Are We There Yet?

Oh boy, remember this line in Shrek II?

My two daughters used to say this a lot when we'd travel during the day... and it always irked. As an adult, parent and a writer, though, I find myself thinking that when I get close to:

1) The end of ANY tale I'm writing; and

2) The end of any Series I'm working on.

In the last couple of months I've finished one series (my loosely termed Celtic Cupid) and I'm trying (vainly it feels like) to get to the end of the Reunion series.

The end is there, just out of reach. So close I can smell it... The sweet rich aroma of bubbles that I'll crack in celebration. (Cor Blimey! I can't wait!!!)

Yet I find myself procrastinating.

I'll visit Facebook, Twitter (or even blog!) It's not really time wasting I tell myself. It's networking... chatting, gathering ideas.

It's not that I don't want to finish this tale. Far from it. I know these characters so well that I could even tell you what colour their underwear is (well, you know, I wrote the first sex scene for them!)

It's more than that. I get tired of them. Of pushing and pummelling, of thinking and rethinking and rewriting. I love them and their story but like anything, when you live in close proximity, it wears you down with the day to day angst.

I know where the story is going (vaguely)

I know they will end up together.

Yet, somehow that last hard burst of motivation is lacking on my side.

But I'm persistent. It needs finishing. So I will. Hopefully not today or maybe even tomorrow, though the end is only a couple of thousand words away...

I'll get there, just so I can post:

How will I get there? Well I might write down what scenes still need writing, I might have my friends set me goals. It will depend from day to day... But it will be done. It'll be raw, but then it's going to sit and filter through my brain as I prepare it for editing.

Then, give me a week or two and I'll be ready to edit this sucker and polish it. Once that's done, it will be ready for my editor.

And I just can't wait!

Imogene (who's heading back to the writing cave!)

Writing Believable Dialogue

Congratulations!  So now you have hunted and picked through your manuscript.  Found all those tricky nasty little commas and spelling errors that we talked about in the previous craft entry.  But Wait!  You’re still only part way to a completed manuscript.

Welcome to the world of dialogue and action – another essential part of a well rounded manuscript.

Before we begin, what exactly is a dialogue or action tag?  Great question, young Padawan.  A dialogue tag is she said, he murmured, she grunted...  Likewise an action tag is he laughed, she danced, he rode...

Dialogue tags (and action tags too) should only be used sparingly.  You can also find a wealth of different ways to share that information... she hissed, he yelled, she bellowed... don’t use said, said, said... it does become monotonous otherwise.

 

Image courtesy of [anankkml/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So dialogue... how do we present it? 

Dialogue is when we speak.  In Starburst, I have this piece of writing...

            “Is there something I can do for you, Meredith?”

Meredith’s eyes glazed with passion, and he watched, fascinated, as a red flush crept up her cheeks. She licked her lips, sending a surge of awareness through his body.

“I, um…I came to see how you were feeling.” Her eyes flicked nervously, as if she didn’t know where to look, and he smiled, feeling triumph roar through him. He had guessed—well, rather hoped—that she too felt that quick spark of lust. Yet his experience remained limited to vids and reading, so he hadn’t been totally sure. At least, not until now.

The dialogue is short and snappy without going on and on.  One thing new writers do is write long sections of dialogue without stopping or breaking it up somehow.  It does become tiring to read so remember to break it up with action.  But just remember the action must belong...

“I really like that bra you are wearing.”  He turned the music up in the club as everyone gyrated on the floor.  “I’d rather see it off you though.”

Sure I broke up the dialogue but the actions don’t match the words what was going on in the story (unless they are about to do something on the dance floor... uhh, maybe not, though.)

Dialogue that doesn’t fit the natural cadence of speech is another issue for young writers.  Do you know anyone who speaks like this?

                “I can not see how you will possibly take control of the ship.”

