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Discussions at an Excessive level

The Difference Between Writing and Editing

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In this last post of the year, we are circling back to the beginning of the whole writing process: idea creation and self-editing. Before any writing can take place, you need an idea, or even just a glimmer of an idea, and then after you do some initial writing, comes the job of self-editing. In between the idea and the editing is the creative process.

The major difference between the Writing process and the Editing process is that writing is creative and editing is analytical…which is the opposite of creation. When you create, you put things together…when you analyse, you take them apart—possibly to put them back together in a different form.

Hands on Jail bars, showing locking away your inner editorEach of those tasks takes a different part of the brain…and should be done separately. If you stop writing because your inner editor is complaining about what you’ve written, you’ll end up switching from one mind-set to the other, and it’s difficult to get back into the creative mood once you start analysing what you’ve written. If you have a good, productive writing session going, you want to keep it going, not interrupt it, so keep your mind free to create by locking away your inner editor for the entire writing session. The best way to ruin a positive writing session is to break the mood…and your inner editor is the best one to do that.

Be careful of that nasty old inner editor even before you start writing. He can bring your creative efforts to a complete standstill before you even have a chance to get them down on paper.

Writing

As we said above, the first step is an idea. Unfortunately, many folks believe that’s the only thing they need to write a book…they feel that just by thinking it over, it will somehow magically happen. Thinking about writing doesn’t get anything done…actually writing does. Sitting at your desk and forming words is the only thing that will eventually turn an idea into a book.

What often happens next is that the idea stimulates words, and folks sit down to start writing, but then they start questioning what they’ve produced. That’s the ugly head of the inner editor popping up to criticize their work. The worst thing you can do is listen to him. Pack that nasty old inner editor away and just let the story flow.

If you don’t get those ideas that are floating around in your head out of there, they’ll just keep swirling around. Old ideas will clog up your ability to form new ones, so you have to get them out. Free up your mind to move on to the next part of your story by getting the existing ideas out. Committing them to physical reality lets your mind know that it is safe to wander on to other ideas.

Once an idea forms, get it down on paper…even if it’s just a note in your pocket. Always carry a small note pad to capture those momentary ideas that float through your head. Whether you’re driving around town, chatting at a party, drifting off to sleep, or suddenly become aware of something unique when watching a show, make note of it. The mere fact that you’ve written it down, that you’ve locked it in some kind of fixed form, lets your mind know that it’s all right to release that idea and move on to the next.

Just Write!

I’ve often said that I can’t edit a blank page, but if you find that blank page staring at you worrisome, then just close your eyes and type. It really works. Don’t look at what you’re typing…just keep at it. If you can’t come up with the precise word right away, just write down what the word feels like. You’ll come back to it later. Hit <enter> a few times when you’ve got a shift in your topic, but don’t concern yourself with what’s on the screen. You can clean it up later…and you will.

Editing

This first type of editing is where you are working on the story itself…not the words, rather the concepts and how they are connected. You are improving the basics of the story without regard to how the story is going to be told to your eventual readers. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or even word choice. Just ensure the story flows at least somewhat. You can do more clean up later.

This type of editing is self-editing, and it comes well before any of the services we could possibly provide. Here you are still figuring out what your story is going to be all about. Now is when Beta Readers can come in handy. You bounce ideas around with your close confidants and see how they react. There’s nothing Turner Editing can do for you at this point…you are still crafting ideas, but once you are done with this step, you’ll need a second set of eyes looking it over.

You can be your own set of second eyes if you set your writing aside for a month or two (even six if you can stand being away from it for that long). Coming back to it with fresh eyes, you’ll be amazed at how much different things seem. You’ll see things that you didn’t know were there…and you’ll discover things missing that you thought were there. Some parts may seem a bit herky-jerky, so look at the connections between scenes.

Speaking of scenes, consider each to see that your Scenes and Sequels alternate, and that each is complete with their required parts (GCD or RDC). Once you’ve achieved this level of self-edit, it’s time to seek outside assistance.

Here at Turner Editing, we hope you will continue to pin down those wonderful ideas, and we hope to read all the brilliant stories soon.

Beta Readers

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Do you really need Beta Readers? What do they do? How do you find them? We’ll cover all that right here. Named after the second letter in the Greek alphabet, they are the second ones to see your ms. (If Beta Readers are second, then who is first? We’ll cover Alpha Readers farther down…) Using Beta Readers can save plenty of time and effort, but remember: they don’t replace a good Critique Group nor an editor. (Keep us in mind when you’re ready for that step.)

It’s always a good idea to have a second set of eyes look over your story. You don’t want to expend effort polishing a marble statue if the figure has three arms and two heads (unless it’s supposed to). Clean up the big things first, then work your way down to the details. Beta Readers consider your work as a whole. They don’t have the investment that you do, so they can give an honest assessment. Be aware that you might discover a lot of issues at this point, too many—it might be time to step back and consider whether this project is one worth doing.

You’ll want to know how they react to the story. Are there parts that interest them? Are there parts that bore them? What do they ask you after reading it? What have you left out because “it’s so obvious”, but they don’t know? Would they buy the book after it’s done? Would they urge their friends to buy it?

Beta Readers do their job because they love reading, but many authors also offer a copy of the book once released. If the author feels the input from some Beta Readers is particularly helpful, then an acknowledgement in the Front Matter of the book would be appropriate.

Beta Reader’s Job

Beta Readers are readers (preferably members of your intended audience), not writers, so although they can sense problems with your story’s overall structure, they may not have the vocabulary to describe the problem exactly. You’ll need to work carefully with them to understand what they are trying to tell you.

