Author Jean Davis

Saturday, April 21, 2018

A to Z - All Things Writing: Synopsis

Welcome to the Blogging A to Z Challenge, where, this month, I'll be focusing on all things writing. This may be a random jumping around of topics within my theme, but hopefully something somewhere will be useful to someone. (V is for vague - see that last sentence.) Check out all the participants here . Now, lets get on with today's letter.

S is for Synopsis

Did you write an outline for your novel? If you didn't start with one, go write one now. Yes, post-novel. It will make writing your synopsis so much easier.

You know what happens in your novel, but now that you're ready to publish or submit your novel for publication, you're going to have to start telling other people what your novel is about. Coherently. The way to do that is to boil down that whole novel into a few pages. If you've never done this before, it might sound impossible. It's not. I promise.

With that outline in hand, write two to three sentences about each chapter. What important steps to does your main character take and why? What will happen if they don't succeed? If big things happen to supporting characters, mention that too. Try to be as conscience as possible. It doesn't have to be super pretty. This stage is only for you. You've just created a synopsis for each chapter. That wasn't so hard, was it?

Now, take those pages and read them through. Consider how to tell your story in brief to someone who hasn't read it yet, using the map you've written for yourself. You have a main character who has a goal. There is some opposing force. There are stakes. There may be secondary characters or multiple main characters who have important roles in the main plot or big subplots. Don't try to get into detail, but you do need to cover the highlights from beginning to end and make it sound engaging. Aim for three pages maximum.

Got the novel down to three pages? Groovy. Now make it one page.

Take that one page and that's what you can work from to create your query letter or back cover blurb. Both of these should not contain the end or the whole plot, but do need to have some of the information you have in your hand and they also need to be engaging. We'll cover those more on X day.

Congratulations, you made it through the step man writers dread. Once you've done this a time or two, it gets easier and involves far less hair pulling and slamming of your head against the desk.

Do you like or dread writing your synopsis?

Would you like a free e-book? This April, I'm giving away free copies of my new anthology, Destiny Pills & Space Wizards. Claim your copy here: https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/vhJFWpLL Enter code atozpromo

Prefer paperback? The print book goes live on April 20. Reviews are always appreciated.

Friday, April 20, 2018

A to Z - All Thing Writing: Rewriting

R is for Rewriting

This is the stage where the magic happens. You've written the end on your first draft. You've read it over and made some notes. Maybe you've done that post-draft outline I mentioned earlier this month or you have your original outline to refer to. Now its time to hit the ground running and clean up this mess.

Rewriting is crucial step if you've picked up an old draft with the intent to finish it or have added a bunch of scenes to a previously 'finished' piece.

My favorite method of rewriting works like this:

1. Save a copy of the first draft as draft two. This preserves all your precious original words for posterity. While I do this to make myself feel better, like I have a safety net if I screw something up along the way, I've never resorted to going back to the first draft again. Nevertheless, it frees up your conscience for rewriting.

2. If the draft doesn't totally suck, (like this is your fifth or sixth novel and you've got this writing thing down somewhat AND the first draft wasn't a bear to write), you might choose to carefully read over every line scene by scene, consider what needs to be changed while consulting your notes and outline and proceed through the book.

2A. Or, as is often the case for me, there are a lot of changes that need to be made. To prevent writing a frankennovel (created when too many bits and pieces are frantically sewn together) I rewrite the entire thing. Yes, every word. Starting at the top of the document, paragraph one, I write the new paragraph one below it, delete the old on and proceed to the next paragraph. You're probably thinking this sounds like a hell of a lot of work. Really, it's not. You're not having to think so much about putting a whole draft together now. It's about making what you already have, better.

What should you be looking for while rewriting?

• Word choice - can you say things clearer or without so many words?

• Voice - the frame of mind in which you started the book and where it ended are probably different. Now that you know the ending and all the leads up to it, you can go through make it cohesive.

• Description - if you didn't add much of that the first time around, now's the time. There's also the possibility that you only discovered what some of the setting, characters, and gizmos were in the middle or end of the book and they need to be added into the beginning.

• Plot fixes - this includes adding scenes to properly foreshadow events or introduce characters, ironing out scenes, cutting subplots that didn't end up being needed, etc.

Keep in mind that this isn't a pass where you should be super focused on typos and micro edits. This step is about getting the story itself into shape. Edits after this stage will add polish.

Do you rewrite or skip right to editing?