More likely the people you know would say: “I can’t see how you’ll take control of the ship.”  This dialogue is more believable, simply because saying ALL the words gives it a formality that we don’t use anymore.

There are times, when this rule doesn’t apply though.  If you are writing a character from another planet/time/culture then you need to be aware and careful of the cadence of their speech patterns.

All dialogue should be able to be attributed to a single speaker.  If you can’t then you may need to employ a dialogue tag (be careful there!) or give them an action (action tag) so we can tell who did or said what.

Keep the dialogue appropriate to the character being portrayed.  A young girl, for example, about to have her first sexual experience is unlikely to cry out...

                “I’m coming... Oh My God!”

In fact, this character is more likely to be unsure, and say something along the lines of...

               

                “I don’t... What’s... ohhh...”

When action takes over

Okay, I’m going to try to keep the action section brief.  Action is any act or movement undertaken by a character.  It must, at all times, be meaningful.    You also need to be aware that in most cases there is a natural progression to the actions.

You can’t have a character kissing the hero and sighing at the same time.  It isn’t physically possible.  So, you need to give the actions a progression.

He kissed her softly on the lips, then drew away.  She exhaled.  Nothing more than a sigh escaping her lips.

Alternative:

He kissed her.  The she sighed.

Two actions in natural progression. Believable.   In the alternative, it’s still there, a natural progression but with nothing to soften it or draw the reader in.  I know which I prefer...

Action should also be paced.  Slow, medium or fast.  Your use of a variety of verbs can help to set that pace effectively.  The Emotional Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is a great title to help with setting the pace.

 Image courtesy of [Arvind Balaraman/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Imogene’s tips to dialogue and action:

·         Work out who your character is and then write the dialogue to match with their level of experience, age or even when or where they live.

·         Keep the dialogue and action tags to a minimum.

·         Break up your dialogue with appropriate actions.

·         Remember to look for the natural progression in the actions of the character, always remembering to ask can they do this while doing that?

·         Keep an eye on body parts that do actions without the rest of the body.

·         If you can’t easily work out who is speaking or acting, then you need to find another way to present that action or speech so the reader can work it out quickly.

Some Resources:

                The Everything Guide to Writing You First Novel – Hallie Ephron

                Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies – Leslie Wainger

A word from: Alysha Ellis

Dialogue tags are words like said, replied asked. There is nothing wrong with dialogue tags especially the word said, provided it is not over used, but active writing requires the use of action tags as well.

“I am angry,” he said.  There are several ways this can be made more active. The dialogue is in inverted commas so most of the time we know he said it. Already then, you are wasting your readers’ time telling them what they can figure out for themselves. He questioned or he asked are the same.

He said is also telling.  You could write he said angrily but adding an adverb is not advisable (see above). Even worse is the constant use of dialogue tags like he argued, he harangued, he warned, he lectured. These are called bookisms and are not well received (In spite of what elementary school teachers try to tell you.) One or two now and then might work, but not if they are too extreme. So what do you do? You use action tags. These have the advantage of being different and most of all they SHOW...always your first and most important aim.

“I am angry.” He punched his fist into the wall, and paced the room.

Or His cheeks turned flame red, and two line bracketed his narrowed lips. “I am angry.”

The skill is to get a balance, making sure nothing is overused and that you do not double up, using dialogue tags when you have a suitable action tag in place.

AUTHOR BIO& LINKS

 

I write stories your mother would never let you read, even now that you're all grown up - but what Mama don't know can't hurt her. Live on the wild side a little. Bad girls have all the fun!

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Rejections and New Writers

Writing that first book is exciting.  We get to pour our hearts and souls out on paper and watch as our stories, buds and blooms.  There is nothing quite like seeing the finished product for the first time, or cradling it once it’s printed out.  But after the first draft is completed... What then?

