I made a video where I go in-depth talking about my writing process and share all of my best tips on how to write a novel.
This is my first writing video on my channel, so please let me know if you guys would like to see more videos and/or posts like this!
There are eight hundred million and four writing tips out there on the internet (yes, that is an exact number). More than half of them contradict each other. Many of them only work for the people offering that particular piece of advice. And when I was a new writer, I ate those tips up. I read so many blog posts and articles and interviews about the right way to write. The right way to make a book. The right way to write fight scenes/dialogue/sex scenes/humor/suspense/description/an ending/etc/etc/etc.
I listened to the advice of my favorite authors most of all because, of course, I wanted to write something as awesome as their books that I loved so much.
So I tried writing a certain number of words each day. I wrote every day. I wrote at the same time every day. I wrote in a specific space. I followed an outline. I followed a formula. I plotted certain story points at 25%, 50%, 75%, etc the way through the story. I bent over backwards to follow these arbitrary “rules” because I wanted my writing to be good. And I wasn’t confident enough in my own writing to realize that it already was, and I didn’t need to mirror anyone else for that to happen.
So even though I have plenty of my articles here on this blog with writing tips and whatnot, what I’m trying to say here is that you don’t have to listen to them. You don’t have to listen to a single one of them. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t, it just means you don’t have to.
I think as writers we like to hear about other writers’ processes and methods out of curiosity. It’s interesting to see how people tackle the same task differently. But that doesn’t mean there’s one right way to do it. There’s a million ways to do it, actually.
The important thing is to figure out what way works for you.
So feel free to let writing tips and the writing processes of accomplished authors guide you, but always remember that in the end, you’re looking for your own process. Figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. And the only way you’re going to do that is by trial and error.
I don’t like writing advice because sometimes they imply that writing is a one size fits all activity. And it’s not.
So knock yourself out. Read every writing article you can get your hands on—I did, and sometimes I still do—but learn to take what you need from them and discard the rest. Find what works for you, and be confident enough in yourself and in your writing to know what’s right for you.
What do you think of writing advice?
Write on, friends 😉
So, you’ve written a book. But not just any book. This is the book, as in, the most-awesome-book-ever-in-the-whole-world-oh-my-gosh-it’s-that-good book. It’s perfect just as it is, and surely, surely it must be published this instant for the world to see and enjoy and praise. Second drafts? No need. Editing? Who needs that when you have natural talent? Research? Totally unnecessary. Your book is so good, you don’t need to know how the industry works. The work will speak for itself.
…so then why isn’t it getting published?
1. You call it a fiction novel
Hold onto your hats, kids. I’m about to blow your minds. ‘Fiction’ and ‘novel’ are the same thing. Saying “fiction novel” does not make you sound fancy or sophisticated. People will not be impressed and ooed or awed. They will roll their eyes and toss your work aside without a second thought.
2. You’re going to be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King; therefore, your novel must be at least 800 pages.
“Does anything happen in these 800 pages?”
“Yes! Lots of things happen! Hundreds of things!”
“Do those ‘hundreds of things’ work together?”
“….are they supposed to?”
3. Half way through your story you worry readers may get bored, so a horde of demons randomly attack your hero, because kids like demons now-a-days, right? Maybe throw in some vampires. Those are popular.
4. It’s riddled with metaphors and similes because you think it makes you sound deep and profound.
Such as: She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
Or: Alice and Alex had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
Or even better: Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.
Or my favorite: It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.
Or perhaps the best: Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
5. Your main character is the perfect version of you living out your fantasies. This 1) makes your character completely unrealistic 2) boring 3) most of the time unlikable and 4) there is no point to your plot except that the guy gets the girl/money/fame/whatever this weird version of you desires, and guess what, no one wants to read that except the person who wrote it.
More hilariously bad similes for your enjoyment here. 🙂
Write on, friends. 😉
If you have any more new writer mistakes, please do share them in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Today I’d like to talk to you about getting feedback on your writing. This is a must-have in my own process, whether it be feedback from my beta readers, my critique partners, or just some super helpful strangers in awesome online writing communities who help with my query letters (AgentQuery Connect has awesome forums for all kinds of things of this nature). Getting a second opinion on your story from someone who can look at the story completely objectively is invaluable, in my humble opinion.
However, I’ve also come to learn that the way you approach this feedback is just as important.
I can be insanely insecure about my writing when it comes to allowing others to read it–as are many writers, at least the ones I know. I’m also incredibly stubborn and persistent, and am willing to write a book twenty times over if it means making it the best it can be. So when someone else offers suggestions for improvement, my initial urge is to jump on it, almost blindly.
This happened fairly recently when I had some other sets of eyes give me their opinions on a query letter. A lot of the comments I received were very helpful, and ultimately the query turned out better because of them. Some of the comments, however, weren’t right for the query, and the changes would not have improved the letter. It wasn’t until after I spent hours trying to reword and rephrase a section of the letter that someone told me to change that I realized I liked the sentence the way it was. I liked how it conveyed the tone of my novel and my writing style. And so I went with my gut, and kept it.
I think there is definitely merit in getting second opinions and following advice when necessary. I also think there comes a time when you need to look at these comments and revisions, and ask yourself who knows your story best. (Hint: the answer is you) At the end of the day, you and your work are never going to please everyone. So you’re going to have to decide if you’re going to change your work to try to achieve this impossible feat, or if you’re going to trust yourself as a writer, go with your gut, and make the hard decisions that you believe are right for your story.
