EDITING TIPS FOR FICTION WRITERS

Watch out for Anachronisms!

2011-08-20T10:32:00.008-04:00

I was reading a wonderful historical romance last night, when the hero said to the heroine, "I don't want you caught in the fallout." In another passage, the heroine worried about "catching a lot of flak." Why did these two figures of speech jar me as a reader?

Fallout and flak are twentieth century terms. Flak is debris that a fighter pilot must navigate through without damage to his aircraft; fallout refers to the radiation residue from a nuclear reaction. So a cowboy in 1890s Wyoming isn't worried about flak or fallout.

When you have characters think or speak in jargon not of their time, you're guilty of using an anachronism. Maybe you'll get away with it with your readers; maybe not. There is much competition in the book world, and readers are more and more savvy and discriminating. Writing accurate internal and spoken dialogue¹ is a part of researching your story.

Consider this passage:
"Don't worry, dude, I've got your back."
"You can't be here twenty-four seven."

This is an obvious exchange between characters in a contemporary story. The same exchange in a World War II novel might read:
"Don't worry, buddy. I'll watch out for you."
"You can't stay here around the clock."

Or how about the western set in 1875?
"I've got you covered."
"You can't watch over me from sun up till sundown."

Be careful of words like ego. That's a Freudian term and doesn't belong in a Regency. Proper names should reflect the time and setting, too. An example is the girl's name Wendy, which was created by J.M. Barrie. Don't name anyone Wendy if your story is set earlier than 1902.

The key is research, made easier for today's writer with the Internet. When in doubt, look it up. Happy writing.

¹For proper formatting of dialogue, click here.

THE EDITORCHIX ARE BACK!

2011-06-08T11:27:00.003-04:00

Dear writers,
I apologize for the inactivity of this blog, but now we're back and ready to handle your editing questions.

One question I was asked recently pertained to formatting. The writer received her edits from an editor with instructions to remove a number of tabs, spaces, and returns. The writer, however, couldn't see where those offenders were. If this happens to you (and it will), don't panic.

If you are using MS Word (most do), you have the option to reveal format codes. Enabling this feature allows you to see spaces, tabs, returns, etc. Since most writers have at least Word 2007, I'll use it as an example.

Click on the menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
At the bottom right of this menu check Word Options.
A new menu opens. In the left sidebar, select Display.
Midway on the Display menu, select Show all formatting marks.
When your edits are complete, repeat the process and deselect this option to remove formatting marks if desired.

The best way to learn your word processing program is use it. Play around on a test document and learn the features. Also online help is available. MS has the links listed in the Help section as well as the options menu.

What is the hero's journey?

2010-03-13T12:22:00.006-05:00

Dear Editor Chix,
I am just starting to write fiction and have joined a critique group. At our meetings, I hear other writers talk about the hero's journey as if it's a specific formula I should follow. What are they talking about?
~New Writer

Dear New Writer,

Welcome to our world, one filled with new jargon and acronyms (POV, YA, etc). But don't be discouraged; learning and honing your craft is a satisfying process. When we stop improving, we need to stop writing.

I recommend reading The Writer’s Journey by Chris Vogler. He uses popular movies to illustrate the hero’s journey as story formula. I’ll give you a very brief summary.

Story formula follows Joseph Campbell’s mythic story structure (George Lucas first credited Campbell’s influence in Star Wars). In a well-known quote from the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell summarized the monomyth:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

WHOSE STORY IS IT?

Even with romance fiction, there is one character who is central to the story, one character who learns and grows the most, who is different at the end than he or she was on page one. Identify and explore that character; that character’s journey is your story.

THE STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal of the Call
4. Meeting with the Mentor
5. Crossing the First Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
8. Ordeal
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the Elixir

As I said, you'll need to read Vogler's book to understand fully each of these steps in the hero's journey, but this should give you an idea.

One final word of caution: Formulas are not fill-in-the-blanks stories. You the writer must tell an entertaining, original tale. The Writer's Journey can be your compass to point you in the "write" direction.