Editing for submission is an unknown quantity for many when first embarking on finding a publisher. What do you do?  How do you "tighten it up" or make sure you are in the right POV? (Point of View)

Some make the mistake of thinking that when the first draft is completed it is ready to send off, while others look and fiddle for months and even years, hoping that their editing will prepare it for submission.

Over the next few months, I’m hoping to present some ways new authors can work through their manuscript, to whip that piece of writing into shape, ready to submit to a publisher.

I intend to focus on a couple of important factors including, writing dialogue, knowing when and how to edit your paragraphs and even basics such as, spelling & punctuation.

I’ve also asked some of my good friends to weigh in and give their thoughts on each subject as well.

Without further ado, I present:

 Image courtesy of [anankkml/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Grappling with Spelling and Punctuation

A friend of mine recently was taken to task for her spelling and punctuation.  As an author, this is something you should be hyper aware of. So below, I'm outlining some things to consider when editing.

These are all starting points, and not in any way should they be considered comprehensive, but hopefully new writers will find something in the following, which will give them a place to start.

Imogene’s suggestions for pre-submission editing:

• Slow down your production rate for a while as you work through the steps. Keep to the old adage... More haste, less speed - it will really help you to get your book ready for publishing.
• In terms of the spelling, it's quite simple. Use the auto correct on the computer to guide you in the first instance and have a good dictionary. This isn't foolproof, but you'll learn to become less reliant as you go along – so long as you take into account the suggestions of the computer and check the meaning of doubtful words.  
• For dealing with tricky apostrophe's and commas, you could invest in a good primer. William Strunk, Jr. produced The Elements of Style – it’s a very well respected resource.  You could go with something like, Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Neither are "read it through" kind of books but if you scan through them, when you are looking for the information you will have an idea where you can refer to, as needed.
• Get a good critique partner.  One who will be brutal with your work, but that you feel comfortable with.  Ask them to work with you to find your weaknesses, then actively find a way to address them.  Become aware in your writing of these problems so you can attack them when they crop up.  Same with spelling, if you have certain words that continue to be an issue, highlight them and work on learning the correct spelling.
• Join a writing group - if face to face is your thing, then find a group nearby to pass your work to for some basic pointers and critiques.  If a critique partner program is available, sign up.  Just remember that your partner may work fulltime, have children or other commitments.  So be fair with the workload you give them.  Start slowly and work up to full manuscripts.
• If in doubt, it’s worth paying for an expert editor to pick through your work, you'll get timely feedback and hopefully suggestions on what to look out for next time.  Just remember to check they are registered with the Australian Publisher's Society.
• Remember your target audience.  If you are targeting a US publisher, ensure your spelling is Americanized.  If you intend publishing UK, Aus or even NZ then be aware to use english spelling.

 Image courtesy of [Arvind Balaraman/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A word from: Khloe Wren

I've always been a poor speller, without spell check I never would have survived as a secretary for nine years or been able to write my books. As Imogene said, it's not always right, but it's a good start. I Google words too, if I'm unsure on its spelling or meaning. There are some great websites www.dictionary.com or www.thesaurus.com are two I use regularly.

When I wrote my first book, I hadn't met many authors yet so I didn't have anyone who could critique my work. I got a friend who has studied English Lit at Uni to look over my manuscript. She picked up a lot of things, once fixed I got a group of good friends to read over it for me. I got about ten people all up to read it. I gave them all highlighters with the printed manuscript and told them to be brutal, I told them I didn't just want to hear how much the loved it but wanted every spelling and grammar error removed. They all did a great job, some better than others of course, but in the end my manuscript was accepted on my first submission.

I now have a wonderful small group of author friends who help me with my work, as I help them. Never feel like you can't ask for help! Just remember every author started out as a newbie at some point and had others help them, we all like to 'pay it forward' and help other new authors. All you need do is ask!