Acting as the first line of defense (or the initial attack), they let you know if your story is ready for the next step. Not at the level of a full critique or a Developmental Edit, their expertise lies in finding overarching problems with the story in general. They may not know it by name, but their focus is on a few key items:

  • Believability—does it sound as if it could really happen,
    or are the actions so farfetched that it doesn’t seem possible?
  • Characterization—do the characters feel real,
    or are they cardboard cut-outs being pushed around the scene?
  • Continuity—are the characters consistent throughout,
    or do they mysteriously change from beginning to end?
  • Flow—is the story revealed appropriately,
    or does it jump around, not making sense?
  • Originality—is the story unique or at least distinctive,
    or does it sound as if it’s a rehashed version of other stories?
  • Pacing—does the level of action vary from scene to scene,
    or is it all the same, causing reader burnout?
  • Plot Holes—do the characters follow logic in solving problems,
    or are there places where something seems missing?
  • Structure—does each scene flow from the previous one,
    or are there confusing gaps in the action?

Don’t expect comments on grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Save that stuff for later…much later.

How to Find Beta Readers

Although there are many sites out there that will work to connect authors with Beta Readers, we feel the requirement for honest, yet feeling, feedback is often lost in the random world of readers. On the other hand, if you think you are ready for some honest, and often brutal, feedback, you might check out a few of these sites. (Many of these are forums, so whether you are familiar with that style or not, be certain to read all their rules before you jump in.)

Our recommendation is to find folks you already know and trust to be your Beta Readers.

Alpha Readers

Long before you get to Beta Readers, there are Alpha Readers, also named after a letter in the Greek alphabet, but this time the first letter, because they get to hear your story ideas first…before you’ve even written them down. These “readers” are the friends you have lunch with, just hanging out and talking about all your interesting and clever ideas.

Those ideas…floating around in your head…need to be managed, arranged, given structure…before they can be shaped into a full-blown story. Sharing those ideas with close friends firms them up, helping you work out the details…before you even know what the details are going to be.

Alpha Readers are the friends who take your ideas and respond with, “Wouldn’t it be neat if…” urging you to consider alternatives in your story. You may not use any of their ideas, but at least you have the inspiration you need to continue.

Your cheerleaders in the writing world, Alpha Readers are important for your emotional wellbeing. They champion your cause, encouraging you to keep writing…not pointing out problems with your story. (Leave that to the Editors!) They give you some well-deserved support as you figure out what your story is going to be.

Keep them close…to your heart as well as to your manuscript.

Multiple POV Story

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We talked about the problem of Head Hopping a while back, but this time we’re going to discuss how to tell a story from multiple points of view…without hopping heads. Head Hopping is often an issue with romance stories because the relationship between the main characters is almost more important than the characters themselves—most readers want to know what’s going on in everyone’s head. The only way to do that, without Head Hopping, is to split the story up into sections…one for him, one for her.

Examples of Multi POV Stories

Although most romance stories are told with multiple POVs, they aren’t the only ones.

Some stories are best told from different viewpoints. For example in a memoir-like narrative about mother-child relationships, some chapters could be from the mother’s POV and others from the child’s. Readers could see the same scene from each POV and find out what each character is thinking…and therefore understand why they acted the way they did.

Another example could be a suspense story. You can tell some chapters from the Protagonist’s POV and others from the Antagonist’s. That way the readers would know what the Antagonist is planning and be worried about the Protagonist being able to work his way out of the situation…raising tension along the way.

There are some stories that start off with a new character in each chapter…and only bring all the characters together near the end. We saw one story that had a dozen chapters…one for each month of the year…and twelve unique stories. It wasn’t until the very last chapter that all the characters just happened to run into each other, and all the individual stories tied together rather well. It was an interesting way to keep the readers interested…wanting to see how these disparate stories were connected, and it worked rather well.

In any case, you need to remember to stick with only one POV in each chapter. The only catch is that some characters may not have much to do when it’s their turn in the spotlight…and you may not want a bunch of short chapters. That’s where scene breaks come in handy.

Scene Breaks

Instead of waiting for a chapter to end, you can switch to a new POV by signalling a scene change. That allows you to change time, location, or POV. (And that’s the only way to change any of those three mid-chapter!)

There are a variety of ways to show a scene break, the most common being just a double Enter. At the end of each pgph, you hit the <enter> key, so for a scene break, you just hit it twice. That’s fine for use as you are writing…but when you’re ready to publish, you need do something more. Consider what would happen if one of your double-enters falls at the end of a page…it becomes invisible! That can happen even in an ebook, so you need to do something about it.

The standard is to use a triple asterisk centered on a line by itself to show a scene break, but some authors don’t want to be so mundane as to use such a common character, so they opt for a dinkus! If you are also bored with the asterisk, here are some fancier characters you can use as scene breaks (usually used in groups of three):

  • Asterisms: ⁂ ✽ ❄ ✱
  • Fleurons: ❦ ❧ 🍁 🍃
  • Crosses: ✠ ✤ ✥ ✜
  • Stars: ✪ ✯ ✴ ✺
  • Arrows: ➜ ➠ ➢ ➳

Or, depending on the topic, specific shapes may be used, such as chess pieces, card suits, astrological signs, numbers or letters in circles, musical notes, or math symbols. Scroll through the Wingdings fonts to get some ideas.

Various fancy lines to separate text

An alternative to individual characters is to use fancy lines that stretch across the page, such as in the picture to the right. Plenty of sites offer a diverse choice of options—one of which is Vector Stock.