Good luck!

Cheryl Norman

The Likeable Villain

2010-02-24T19:31:00.003-05:00

The strength of great stories is characterization. But don't limit fleshing out characters to the hero and heroine. Avoid cardboard, two-dimenional secondary characters to give your writing realism and color. This goes for the villain, too. Or especially the villain. Here is a reprint of an article I wrote for romance writers about the lover's triangle in which I revisit some old movies.

You’re writing a romance and your hero is engaged to the boss’s daughter. They’re happily planning their future when -- Bam! The heroine, a woman he loved but thought he’d lost, reenters his life. What do you do with the boss’s daughter, the hero’s fiancée?

Is she scheming and dishonest? Does she discredit the heroine at every opportunity? Watch it. You may be headed for a stereotype instead of an archetype. Must your antagonist be unsympathetic?

Consider the romances in two popular movies: TWISTER, and SWEET HOME ALABAMA. In both stories, the protagonist is about to marry another but must first finalize the divorce with spouse number one.

First, look at TWISTER. Bill drives his new truck out to where his estranged wife, Jo, is storm-chasing. With him is Melissa, his fiancée. As soon as Jo signs the divorce papers, Bill is free to wed Melissa. Jo’s heart is breaking but she is cordial to Melissa. We sympathize with Jo, but do we hate Melissa? No. Melissa is gracious, attractive, and perceptive. As soon as she realizes Bill belongs with Jo, she bows out and wishes him well. Melissa is not the stereotype at all, which makes Bill’s choice all the more difficult, and the conflict of the story strong.

Likewise, in SWEET HOME ALABAMA, Melanie has the world by the tail. Politician Andrew Hennings, potential future president, proposes marriage. He stands up to his mother, the mayor, and proves to be a well-rounded gentleman with class. Hero Jake, Melanie’s once immature and un-ambitious husband, has refused to sign divorce papers for seven years because he still loves her. We have as much trouble choosing which is the better guy for Melanie as she does. Again, the fiancé is likeable, not a stereotypical jerk. The story tugs at the heart because we like both men and share Melanie’s angst.

In the Director’s comments, the story changes. There is another character in the original SWEET HOME ALABAMA, Erin Vanderbilt. Erin keeps bumping into Andrew and is the perfect match for him as his mother sees it. Wisely, the scenes with Erin were cut. We know Andrew later marries her by a newspaper article shown during the closing credits. Had we seen that Andrew’s heart wouldn’t be broken for long if Melanie broke their engagement, we wouldn’t experience the full impact of Melanie’s dilemma, thus weakening the story.

Think of other stories that are unforgettable. They are the ones in which the characters face the really difficult choices. Remember SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE? What a tough choice the heroine faces. Would the story be half as strong if Meg Ryan’s fiancé was a jerk? But he isn’t. He’s an attractive and caring guy.

Even if a romance ends happily, we don’t want it to be predictable or clichéd. That’s why characterization is important in writing. Bring your characters to life, even the antagonists. Don’t make the ex-wife or ex-husband one dimensional. Make the reader care and you, too, will write an unforgettable story.

Watch for other memorable stories in which the antagonists aren't bad guys at all. Everything from Casablanca to Gone With The Wind uses the lover's triangle device, with a struggle between equally likeable or admirable suitors.

Cheryl Norman--writing from her new computer!

Nine Errors in Submissions

2010-01-26T16:11:00.005-05:00

Cheryl is deep in writing mode with a looming deadline, and Patty is recovering from eye surgery, so the EditorChix are recommending a post on the Medallion Web site's Editor Corner. Read what Helen Rosburg (CEO, Medallion Media Group) has to say about nine common errors she sees in submissions to Medallion Press.

Cheryl has sold four books to Medallion Press and is grateful to its editors, past and present. Helen gives sound advice, so you may want to bookmark her page and visit often.

Many thanks to Helen for her Editor Corner.