Getting your manuscript ready for submission is not a quick process. One of the worst things an author can do, I think, is rush the process. I'm a bit of perfectionist so go over my manuscripts many, many times before I let it out into the world. Your manuscript is your professional image, it's how a publisher will determine how serious you are as a writer. Make sure you make the right statement, first time, every time.

xo

Khloe Wren

AUTHOR BIO& LINKS

Khloe Wren started writing her first novel in high school, until it mysteriously disappeared from the family computer (her older brother was the lead suspect but nothing was ever proved). She didn't put pen to paper again after that for a number of years but she did keep reading. Khloe has always loved all things paranormal: sexy vampires and sultry shifters have always been her favourites. So when she picked up writing again, it seemed only natural to write paranormal romance.

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Release Day...my journey through editing.

With less than 4 hours to release, I'm am sitting hunched over my computer, working on book 2, Starfire. In its own way, it is a much bigger story. I know, because I have learnt so much since writing Starline.

Anyway, I thought though it might be nice to get an insight in what happens once a book is finished being written (as in that really rough first draft on your computer.) Yeah, it may be written, but that is just the beginning of the tale.

So you have written a story. Fabulous. There is such a sense of accomplishment with that. So what do you do next?

For me, the next step is print it and walk away. Take at least a week, or if you can manage it, longer. Why? For me, it was purely a sense of being way too close to the story. I knew the story, deep in my bones. I could read and reread sentences without realising my spelling or grammar were wrong. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and blurs the edges of things you know. In writing it is the same. While the story is still sharp in your mind, every word, paragraph and scene stand out in sharp detail.

Go back to your manuscript and be hard. Given a week or longer, take one or more highlighters and go through. Highlight mistakes, grammar that doesn't read right. And read it out loud. Take your time, this baby of yours is precious. But it's still probably a pig in a poke if your write like me.

Once you have made changes, let someone else read it. And this is a really hard part. Don't pick family or friends who will tell you how nice it is. Sure that is great for the ego, but you need someone who is going to pick the thing to bits. Lots and Lots of bits. Trust me, this is the hard part of editing before you submit. Find someone who has good english skills and will be brutally honest with you.

Now what? You're going to feel either blue or bouyant. Be kind to yourself. Make the corrections if they feel right. If they don't, work out why you don't think they should happen. Be critical and honest about your work. If you are lucky and you can find a group of people who can critique for you, let them. A good Crit Partner will be honest but also supportive. :) (I know my main crit partner is!)

Let them read the corrected version. Talk to them about why you are making changes or not. Now here's the rub, though. Not every written work is fabulous. An excellent critique partner will tell you to your face if it's rot - nicely and kindly, but will let you know. We all need one of them. Oh, and this step may get repeated several times before you are happy. It's the old rinse and repeat cycle :)

Finally happy? Phew! Then you get to look around for publishing houses that are a good fit for your writing. You might like to consider entering a couple of competitions before taking this step though. The feedback is invaluable, I have found. It put me on the road to where I am now.

If you do, be prepared for honest reviews. Not everything is nice and palatable, but most judges are writers who have been in your position. They offer feedback, not to be negatively critical, but to help you become the writer you could be. Honestly, I can't stress this enough.

So you entered competitions, found a publisher and think they are a good fit. You send in your submission, checking that you have your synopsis, letter and manuscript attached, having followed their requirements to the absolute letter, down to the name of the manuscript file. You wait, and wait some more. You check your emails, and find...a rejection. Okay. This is part of the life of an author. Not every book will fit every publishing house. And you know what? That's okay. Some will give you excellent personalised feedback and others will say that they don't do that. Each house handles it in their own way.

Important tip. Accept their decisions. Your book may be a King Blockbuster in the waiting. You may know that in your bones, but if they don't accept it, arguing won't make them think of it any more kindly.

Once you find the right place for your book, then you get to edit it again. This is hard, because your editor will be looking at it critically. Not because they are awful. They want you to have the book as strong as possible before sending it off into the world. Some houses do more editing than others. You may have 2 rounds, you may have 5 or 6. (And this is really hard, because you will have a deadline to complete the edits by.)