By controlling the scenes, you keep the reader oriented, and we all know that a disoriented reader is a confused reader…one ready to set your book down, never to pick it up again.

How to find an Agent

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So you’ve finished writing your book, and it has been all edited, and you really want to share it with the world…BUT how? You could just find a printer and publish it yourself, but how would readers find it? The easiest way to share your book is by going through a publisher because they already have the distribution and marketing skills needed, so that’s your first step…or is it?

You could spend a lot of time trying to get a publisher to check out your book, but most of them won’t even talk to authors directly…they’d rather go through an agent. The publishers know that the agents have already vetted the ms and will submit it only to publishers who want or need that particular genre. It saves the publishers a lot of time to deal only with filtered submissions.

The problem then becomes one of trying to find an agent…who will represent your book and do the work of shopping it around to the appropriate publishers. As with publishers, some agents deal only with certain story types, so it doesn’t do you any good to use a shotgun approach. (In fact, it might work against you. Many agents share info about authors, and you don’t want them talking about you in a bad light.) So, now you’re ready to find an agent…we’ll show you a few ways to do that…and help identify “publishers” to avoid.

Do you need an Agent?

Before we figure out how to find an agent, we need to consider whether you actually need one or not. It turns out that many books out there don’t need agents…and agents don’t want them. Agents make their money only when your book sells to a publisher, so if there’s little chance of that happening, agents aren’t interested in helping you. A few reasons you won’t need an agent are if you:

  • self-publish (such as through Amazon’s KDP)—you are the publisher
  • write for artistic reasons—little regard for profit
  • have a niche audience—sales won’t make enough money
  • write for education or academic fields—publisher probably commissioned the piece
  • write non-fiction articles or essays or cookbooks—agents won’t touch it

On the other hand, you do need an agent if you:

  • want to get published by the Big Five—only accepts agented queries
  • write novels (including children’s)—most successful novels are published by the Big Five
  • write general interest non-fiction (including memoir)—to get a publisher with marketing skills
  • want to see your book in bookstores—bookstores buy their books through distributors
  • expect a large market—health, diet, cooking apply to large numbers of people

If you’ve determined that you do need an agent, then by all means consider the steps below!

Where to find Agents

Finding an agent is similar to finding a spouse. You’ll be working directly with them as a business partner, so personalities need to mesh well. All we can do is identify some of the many lists out there—it will be up to you to research and pick the few agents you’ll then contact. We suggest keeping a list in a table or spreadsheet. That way you can easily compare details and keep track of when you’ve sent queries and how they’ve responded.

  • Agent Query is free and is searchable by key words or genre, either fiction or non-fiction.
  • Two versions of the Wish List exist: MS Wish List is a Twitter-like listing, whilst Manuscript Wish List is searchable by both fiction and non-fiction genres.
  • Query Tracker requires a sign up to search, but has a good reputation.
  • Publisher’s Marketplace charges $25/mo, but you might need access to their info for only a couple months, so it could be worth it to subscribe for a short time.
  • Writer’s Market used to be a good source, but until they finish their transition to Penguin Random, the site is unavailable.

Agents often move around from agency to agency, so once you have a list of potential agents, be certain to check the agency website to see that they are still open to submissions. Follow their guidelines as accurately as you can. Some want first page, some first chapter. Some want synopses, some outline. Pay attention to formatting, too. Although with electronic submissions, it only takes a few seconds to change to Times New Roman, double-spaced, size 14 font, if an agent gets two submissions…one already formatted to their liking and one that requires “just a few seconds” to fix up, guess which they’ll read with gusto and which will be set aside.

Agents (and Publishers) to Avoid

You’ve got the good news…now comes the bad. There are agents and publishers out there who make their money by selling “services” to authors, as opposed to legit agents and publishers who make their money by selling books to readers…and sending money to authors. Fortunately, there are groups out there who have tracked down many of these “vanity” presses, so you can watch out for them.

Remember: The money should be coming to you. When the publisher sells books, royalties get sent to your agent, who then takes 15% and sends the rest to you. Agents only make money when you do. Avoid agents who charge a “reading fee” (sometimes called “professional development fee” or “editing costs”). Your book should already be edited before you submit it—you need to submit your best work, so an editor is a required expense (unless you have a really good Critique Group!). Once you’ve been picked up by a publisher, most expenses are covered, though you may need to put in a few hours doing marketing.

Here are some lists that will clue you in to who to avoid:

  • Absolute Write has a discussion board that often discusses agents and publishers to avoid.
  • The Alliance of Independent Authors has a colour coded list, ranging from Excellent to Watchdog Advisory.
  • The Association of Authors’ Representatives vets their list, requiring all agents to adhere to a rather comprehensive Canon of Ethics.
  • Writer Beware has one of the largest and best maintained lists. They’ve been around for many years, and although the list exists on the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) website, they are supported in their efforts by the Mystery Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, so don’t let their address deter you.

It’s up to you

Narrow your list, follow the guidelines, keep track of submissions…and sooner than you think, you’ll have representation…and a chance at the big time. Good luck!

Shaggy Dog Story

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Although we enjoy a good story, there has to be some point to it or it just disappoints. The problem with Shaggy Dog stories is that there isn’t any point, and that’s pretty much the definition. Many Shaggy Dog stories go on and on…full of irrelevant details that never add anything to the story, finally ending “Not with a bang but a whimper” or even worse, a poorly placed pun.