Cheryl and Patty

Writing Resolutions

2010-01-02T15:19:00.003-05:00

It's a new year and time to re-evaluate our writing careers. What are your goals for 2010? Here are a few helpful tips for setting your writing resolutions for the new year.

Set goals within your power--to get a publishing contract is a great goal, but it's not solely within the writer's control. A better goal would be to submit a completed manuscript to a publisher by (set a target date).
Set specific goals--To write more is vague; to write three pages a day, five days a week is specific.
Set attainable goals--To submit and complete three proposals by April is a reasonable goal; To complete five novels is too ambitious for most of us.
Make goals that target areas of your career that need attention--To stay away from the Internet until my daily writing quota is met is a good one if time management challenges you. Or set a goal to take a workshop in an area of writing craft that gives you trouble.
Improve your odds for success by limiting the number of resolutions you make. If you have a list of resolutions, everything from losing twenty pounds to volunteering more hours with your writing chapter, you will be overwhelmed and discouraged. One or two new goals is plenty to tackle.
Keep resolutions to yourself. While there's no need for secrecy, it's not necessary to announce your good intentions to everyone you meet.

Have a happy, productive, and successful 2010!

Cheryl

PASSIVE WRITING?

2009-11-12T10:42:00.011-05:00

Dear EditorChix,
I don't get it. I revise and rework until my manuscript is perfect...or so I think. Then I get feedback that my writing is passive,that it doesn't engage the reader. I've read "Show don't tell" in my margins until I'm sick of it. What am I doing wrong? Help!
Rejected

Dear Rejected,
I'm going to reprint an article I wrote addressing this topic. I hope it helps you. Show-don't-tell is tough to master, but don't dispair. Keep working at it.
Good luck!
Cheryl

_____________________________________________

HOW TO TURN PASSIVE WRITING INTO ACTIVE READING
©2009 Cheryl Norman

In judging contests, critiquing, and editing, I’ve found one thing in common with all new writers: passive writing. If you’re tired of editors or critique partners telling you to “show, don’t tell” but you aren’t sure what that means, you're not alone. Telling instead of showing is another way of saying your writing is passive.

Symptoms of passive writing include:
· Overuse of adverbs, especially –ly adverbs
· Overuse of “be” verbs: was, were, to be
· Overuse of weak verbs: walk, sat, move, place, put, and felt
· Author intrusion: heard, saw, thought, wondered, knew
· Too many long passages of narrative

Today’s reader is impatient; she wants to be entertained, not informed. Rather than tell you how to punch up your passive writing, I’ll teach by example and show you. Consider this passage:

Sally Sleuth knew better than to break in the office. She had a reputation as a klutz, as her accomplice-in-detecting and best friend Tess often told her. But she persuaded Tess to help her hunt for clues after the construction crew went home for the day. She didn’t think anything would go wrong. But it was not to be. Just as she and Tess raised the window, she noticed a blinking red light on a panel. It was a burglar alarm. They hurriedly left the construction yard before security guards could catch them. Unfortunately, they had no chance to search the files and were no closer to proving that Mr. Crookshank was guilty of taking bribes.

Are you eager to read more of this story? I’m yawning, and I’m the one who wrote it! The trick is to relate the same information in a way that engages the reader, pulling her into the action. By re-writing the scene, we add word count, true, but also white space. And punch.

“Are you sure you want to break in?” Tess asked. “What if we’re caught?”

“Do you want to nail Crookshank or not? We need evidence.” Sally climbed the chain link fence and dropped inside the construction yard.

Dressed in black like Sally, Tess followed her over the fence. “I do. But we can’t find evidence if we’re sitting in a jail cell for B and E.”

“Everybody’s gone home. All we have to do is climb through that window on the side. The lock’s broken.” Sally flicked on the flashlight. “It’ll be a piece of cake.”

Tess crouched beside her. “Like I haven’t heard that before. What about the time you fell into that fish pond—"

“Must you bring that up? One little mistake.” Sally pulled on her black hood to cover her blond curls.

Tess snorted. “One little mistake? What about getting us trapped in that time locked safe?”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault. I fell—"

“My point exactly. No offense, Sally, but you’re a klutz.”