Prefer paperback? The print book goes live on April 20. Reviews are always appreciated.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

A to Z - All Things Writing: Questions Make The Best Critiques

Q is for Questions Make The Best Critiques

I've been trading critiques for ten years or so and I can easily say that my favorite ones have asked me questions. Sure they tell me what they like and what they don't, and I'm always open to suggestions if someone has a better way to convey something, but it's the questions that are golden.

I know what I mean. I can see the story in my head and hear the character speak. I know why they're doing what they're doing. But is that on the page? Is it deep enough? Is it clear enough? Logical to anyone other than me? Not always.

So if anyone ever asks you to critique or beta read for them, do them a favor and ask questions. Obviously, questioning everything would get on the writer's nerves in no time, but if you're wondering something, ask. Even if it's something that you find out is explained two chapter later. I'd like to know when you start to wonder about it. Is it in the best interest of the story to keep that information from the reader for two more chapters or do I need to drop a little more info earlier on?

Why is the character doing this? I would think they would act this way: ____
What does this place look like?
Remind the writer to use senses. What does that old woman smell like?
Did the writer through some unexplained gizmo into the story? Am I supposed to know how this thing works?

There are so many possible questions. Don't hesitate to be inquisitive. And writers, don't answer the person asking. Put the answers in the story.

Some of my favorite parts of books I've written came from answering questions asked by critique partners and editors. Think of it as your chance to ask the writer instead of yelling at the tv, "Why are those kids going into the dark woods in the deserted summer camp to make out?"

One question can spark a whole train of inspiration. Never be afraid to ask.

Prefer paperback? The print book goes live on April 20. Reviews are always appreciated.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

A to Z - All Things Writing : Plotters and Pantsers

P is for Plotters and Pantsers

If you get a bunch of writers together in the same room or forum, you'll soon learn that there are two main camps. There are pantsers and plotters. Building off of yesterdays outlining post, this seemed an appropriate direction to wander.

Plotters, are those organized writers who spends weeks or months or even longer in preparation before ever committing a word to the actual story. They outline, research, and create character sheets. Plotters might even break the whole book down by scene and know what happens and who will be in it. I've met a couple of people who do just that. Once they get to writing, it's just a matter of filling in the scene and checking it off. This sounds like the perfect method for those who like to jump around while writing that first draft because everything is still relatively organized.

A plotter would know their character, Gary's every quirk, his detailed physical description, that he failed math in the fourth grade, that he has a rash on his left elbow and prefers blondes because they remind him of the hot lady that used to live next door when he was twelve.

Pantsers like to just sit down and marvel at the words that flow from their fingers. Their stories seem to have a life of their own, twisting and turning in unexpected directions from day to day. You might often hear a pantser saying something like their character isn't speaking to them or they aren't behaving. If you're a plotter, this may sound like a bit of nonsense or outright insanity. Sorry, it's just how we write. We're often surprised by where our story is going and where it ends up.

A panster would say: Wow, when this story started I had no idea Gary was gay and that he was allergic to olives and that's what would spur him into discovering the cure for feline baldness!

Then there are the plantsers, the hybrid writers who plan a little and wing the rest.

Which one are you?

Prefer paperback? The print book goes live on April 20. Reviews are always appreciated.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

A to Z - All Things Writing: Outlines

O is for Outlines

Some writers live for outlines others despise them as creative cages. I'm not an outline fan. I prefer to surprised and excited about where the story goes as I figure out it. It makes it easier for me to write in an engaging fashion if I'm interested in where the story is going just as much as the reader will be. That's just how my creative process works.

Outliners are more organized. Their rewriting process is probably a less extensive than mine because they knew where their story was going from the start. I tend to have to go back and add details or whole characters and scenes to properly set up later events.

You can outline to any degree. Again, there's not right or wrong way to do it. It could be as little as a short paragraph or a couple bullet points per chapter all the way to mapping out every scene.

So should you outline or not? There's no right or wrong answer. You'll have to find what works best for your writing process. If you've never tried an outline, give it a whirl. You might be converted to a plotter. If you write an outline and you find you've lost all will to write because the story lost it's creative magic, then outlining isn't for you.

Personally, I prefer the after-outline method as part of my rewriting/first edit process. Because I don't do one before I start the story, it is very helpful to do one after I have the rough draft in hand. I already have the words on the page, so I no longer feel hampered by having to stick with a plan. The after method gives me a good idea of where changes need to me made to make the plot flow better and to make the characters more active and add more tension. This outline is also the starting point for my synopsis, which we'll cover on S day.

Do you outline?