When you start writing a story, you have to at least have some kind of message in mind…otherwise, you’ll just wander around never getting anywhere, even if you’re a pantser. There’s a problem when you get to the end of your story and don’t even know it. How would you know the story is over if you don’t have some kind of goal or end in mind?

Stories exist because of the end…not the middle. Yes, they need the middle to build tension, aiming for the climax, which will reveal the final change, but it’s that change, that Transformation, that is the real essence of the story. That’s what the readers look for when they first pick up your book. Give them a good ending, and they’ll shout your praises far and wide.

Examples

There are many instances of Shaggy Dog stories, but two stand out as historical examples.

Mark Twain and Jim Blain

Mark Twain wrote about encountering a Shaggy Dog in Roughing It, a book covering his travels throughout the west. In chapter 53 he recounts meeting Jim Blain, who was apt to tell a story about his grandfather’s ram. Jim’s problem was that once he started off telling the story, he got side-tracked: first leading off into a tale about the family where his grandfather had acquired the ram, which then branched off into details about a man who, when he was thrown out of church, landed on an old lady with a glass eye. That is then followed by a long convoluted narrative about her glass eye…and her borrowing a wooden leg “because crutches were too slow.” A dozen or more barely linked stories later, over 1600 words, Jim suddenly falls asleep, never finishing the story about the ram.

It seems no one around had ever heard more than a brief mention of the ram at the beginning of the long account, but they all wanted Mark Twain to experience it for himself. Twain’s story ends with, “What the thing was that happened to him and his grandfather’s old ram is a dark mystery to this day, for nobody has ever yet found out.”

Nikolai Gogol and Captain Kopeikin

Another famous Shaggy Dog story appears in chapter 10 of Nikolai Gogol’s novel Dead Souls. As the characters attempt to identify the main character of the novel, Chichikov, someone misidentifies him as Captain Kopeikin. No one has heard of this Captain Kopeikin, so we get a story of almost 2000 words detailing all the adventures and goings on of Captain Kopeikin after the war. In the middle of the tale, someone interrupts, pointing out that Chichikov couldn’t be Captain Kopeikin. He reminds everyone that at the very beginning of the diversion, Captain Kopeikin is described as having lost an arm and a leg, and the mysterious Chichikov is whole. This makes the whole discussion of Captain Kopeikin null and void.

This Shaggy Dog story works well in this situation because the reader can sit back and laugh at the characters who spent all that time listening to a long involved story that turns out to be worthless. It also gives Nikolai a chance to develop some of the characters, allowing the reader to understand the general situation in that time and place.

Hidden Shaggy Dogs

Shaggy Dog stories are fine if they are in a story, intentionally put there by the author to create sympathy for the characters, explain the setting, or allow the narrator to poke fun at others. We only have a problem when the Shaggy Dog is the whole story…often not intended by the author.

Occasionally, we’ve seen a ms where the author didn’t have a clear vision of his story. He just wrote down whatever came next in his mind…barely linked ideas, similar to Jim Blain’s story. It’s difficult to critique or edit such a story, as often none of the Five Plot Points exist, there is no Logline to guide the flow, and no tension builds…just more and more extraneous details. In fact, many Shaggy Dog stories are identified by having an anti-climax, where the problems just go away—not necessarily with a Deus ex machina, but rather by coming up with a simplistic solution after all the anticipation.

Intentional Shaggy Dogs

Similar to Mark Twain’s friends who wanted to see him frustrated by Jim Blain’s story, if you are ever in our area, we’d like to introduce you to Roger. Known for stopping on the side of the road at public events to tell a story, he’ll draw a crowd. He then holds them entranced, blocking the pathway, for over twenty minutes as he goes on and on. Then he suddenly ends the story with a terrible pun, eliciting a groan from everyone expecting some big ending. We love to see how big of a crowd he can get…and how long he can keep them captivated…just so we can laugh at them.

Critique Groups

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One of the best tools we’ve found for both first time and seasoned authors with dozens of books is a Critique Group. We’ve mentioned them a few times but haven’t really gone into what they are or how to run one. We’ll correct that oversight right now.

First, a definition: A Critique Group is an assembly of folks willing to read and comment on the writings of others. They do not have to be writers in their own right, in fact bringing in a few folks who enjoy just reading can give insight into final audience reactions. It’s good if you can find someone who has been through the writing, editing, publishing, marketing process…but it’s not necessary. A Critique Group is intended to help smooth out the rough spots in your story…editing should take place after you have all the story details done. (Don’t hire an editor until your story is ready! It’ll just be a waste of time for them and money for you.)

Next, do you really need a Critique Group? Not necessarily, but if you write, you do. If you want to improve your writing, you do. If you want to work with others, helping them improve…and avoiding the mistakes you see…you do. If you want to publish your work, you do. In other words unless you hire a Developmental Editor to do the same job, you really do need a Critique Group.

Then again, if you want a group to tell you what a wonderful job you’ve done…and how much they love your story…you may not be ready for honest feedback. Also, are you ready to give honest feedback to others? Can you give that feedback? Critique Groups work both ways, so if you’re not ready, you might seek out some Beta Readers instead.

Types of Critique Groups

Critique Groups work in many different ways, but they mostly fall into two main types: Read Cold or Read Ahead. In a Read Cold group, the Readers (Listeners) sit around a table (physical or virtual), possibly with a copy of the ms to mark up, listening as the Author reads the work aloud. An advantage to this type of group is that you get to hear how the author intends to work to sound, where he places the emphases, those minor intonations that are lost in print, and the tone of the characters. The problem is that you do get to hear how the author intends the work to sound…an opportunity the final readers won’t have. You also have the chance to quiz the author about his intentions…again not a possibility for the intended audience.