“Stop wasting time. Let’s go.”

“Wait up.” Tess ran alongside her.

They reached the side of the construction trailer. Crouched beneath the window, Sally paused to listen. She’d show Tess she could be a detective without fouling up their snooping. No security guard on premise. No vicious Rottweiler. What could go wrong?

“Showtime.” She handed Tess the flashlight then stood on tiptoe and shoved the window. It squeaked open, and she wiggled across the frame.

“See anything?” Tess asked in a whisper.

Hanging half in, half out of the window, Sally winced from the narrow metal frame cutting into her waist. “Only a flashing red light on some kind of panel . . . uh oh.”

“Uh oh?”

“Quick. Help me down. We’ve got to get out of here, now!”

Big difference. Instead of telling the reader through passive narrative, we show through dialogue, internal thoughts, and action. Which passage makes you want to read more?

Did you notice how I sneaked in the backstory? Begin your scene “in the moment” and find creative ways to weave in need-to-know information.
Now, go back through your manuscript and look for the red flags listed above. Try reworking those passages as I did in the Sally Sleuth example. Have fun with it.

Remember: Telling is for your synopsis. Showing is for your story.

Crafting the Love Scene

2009-11-03T15:25:00.006-05:00

Dear EditorChix,
I received feedback from a contest that my love scenes were euphemistic. Help!
~Paige Skipper

Dear Paige,

It may surprise you to learn the average reader skims or even skips sex scenes in books. Truly! He/she wants to get on with the story. Yet the last thing a writer wants is to lose the reader's interest, so what's the answer?

You must write so the reader can't afford to skim any part of your story.

Study the bestselling authors and see how sex is handled in their books. I did, and here is my list of the Dos and Don'ts of writing love scenes.

Do this and you'll keep your readers involved with your story.:

Create sexual tension--regardless of genre, even inspirational, there needs to be a physical awareness that sparks between the hero and heroine.
Choose the point of view character with care--make it the character who has the most at risk. Or if you need both points of view, switch smoothly and limit to one switch.
Get inside their heads--Instead of clinically describing his hand on her breast, show the reader what she thinks and feels about this step toward intimacy.
Use dialogue--a love scene is more entertaining and revealing if the couple talk, or try to talk, between kisses. It's an easy way to show what's on their minds.
Tie the love scene to the plot. Growing intimacy should move the plot in a new direction.

Do any of the following if you want to lose the reader:

Be repetitive--regardless of how many times the hero kisses her collarbone, describe it every time.
Use clichés--use the phrases and expressions commonly associated with love scenes (She'd never felt this way before. She tilted her head to give him better access. The list is endless)
Give a clinical description of the action naming each body part and action. Be realistic. Readers love to know all details involving personal hygiene and bodily functions.
Ignore emotional development.
Ignore the plot. Add a gratuitous sex scene to pad word count.
Head-hop--use both points of view, switching as necessary to the scene. Don't worry about losing the reader; she's focused on inserting tab A into slot B.

Yes, I'm being silly with the second list, but these are, unfortunately, common mistakes with newer writers. If you're guilty of any of the items in the second list, revise. With practice, you will be able to write love scenes that fit seamlessly into the rest of your story. Remember: You must write so the reader can't afford to skim any part of your story.

Cheryl

Are You a Generic Writer?

2009-10-22T21:09:00.005-04:00

Dear EditorChix:
I received a rejection letter from an agent who said she found nothing about my writing to make her enthusiastic enough to offer representation. Translated: My writing is blah and ordinary. How do I make my story stand out?
Thanks,
Clear as Mud

Dear Clear,
Early in my writing career, an editor referred to my generic style of writing when rejecting my manuscript. What the heck did she mean by that? I suspect you and I shared a penchant for hackneyed expressions, worn out similes, and plot clichés. I could be cute and advise you to avoid clichés like the plague, but you need solid advice.

