What is your purpose? What do you hope to achieve?"

Our resident short story expert, J. Lea, says, I don't think it's likely to sway an agent. If you continue to publish short stories on Amazon, at least some for actual sale, and have good results, that might be something an agent would look at. A free Amazon story is no different than something you post on your blog, other than having the potential to reach more people. If you're interested in using short stories as a publishing credit to include in query letters, you're better off seeking publication in magazines or literary journals. Checkout duotrope.com for a searchable database.

R.C. adds: Some genres put more weight on having short stories published than others. Whether they care about it being published by a magazine vs. self-published probably varies by individual. I'm not sure not sure how many agents cruise around self-published short fiction—but I doubt it'd hinder, either.

Jean says if you are hoping it will pave the way for your manuscript, it likely won't. (Sorry!) If you hope it will build audience... it could. However by the time you have put out your ms, it is likely that you will have missed the timing in terms of converting the short story readers into novel readers.

She continues, as for impressing agents and publishing editors... it probably won't. Even if you get a ton of downloads they tend to disregard it because you are giving it away. They want to know how many people will pay for your writing. But if you put it up as paid, and it is a short story and you are an unknown... well, chances are you aren't going to get a lot of purchases.

So FTWA (From the Write Angle) readers, what do you think? Did we look at these questions from the write angle? Or are there things to add? Be heard in the comment section.

From the whole From the Write Angle crew, thanks for reading. We hope you've had a wonderful Thanksgiving.