The point of this ramble is this: Trust yourself. Trust your instincts. Go with your gut.
And write on, friends.
When many writers talk about their revision process, they usually mention the importance of critique partners or writing groups. I, like many others, attest that this step in the revision process is so extremely helpful and not to be overlooked.
I’m personally knee deep in another set of revisions on my current WIP, and am lucky enough to have fabulous critique partners who have helped me pull this manuscript out of the gutters.
Critique partners are so important, and for so many reasons. No matter how much time and distance you put between you and your manuscript, you still wrote it. You created those characters, breathed life into their story, loved them and tortured them until you typed the end at three in the morning before collapsing into a pile of utter exhaustion. And no amount of time or distance is going to change that. This isn’t to say you can’t revise and edit your own manuscript, because you should, but you should also get a fresh pair of eyes—or two, or three—to look it over. Because these people who didn’t write your WIP can give you something that no matter how hard you try, you can’t give yourself.
They can tell you what they see from a reader’s point of view.
Especially on their first read-through, they don’t know your story. They don’t know how your world works or the backstories for all of your characters. Vague lines don’t automatically make sense to them as they would to you because you understand what it’s referring to that happens 200 pages later. Critique partners see what you can’t—or what you don’t want to—and have the ability to make your manuscript infinitely better, in my humble opinion.
Finding the perfect critique partner, as I’m sure you’ve heard, is like finding your soul mate. It isn’t easy, and sometimes you have to go through a couple of no-good fits before you find your perfect match. And that’s okay as long as you keep looking.
Because, trust me, it’s worth it once you find one that believes in your manuscript just as much as you do.
Do you use critique partners? Share your thoughts; I’d love to hear what you think!
I’ve been through about seven drafts of my current WIP. It’s passed through the hands of multiple critique partners in various stages, and I’ve invested in printing the whole thing out so I can edit on paper. However, it still wasn’t perfect. There were still kinks littered between the lines that I just couldn’t decipher. I knew something wasn’t working. I just couldn’t figure out why.
So I handed the first chapter off to two other people—people I trust—and asked them to read it while I sat there. One had read the entire manuscript already. One had never read a single sentence. They paused every few lines and told me their train of thought as they read. Sentences that didn’t work. Dialogue that didn’t flow. Character’s decisions that didn’t make sense. My first chapter is only five pages at this point, but we sat there for over an hour, discussing what didn’t work, why it didn’t work, and planning how to fix it.
The person who had already read the entire novel had a very different perspective than the person who was reading it for the first time. So I had valuable insight from someone who was familiar with the plot, and someone who was not.
Now this is a very different process than when I get notes emailed to me from my critique partner. I watched the reader’s face as they read my words, watched their reactions, and had extensive discussion on every component of that first chapter. And after brainstorming and talking it out, I’ve finally figured out why the opening doesn’t work.
If you’re struggling with your manuscript, I’d highly suggest carving an hour out of your schedule and sitting down with someone else. Talking through it aloud helped me more than I ever would have thought.
How do you work out the kinks when you’re putting on the finishing touches? Let me know in the comments 🙂
There are a handful of words that somehow sneak past my radar and into my writing even though I know, I know, they shouldn’t be there. They always end up scattered through the pages, anyway–and it’s usually quite a few of them.
Today I thought I’d share a list of the words I have to keep an eye out for when I’m editing. 99 times out of 100, they can be deleted.
What words do you give the chopping block when you edit?
I’ve learned many things over the years as I’ve completed, revised, and trashed multiple manuscripts. Today I have three general lessons to share with you about deleting your work, word count, and dialogue.
1. Deleting gets easier.
My current WIP started off at 92,000 words. I went through about six drafts, cutting and trimming each go, and it currently sits at 85,000 words. Because of my inevidable anxiety issues when it comes to deleting those hard earned words, I copy and paste into a new file (giving me one unblemished version in case I change my mind later, so I never delete anything for good.) and hack away. At first I was trimming 500-1000 words per draft, (after I finished with major revisions) but by the sixth draft, I wasn’t as attached to my work. Instead of debating over every little sentence I thought was brilliant when I wrote it, I could almost immediately recognize when something needed to be cut.
It gets easier.
And you have to delete.
I threw out a lot of passages that I thought were beautiful and showed off my skills as a writer. And that’s why I had to cut them. My novel isn’t about bragging about how well I can write. It’s about the story. Those frivolous passages were not furthering my story; therefore, they got the axe.
2. Word Count: Who Cares?
Don’t look at your word count or page count when you’re writing. It doesn’t matter. You can deal with the technicalities when you’re finished, but for now, don’t write for the sake of words or pages. Write what you need to tell the story. Worry about length later.
3. Dialogue: Go with your gut.
By the time I sit down to write, I know my character so well that I’m one of those crazy people who hears voices in her head. I can hear my characters clearly, and I know exactly how they talk and what they’d say in certain situations. I never have to force my dialogue. I don’t force them to have dialects or use slang that they wouldn’t use to give them a unique voice. I let their conversation flow, and let the characters say what they want to say with no forcing on my part.
If you’re having trouble writing realistic dialogue, spend your time on character work—really getting to know your characters—and then try again. Don’t try to force natural conversation. Voice is not something you can force.
What have you learned about writing through trial and error? Share your thoughts!
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