Generic writing and clichéd writing is the tried and true (sorry!), or what's been done before. Are you guilty of any of the following phrases in your manuscript:

Pretty as a picture
selling like hotcakes
avoid like the plague
hard as nails
airing dirty laundry
reared its ugly head
make ends meet
tight as a drum
black as night
depths of despair
madder than a wet hen
crack of dawn

You get the picture. If you're going to use a simile, make it unique to your character. For instance, a football player would refer to sports terms, i.e. selling like Super Bowl tickets, hard as a fourth-down conversion, etc. An architect would think in drafting or building terms, i.e. hard as reinforced cement, black as roof tar, etc.

Plot clichés are a dime a dozen-- oops! sorry. Plot clichés have been used too often and create predictable stories. These include:

Having the hero walk in on the heroine while she's bathing/showering/changing clothes
Dogs who warm up to the good guys and growl at the villains
Hero soothing the heroine after a nightmare
The rogue cop/angry boss
Good twin/evil twin
Having the hiding character discovered when he/she sneezes

Overused expressions:

In your dreams!
Do I look like I'm ___________?
I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
We're back to square one.

Exceptions to writing overused expressions are in historical fiction. If the slang fits the time, use it. Just be careful not to create anachronisms, i.e. in the 1860s, cowboys didn't "catch flak" or have "ego" problems, because flak and ego are twentieth century language. (Flak is a term for antiaircraft fire, hardly something troubling cowboys on the wild frontier!)

Stretch your writing muscles and go for unusual similes and figures of speech. As for plot clichés, remember if it's the first idea to pop in your mind, it's too familiar. Push yourself for a different way to move your plot, something the reader isn't expecting. Use your characters' voices to tell the story based on their backgrounds and vocations.

Good luck.

Cheryl

TUNNEL VISION

2009-10-05T16:48:00.003-04:00

Dear EditorChix,

I’ve been enjoying this blog and learning from it.

While writing my first novel a friend told me about a Web site that was running a contest. It stipulated the novel didn’t have to be finished, but to submit a one-page summary and the first three chapters. I did that and as I continued on with writing, I got back a discouraging review on those initial pages. The biggest complaint was about POV. Without going into detail with everything that was graded on my first three chapters, could you explain POV?

Sincerely,
Down-in-the-Dumps Writer

Dear Writer,

I’m not going to tell you getting letters criticizing your writing is fun. As writers, we’ve all received rejection letters and critical comments. What we want to do is not look at these as downers, plugging up our creative juices, and leading us to quit writing, but as opportunities for improvement. It’s difficult to receive rejection of something we’ve poured our heart and soul into. So let’s take criticism and/or rejection as a chance to better our writing.

POV, or point of view, is not that difficult to wrap our heads around. We just need to remember that it’s each character whose head we’re into that we’re trying to wrap. *LOL*

The absolute best way to write is to keep an entire chapter in one person’s POV. Some current writers do this well. James Patterson comes to mind. He can run up to 70 some chapters in a book with multiple characters, delegating an entire chapter to one character. But most of us like to keep our chapters minimized, so we parse it up into sections, dividing with asterisks or some type of symbol—maybe even just double spacing, although that isn’t my favorite format.

Now that we’ve got that straight, the thing to remember about POV is to keep it in one character’s head for that chapter or section. Think of it as placing your character in a tunnel. What that character can hear, see, smell, taste, or feel while in that tunnel are the only things that can be included in the section your character’s in.

It’s a real desire, especially in the romance genre, to want each of your character’s feelings known. You can do that, not just within the same section. In editing a work, I pointed out to the writer that she’d just jumped into another’s POV, and her comment back was that was what she wanted to do. The problem in having more than one POV to a section is that it more often than not will cause the reader to have to go back to see who’s doing the thinking, feeling, etc. Nothing can be more of a turnoff than to have to reread portions of a story.

You might think you’re going along smoothly and keeping your character’s POV straight, when whammo, someone says, whoops, you’re head-hopping—one paragraph in one character’s POV, the next in another, and so on. The biggest bugaboo—the use of adverbs. One adverb can throw one character’s POV into another’s in a heartbeat. So keep an eye out for the use of adverbs, which should be minimized in any case.