On the other hand, in a Read Ahead group, the Author sends his work out to the Readers, and they read it at their leisure, when, where, and how they prefer…just as would all the folks who pick up the book later. This type of group can better identify where the author hasn’t quite said what he meant. If the flow isn’t quite right, the word choice a bit off, the details not there, the Readers will notice and mark where they had problems. Running a group this way is better for the Author but requires more work for the Readers, so you’ll have to decide where to set the balance.

We are going to assume you have a Read Ahead group as we continue our discussion. If you’ve opted for a Read Cold group, some of the following recommendations may not apply.

Critique Group Organisation

Some groups have written rules, others just verbal or understood rules. Many groups discuss multiple genres, others focus on just one. Some want to read a WIP, others have prompts, so authors can work on writing skills in general, applying those skills to a larger project later. There are advantages and disadvantages to any decision you make about your group, so again, consider how you will maintain an appropriate workload on everyone involved.

Some decisions that should be considered before getting too far are:

  • How many members?
    too few, not enough feedback
    too many, too much to read
  • Where and when to meet?
    someone’s home, a coffee shop, virtually
    once a week, once a month, when you’re ready
  • Types of submissions?
    WIP, finished product, prompt based
  • Size of submissions?
    too big, no time to read properly
    too small, not enough to critique

Although there shouldn’t be a boss or president, a facilitator or host certainly can help things run more smoothly. The responsibility of hosting can rotate through the group, depending on where the meetings are held.

Running a Critique Group

Each member has different tasks at different times. Here are some quick bullets that the members can keep in mind.

Before the Meeting

  • The Author (submitter)
    • Select the text to be critiqued
    • Format it for critiquing, not for publication
    • Distribute it to the Readers (in plenty of time)
  • The Readers (critiquers)
    • Read as you normally do and comment
    • Mark confusing spots or things that threw you out
    • Use margins and spaces between lines to give details
    • Show up to the meeting on time and ready
  • The Host
    • Provide appropriate environment
    • Offer pens, pencils, and paper for notetaking
    • Have reference materials available

During the Meeting

  • The Readers (critiquers)
    • Point out places for improvement,
      giving examples of possible changes
    • Don’t waste time discussing minor points,
      just mark them and move on
    • Listen to comments of other Readers,
      speak up only when you have something useful to add
    • Be encouraging and point out where the story works well,
      sandwich your negatives between positives
  • The Author (submitter)
    • Listen carefully to comments
    • Take notes of discussions
    • Ask for clarification,
      but don’t explain what you meant
      (If it isn’t clear to the Reader, consider fixing it.)
  • The Host
    • Keep the group focused
    • Don’t be bossy
    • If the group gets out of control,
      offer drinks, snacks, or a quick break
    • Schedule the next meeting,
      time and place

After the Meeting

  • The Host
    • Check on absent members
    • Motivate non-submitting members
    • Send out a reminder of the next meeting
  • The Readers (critiquers)
    • Support fellow writers
    • Brag about how much better the book is now
    • Attend book launches, signings, or promotions
  • The Author (submitter)
    • Put marked submissions aside,
      have a drink, put your feet up, relax
    • Later, carefully review suggestions offered,
      remember they are intended to improve your work
    • Accept or Reject each idea,
      you have the final word
    • Edit your ms, then read it over
    • Acknowledge assistance of the group,
      include them in your Front Matter

How to Do the Critique

Consider the needs of the members…what kind or level of feedback does each author want? This could change from submission to submission, so be clear. Does the author want fixes or just problems pointed out? Pay attention to the basics of writing: characters, conflict, dialogue, pacing, plot, setting, structure. Don’t address things that won’t change, such as genre or subject matter. Focus on improving the work, not “fixing” the author.

When pointing out problems, explain why it doesn’t work, then offer some kind of fix…your suggestion may not be used, but it may spark an idea that the author can use to rectify the issue. Keep your comments as objective as possible. Yes, your feelings about the readings will be subjective, but step back and see if you can explain why you feel that way. Position your comments from a personal view, not “Your characters are flat,” rather “I have trouble creating real, rounded characters as well.”

In the end, all you want to do is help others improve their work as they help you improve yours. You get early reviews from sensible but impartial people—the best kind.

Stimulus Response

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As an extension to Scene and Sequel, we are going to look at a classic experiment done by Ivan Pavlov. Most folks will quickly associate Pavlov with dogs, as that is how he is best known…training dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell, in anticipation of being fed. We’re going to look at how that same connection of a Stimulus eliciting a Response can be used in writing.

Both Scenes and Sequels can be portrayed as combinations of Stimulus and Response pairs. In creating an action Scene (or even a relaxing Sequel), the Hero (or POV character) does something because of some kind of provocation. The combination of these two can reveal the Hero’s motivations as well as drive the story action along, letting your readers experience the story as if it were real.

Differences

There are fundamental differences between the Stimulus and the Response, so we’ll cover those specifics first.

  • Stimulus (S)

Always outside your Hero, and noticeable to any observer, the Stimulus has to be something that he can see, or hear, or taste, or feel, or smell. Properly done, the reader can experience it as well. Usually presented from a Third Person POV…think of a camera filming the scene. What can be seen from an outsider’s view? No need to be complicated or involved…a simple description will usually suffice.

  • Response

This happens inside the Hero and is personal, so now is your chance to be in his POV, to know what he knows, to feel what he feels. Presented in a separate paragraph from the Stimulus, it is more involved because inner actions take place on three different levels, but the parts have to always occur in the correct order because of biological limitations.