Finally, the final edit is in, you get your final copies to check and send back. Take your time! Check thoroughly and when you are happy return it. Now sit back and wait. Slowly.

Really. Hard.

This is me. I'm waiting. But you know what? In less than 4 hours my baby will be out in the world.

Writing is hard. It's exhausting and at times even lonely. But you know what? I can't think of too much else I would rather be doing.

Imogene

Snakes, Kids, Christmas and Editing...what else can happen?

The title says it all, I think. :( The week has barely begun and I am running behind. A million miles behind.

Last night, I was editing chapters 13 & 14 until about 11'ish. I finally finished, saved and packed up for the night. Crawl between the sheets and hubby says, "Gee, I hope you're doing it right." Heart failure nearly ensued. That is NOT the question an aspiring author needs when she is running on not enough sleep, during edits. Let me assure you of that immediately. :) The funny thing is, I got the gist of what he meant, but, you know what? It's summer holidays here in Australia. My teenaged daughters are BOTH on holidays, less then 2 weeks to Christmas (so no cooking is happening just yet) and yes, knee deep in edits. My head is literally a mess. I haven't even finished the shopping...oh and one daughter has a birthday on the 23rd and the other on the 3oth of December. I really didn't plan that one well at all. Oh and I haven't made an appointment to see the hairdresser for Christmas. Think I might luck out on that.

Today, I needed to look through and finalise chapters 15 and the conclusion. Simple? No.I

n case you can't tell...this is so much harder than I expected. I'm not really sure what I thought edits would be like. I edited before submitting, so yeah, I thought I had a great handle on what I was doing. Now? Not quite so sure.

My editor is great though. She said she is going through and loving the story. That helps. LOTS. The other nice thing is, once this is cleared off my desk, I have 2 stories waiting for me to pre-submit edit them.

So, here I am, tapping out my blog, finally finished the edits and sent them through, waiting for hubby to come home and deal with the crisis of the snake, the kids are busy (the house is quiet - I probably should be worried, but peace is reigning supreme) so I am going to take the chicken route. Wait til I'm needed. Lol!

Emails, telephone and kids. Editing love scenes with kids wandering into the office is not easy. :) But the crowning glory? A snake. In the laundry. Long and gray and just sitting there. Right. Not doing ANY washing until it is gone.

Bright notes? Lots!

I'm visiting Barbara Westbrook for her Christmas Recipe Blog on the 15th December...

I'm blogging for the Secret Cravings Publishing 1st Anniversary Blog Hop on January 5 - lots of great giveaways and prizes, including a Kindle Fire.

January is also Choc Block full of visitors including:

• Dawne Prochilo
• Shannon West
• Raine Delight
• Natalie Bates

Oh and Australia Day (26 January) I have an Aussie SCP author Jan Graham

So, signing off for now. Remember to stay calm, eat lots of chocolate...and above all, have fun!

Imogene

2 in one week!

Yes, I know, 2 blogs in one week? How much can there be to say?

Well obviously tons, because here I am again. So let's start...

1. I finally got my results from Show Me The Spark - Heartland RWA Chapter ... a 3rd placing for Starline. Congratualtions to those who won. Given this was my first go, I am not too upset with the outcome :)

2. Yes a Trailer....Just what you wanted to see.....right? So click below to watch!

Lastly, I have such respect for women who manage to get their manuscripts right on the first go.....ohh my! I feel like my eyes are falling out of my head and my hands are cramping right now.... First round of edits, and it is HARD!

But you know what? I am sooooo looking forward to seeing my book out there for sale. It is so exciting now to be able to show people my cover art and go....See? That's mine!

So no matter how hard or taxing, I am going to keep going, because it won't be long and Starline will be available to purchase. So great!

Thanks to all my followers for letting me babble! Right, back to edits again!

Imogene