Thanks for your inquiry, and keep tuning in for more advice on honing your writing skills.

Patty

Writer's Block?

2009-09-17T21:37:00.004-04:00

RS writes:
I've already taken a look at my hero's journey and kind of "beated" it out, but now that it's come down to just sitting there and doing it, writer's block has set in. How do you keep producing pages? Any tips for getting the book finished?

Dear R.S.
What you describe isn’t what I’d call writer’s block. I think you’re asking for a productivity plan. You know your story and your characters. You’re prepared. So now you need to get the story written.

No two authors have the same system for writing, but here’s mine. I hope it triggers some ideas for your own system. First, write a complete synopsis (I call this a working synopsis because no one will see it but me). Write out the summary of the story from beginning to end. Be sure to identify each main character’s goal, motivation, and conflict within the synopsis. You now have your map or blueprint. You also have something to polish and refine later for your proposal and promo material.

Next, make a grid, either in Word or Excel, for tracking progress per day of writing. My headings are date, projected total word count, daily word count, and the percentage (Projected divided by total word count). If I’m writing a romantic suspense novel, my projected word count is 80,000 (I usually exceed this, but that doesn’t affect my system). Set small, attainable goals per day. Mine is 1% or approximately 800 words because I believe steady progress is better for me than feast or famine. I’m not one who can stay chained to my computer for writing marathons. I’ve tried it and it’s counterproductive. Record each writing day (there will be days you don’t write—life interferes) in your grid or post it on Twitter—whatever motivates you.

Next, I make a story board (or a notebook—this varies). I figure each chapter should be approximately 4,000 words, which means I expect to end up with twenty chapters. So I divide the board or chart into 20 squares. Then using a sticky note for each scene (I color-code mine for each subplot. For instance, the romance subplot scenes are pink), I rough out the scenes for each chapter. If you use the notebook method, you use 1 page per chapter and sticky notes for scenes in each chapter. (The sticky notes allow you to move scenes around to adjust your pacing) Although I estimate that each chapter will be 4000 words, I’m not a slave to that. Whatever moves the story. Some chapters need to be shorter, others longer.

When I wrote RECLAIM MY LIFE, I had the luxury of writing the entire book without chapters. I then went back and set my chapter divisions based on what I thought were good ending hooks. Please remember chapters can break in the middle of a scene to up the suspense, and I’m not talking about suspense novels but all stories. You need to keep the reader turning pages. Writing without chapters isn’t working for me with REBUILD MY WORLD, though, and I’m back to writing in chapters. Whatever works.

What you call writer’s Block can also mean burnout. Perhaps you’ve spent so much time researching, outlining, and profiling characters that you’re sick of your project. That happens. To avoid this, try “pantser” writing (or write about three chapters by the seat of your pants). Don’t worry about editing or accuracy. Just play around with description and dialogue until you get a feel for your story. You may end up using only a third of what you wrote, but you’ve produced and you know what you need to do to refine, fill in, and flesh out. I usually write a rough synopsis and a pantser two or three chapters before I do my preparation work. After I’ve written some of the book, I know what I want to research and refine. Again, this works for me, but you have to find your own way.

Finally, if all else fails, give yourself a break and write something vastly different from your project. Write a craft or research article for your writing group’s newsletter or post a blog. Read a book from a different genre. For instance, I write romantic suspense but I read everything from Dean Koontz to Louis L’amour. Reading and writing outside your genre can give you the diversion you need to return to your project refreshed and ready to write.

I hope I’ve answered your question. If not, I’ll leave you with something a best-selling romance author once told me. There’s no such thing as writer’s block. If you’ve lost your enthusiasm for a story and can’t recapture it, even after trying all these tricks, you aren’t blocked; your story is. Change the story.

Good luck!

Don't be high maintenance--The Author's Role

2009-09-10T18:33:00.010-04:00

Last month guest editor Janet Bank discussed the editor's role; this month we address our role as authors in the editor-author relationship.