    • Almost instantaneously—Emotional Response (ER)
    • A fraction of a second later—Instinctual Response (IR)
    • A quick moment after that—Rational Response (RR)

If you mix up the chain of events, it won’t feel real, ruining the experience for your reader. You can speed up the pace of the story by leaving out one or two of the steps, but be certain to keep the remaining ones in the right order.

Example

Now let’s see these parts in action. Here’s a possible happening in a typical story:

The biggest, ugliest soldier Patrick had ever seen charged out of the crowd right at him. (S)

Patrick froze (ER) and stared (IR). In the slow motion that seemed to envelop everything, he scanned the soldier up and down (RR), from his immense, misshapen face, to his armour made of bones strung together as a shirt, down to his madly pistoning legs. Patrick watched small rocks bounce as each deformed foot hit the ground. The grotesque chest expanded and contracted with every breath. Bulging biceps tensed and relaxed as the disfigured arms swung back and forth. Massive jowls vibrated on the monster’s face in rhythm with the pounding feet.

The Stimulus is obvious to any observer and is followed almost immediately by an Emotional Response, then quickly followed by an Instinctual Response. We then have a more involved Rational Response. By slowing down time in Patrick’s POV, we can get specifics that might be otherwise missed, heightening the tension.

This Response is then followed by another Stimulus-Response pair:

As he scanned higher, Patrick finally saw the sword. (S)

Patrick gasped at its size, (IR) well over six feet long and obviously so heavy that Patrick was amazed at how Ugly was brandishing it. Patrick watched the wind up and knew that his head was the target. (RR)

In this last Response, we are missing the Emotional phase, but the rest are there…in the right order.

Example Continued

Now we continue with another pair, but this time with a more detailed Stimulus:

As he stared, Patrick saw an arrow pierce Ugly’s arm, then another. Two more penetrated his other arm, three landed in his chest, more in each leg. (S)

None of them slowed him down. (RR)

A longer Stimulus is followed by a truncated Response, then back to another Stimulus:

Ugly kept coming, sword raised high. (S)

Unmoving, (ER) Patrick stared in curiosity at the glint of the sun on the edge of the sword. With it coming down straight at his head, he considered what it would feel like to have his head split in two. (RR)

Using time dilation, we can really get into Patrick’s thoughts and feelings, making him a more complete character.

Not wanting to leave Patrick in such a situation, let’s conclude the encounter:

With the sword in mid down-stroke, a rock, no, more of a boulder, came flying over Patrick’s shoulder. It hit Ugly’s forearm, splintering the armour, then the arm itself, shattering the bone, sending the sword into a spin. With no force behind it, the sword just barely tapped Patrick on the side of the head—enough to knock him to all fours as it landed beside him. (S)

Patrick finally breathed again (IR), sat back on his heels, and just stared at the body twitching in front of him, almost a dozen arrow wounds pulsing with each heartbeat. (RR)

Ugly’s legs were still trying to run, in spite of the fact that he was lying there bleeding to death. (S)

The hatred in Ugly’s eyes burned into Patrick’s memory (ER) as the massive body quivered one last time, then went still as the eyes glazed over, the monster no longer moving. Patrick shivered. (IR)

Clean Up Previous Writings

As you can see, Stimuli followed by varied Responses can draw the reader into and through a scene. Continue alternating until you get to the end of the scene. Keep it going for a while, but not too long. Don’t let it be tedious.

After you’ve written up a good stretch of your story, go back and analyse your writing to find the Stimulus and Response pairs. Break down the Responses to make certain they are in the correct order…then share it with your Critique Group and see what they have to say.

Selling to Libraries

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One of the best places to sell your book is libraries…but we don’t mean you sitting out front, selling to library patrons…no, we mean selling to the libraries themselves. Many sales events are held at locations including book stores, schools, convention centers, museums, galleries, or community meeting spots…but don’t try a book sale at a library. As we mentioned back in More Steps to Marketing, most folks heading to the library are expecting to find free books, so they are less than willing to put out money to buy your book…no matter how good it is.

BUT, if you instead offer to sell your book to the library, then those same folks can come in and check out your book…and if they enjoyed it, they can follow the list you included (you did list your other books as we explained in Hook Your Reader with a 99¢ Book, didn’t you?). It’s almost as if you’re giving away a free copy to a bunch of folks all at once, but you get paid for it!

Distribution

Libraries, as with many bookstores, will only buy books from a wholesale distributor, so your first step is to get listed through as many distributors as you can. KDP’s Extended Distribution Program takes care of a few, but you can do more. Depending on the format of your book, there are different distributors that you need to sign up with.

  • ebook

To get your ebook into libraries, you need Overdrive. You can either go directly to them or use a consolidation service such as Draft2Digital, Publish Drive, or Smash Words* to cover more bases. Of course, adding a middle man will cut into your royalties, but subbing out all that extra work really pays off, and any other sales you make are sales you might not have made at all.

  • Print book (paperback and hard cover)

For all your printed books, you’ll need to go through Ingram Spark. It’s a rather involved process, and they do have an initial set-up fee (as opposed to other sites). If you’re serious about having your book available in more places, you should just consider it an investment.

  • Audio books

For your audio books, use FindAWay Voices. If you already have the audio files, you can upload and use FindAWay just for distribution. If you still need to create the files, they have options similar to other audio book services: pay the full price for the conversion or pay a partial and share the royalties with the narrator.

Get in the Library Listings

Once you’ve gotten into the distributions channels, the second step is to make your book visible to the librarians. The processes to get into these listings is long and laborious, though we may have a future posting that covers all the steps involved. (Let us know if this information would be helpful to you.) The lists you’ll need to access are maintained by Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Midwest Library Service, and Bookazine.

Convince Librarians

Now comes the real work. You need librarians to actually seek out your book in the listings. When you are trying to persuade them, you need to remember that their business is not sales, rather they provide a service. They have different goals than bookstores do. Librarians want to:

  • shelve books their patrons will want to read
  • increase traffic to their site (physical or Internet)
  • serve the folks in their communities
  • most importantly, stay within budget
    (often set by governments or parent organisations)

You should visit your local libraries and give a short pitch (Elevator speech)…offer to give readings or a talk on your subject. It will be good for you—exposure—and good for them—more customers. They are often agreeable to hosting local celebrities (and that’s what you are!), especially if there is an educational aspect to your lecture. See what they need. Then branch out to larger, more distant libraries…citing your local libraries as already having your book…create a snowball effect.

Tools

You‘ll need two tools to make your case.

  • Sales Sheet

A Sales Sheet gives important information about your book. Using a single 8.5×11 sheet, put the title right at the top, then a short paragraph expounding the good points, a picture of the cover, and a short About the Author section. In addition, you need to include the vital details: price, format, trim size, ISBN, publisher, and publication date. Don’t forget your contact info.

  • Author Sheet

Although you have some author info on the Sales Sheet, having a separate Author Sheet gives you more room to brag. Now you’re the focus, so, again on a full 8.5×11 sheet, start with your name and a paragraph all about you and what you can do for them. List topics you are willing to speak on. Include a sample cover of one or two of your best books, and make your contact info plain and clear.

On both sheets, the contact info should include a link to where they can read part of your book…such as on your Author Site. It’s a good idea to include the first few chapters there, so visitors can get a feel for how you write…as well as getting hooked—they’ll just have to buy your book to see how it all comes out.

*We’ve used Smash Words for quite some time, so we’ll be sticking with them. A comment often heard is that their formatting requirements are excessive. Following their free Style Guide is actually a good idea to keep your book organised, for ebook and for print…especially if it’s a long one. Our second choice would be Draft 2 Digital, where they have a disadvantage in that they don’t play well with Amazon…you’ll have to do that for yourself. What they will do for you is all the formatting. Unfortunately, you don’t get your personal touch as you do with Smash Words, so you may not end up with exactly what you want. There are always trade-offs.

Mary Sue (or Marty Stu)

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Earlier we had talked about Author Intrusion, when an author inserts his opinions or beliefs into a story as part of narration…where they don’t belong. Now we’re going to cover what happens when the author literally inserts himself into a story. We use the term self-insertion to refer to this literary device. Not limited to literature, artists during the 16th century occasionally put a self-portrait into paintings they did.

These self-inserted characters (also called author surrogates) are usually blatant representations of the author…taken from the real world and put into the fictional world created by the author. They give authors an opportunity to reveal their philosophy or politics in the story world. When done openly, it gives the author permission to interact with his characters and express personal views…as long as it fits into the story. (Sometimes going so far as having the same name as the author!) Some authors write stories specifically to allow them to pontificate to the world or for humorous or sarcastic effect.

Sometimes an author surrogate exists as a veiled character, with a different name, description, personality…even gender…so the author can distance himself from the actions of the character but still express his stance on various topics. Some aspects of the author will always creep into every character he builds (everything is a little bit autobiographical). The problem is that some characters, intended to be just based on the author, drift into being the author. Unfortunately, when taken too far, the character becomes the author (or vice versa).

Source of the Term

The term Mary Sue (later re-gendered into Marty Stu) originated in the early days of fan fiction. (Fan-fiction is when young writers create stories that take place in existing universes.) Back then, the most common universe used was Star Trek, with Captain Kirk, Mr Spock, Dr McCoy, and Commander Scott. Fan Fiction authors wrote many stories involving those main characters, along with new characters…as it happened, most of the new characters they introduced were specifically intended to represent the writer themselves.

Those author-characters gave rise to the term Mary Sue after Paula Smith wrote a parody in “The Menagerie”, a fan-zine (fan magazine). The main character in the story was Lieutenant Mary Sue, the youngest lieutenant in the fleet. She not only out captained Kirk, and out logic’d Spock, but she also managed to single-handedly rescue all four of the main characters from imprisonment…regrettably (or not so) dying from a disease she caught whilst freeing them. The story ends with everyone on the Enterprise celebrating her birthday as “a national holiday”…”even to this day.”

Nothing is wrong with author surrogates in general, but it sometimes becomes obvious that the author has created a super-character, making him unreasonably skilled or flawless. He has made a self-idealisation of an outrageously gifted author substitute. When an author has created such a super-character so perfect that they never fail, it lacks credibility, and the rest of the story (created just to show off that character’s abilities) falls flat. That is when the term Mary Sue or Marty Stu is applicable to identify the clichéd work.

Spotting a Mary or Marty

If a character is vitally central to the story, always wins the day no matter the obstacles, is impossibly skilled in every task, happens to make all the right decisions, and has remarkable physical characteristics, you might have a Mary Sue.

In fan-fiction, anyone who upstages the pre-existing characters should be questioned. Yes, the author wants his characters to have their moment in the spotlight—but it can’t come at the expense of established characters.

There’s no problem if an author inserts himself into the fictional world. The problem is when he imbues that character with talents unfairly. Maybe the author would personally like to have those abilities…in real life, not just in this story—this is author wish fulfilment.

Caution

Because the term is a put-down, be careful pointing the finger at any character under discussion in your Critique Groups. Just because you don’t like a character doesn’t make them a Mary or Marty. The author may have intended to create an unlikable character. Remember, a true Mary or Marty is unflawed, missing any qualities that make them real, failing to appeal to the reader. Then again, if readers can relate, it can be an escapism for them—who doesn’t wish they were super?

Keep in mind, not every Mary Sue is a stand-in for the author, nor is every stand-in a Mary Sue. The problem arises when the character in question is so amazing that it kills the story…whether or not that character is a proxy for the author. Be careful to not haphazardly apply the label to any character who doesn’t fit into ‘normal’ society…some characters just don’t belong in our society but work well in their fictional world.

Marty Stu

Not to be outdone, many male characters also fit the description of a Mary Sue. We call them Marty Stu, Gary Stu, or Larry Stu (or Sue to keep the same name). As with Mary Sue, Marty is striking, misunderstood, has a heartrending history, and is so ideal as to be disgusting

Although obviously not author surrogates, there are some famous Marty Stu characters. Think about James Bond, Superman, and Wolverine. (Who else gets sliced to bits, shot a dozen times, then just gets up and keeps fighting?) There are arguments about Batman…in his fictional world, they explain how he became so proficient and how he maintains his physical prowess, so the label may not fit.

Amusingly, considering the origin of the name, another famous Marty Stu is Captain Kirk himself!

What Goes on the Copyright Page

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So, you’ve finally finished your story…and you think you’re ready to start printing. Well, as we discussed in Front and Back Matter last year, there are some items that need to be added to the ms to make it a complete book. Most readers wouldn’t miss some of these if you left them out…but reviewers and agents will certainly notice—if the right things aren’t in the right place, it will mark you as an amateur. Proofreaders should note the missing items, but as some of them are optional, ones you want might be overlooked.

This time we’re going to go into depth on the Copyright page…the only page that traditionally starts on the verso side of a sheet. (That is, on the left side, an even numbered page.) This post is a ‘tool’ listing things you don’t want to forget.

What is Required

The only thing that is actually required on the copyright page is the copyright notice itself in its basic form:

  • The word ‘copyright’ or the ‘©’ symbol
  • The year the work was first copyrighted
  • The author’s name

You can get the ‘©’ symbol by typing a ‘c’ in parens…or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl‑Alt‑c. The copyright year is when you completed the ms and it appeared in ‘fixed form’. (We’ll go into that in a bit.) The author’s name is the same as the name on the by-line as recorded in any listing of books. It does not have to be the same as your legal name…if you’re using a pseudonym, then that goes here. Your agent and publisher will know to make the checks out to your legal name.

Let’s deal with that ‘fixed form’ requirement now. In 1886, representatives from almost 200 countries got together in Berne, Switzerland, and established an international agreement on copyrights. The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works declared that a creative work is automatically protected as soon as it is written or recorded on some physical medium. That means, just thinking about your story isn’t enough, nor is writing an outline or a few chapters, but printing it out the whole thing so you can hold it in your hot little hands is quite enough. These days, even saving it onto a hard drive might be enough.

Although there is no need to ‘register’ your copyright to have it be valid, recent court decisions have suggested that it is in your best interest to do so. Without registration, you may be limited to actual damages and lost profits, whereas with a registered work, you could receive statutory damages and attorney’s fees as well.

Optional Items

Other items are traditionally included on the copyright page, and you should consider including them…to look more professional.

  • ISBN

The International Standard Book Number identifies each version or edition of your book. Listing the ISBNs for your print book, ebook, audio book, etc. is a good way to spread the news.

  • Rights and permissions

A standard paragraph that claims all rights to copy the content of the book is important. You should specifically mention certain permissions. It can be as simple as “All rights reserved” or as involved as:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact Author@AuthorSite.com or Publisher@PubSite.com

You can look through any books on your shelf to see the other various ways it can be written.

  • Disclaimer

In case your story seems to be written about some real people, you might want to distance yourself from any such claim by including a disclaimer. Here’s an example:

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, or conversations is entirely coincidental.

If you’re writing non-fiction or memoir, you could include something along the lines of:

Although based on reality, some of the names have been changed and descriptions altered to protect the identities of persons involved.

Note: We do not offer legal advice here, so if you are uncertain as to the legality of your work, please seek the advice of a licensed Intellectual Property attorney.

Additional Items

  • Design, production, editing, illustration credits

You should use the Acknowledgements page to give thanks to certain folks for helping to create your book, but here you should give official mention of those who have made your book possible.

  • Publisher’s address

Your publisher may insist on this, along with a logo. He deserves mention for all the work he does to get your work before the eyes of the world.

  • Trademark notices

If you’ve used any trademarked names you should identify their ownership, but consider if they are really needed: Product Placement.

  • Edition information

Especially useful for non-fiction is to indicate which Edition this printing is. All you need is “First Edition” or “Second Edition” etc.

  • Country in which the book was printed

Some readers are concerned where their goods are coming from, so you’d include this info to ease their minds.

  • Environmental notices

Mentioning that the paper has been certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program, or that the ink is organically based, are nods to the environmental awareness of the author and printer.

  • Ordering information

Along with listing other version of the book under the ISBN section, you can include references to sites where this or other books by the author can be found.

  • Author website

Definitely included on the About the Author page, you can additionally list contact info for the author here.

Include the ones you want and feel are necessary for your book, but don’t try to be everything to everyone.