In the movie WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, Harry accuses Sally of being high-maintenance because she can't order a meal straight from the menu; she always has to ask for special considerations. "High maintenance" is a term that has enjoyed wide acceptance for individuals who make extra demands or make life too difficult for others who must live/work with them. When it comes to the editor / author relationship, you don't want to gain a reputation as a high-maintenance author. Word gets around in the publishing sub-culture, and soon you'll feel the repercussions. Nobody wants to work with a prima donna.

An editor spends a lot of time on your book, going through each sentence to find ways to tighten and improve your writing. An editor is experienced and has, generally speaking, a better idea about what turns off a reader and what keeps a reader turning pages. Profit from her experience and knowledge. That's not to say you shouldn't defend something about which you feel strongly; editors expect you to stand your ground about something important to your story or writing style. But we writers need to pick our battles.

Grammar: If your grammar is faulty and the editor corrects it, this is NOT in any way jeopardizing your "voice." Accept all grammar corrections with grace. Once in a while, an editor is wrong, and you should challenge her. Cite the appropriate rule from a reference (i.e. Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition).

Spelling: Unless it's crucial to your story, don't argue the spelling of a word. Editors use references and usually know what's standard and acceptable. In any case, the publisher has the final say. Don't declare war over a spelling preference.

Passive writing is not your "voice." It's weak. If your editor suggests changes to turn a passive phrase into an active one, accept the change. It makes you look better as a writer. It does NOT ruin your style or your voice. Poor writing isn't a voice, so don't use the argument that an editor who improves your story is tampering with your voice.

Repetition for effect is one thing; but if you have habit words, graciously accept the editor's advice for changes.

Dialogue tags: If your editor eliminates unnecessary ones and combines with action for "beats," she is bringing your writing up to current standards. Again, this has nothing to do with voice.

Story: The editor looks for holes in your plot or characterizations. If she questions something about your story, so will your readers. Fix it.

Logic: A common mistake of inexperienced writers is reaction before action. (POOR: She gasped when the door slammed; BETTER: The door slammed, and she gasped.) If your editor rewrites the sentence to have action precede reaction, this isn't affecting your voice or style; it's making your writing logical.

These are just a few of the items an editor tackles. If she has to make too many changes, it doesn't mean she's trying to re-write your book; it means your writing needs lots of work to bring it in line with the publisher's standards. It's wrong to expect your publisher to lower its standards because you don't want to learn to write better. Too much arguing makes you a high maintenance author.

In the rare event when you're convinced that your writing is better than the standards of the publisher with whom you've signed a contract (and it has happened), you need to negotiate a way to withdraw your work and submit it to another company. Just be sure that's the case.

In summary, to avoid the reputation of being a high maintenance writer in the editor/writer relationship doesn't mean you have to submit a nearly flawless manuscript. It means you respond to the hard work of your editor with a positive attitude, cheerfully making changes that will improve the readability and marketability of your story. After all, we authors share the same goal as our publishers and their staff--to sell books!

Good luck, and happy writing.

THE LAZY WRITER

2009-09-01T14:22:00.004-04:00

Writing is fun. It's also hard work. If you are going to craft a story, you have to do your research. As a reader, nothing annoys me more than bad grammar unless it's nonexistent research. I once read a romance in which the hero treasured his vintage '61 Ford Mustang. There's no such vehicle. My husband stopped reading one of his favorite authors when he had a 53' motor home with a generator on the roof in one of his books. A simple visit or call to an RV dealer would have straightened out that author. He would have learned that the largest motor home is 45' long and generators are never located on the roof; the air conditioner is.

Research isn't limited to historical accuracy, although that's certainly important. You need to avoid anachronisms and anachronistic speech. I read a western romance in which the heroine tells the hero he has an ego problem. Unfortunately, the story takes place twenty years before Freud came up with the term. Research also pertains to spelling and grammar. The lazy writer gets the story down in a rough draft and considers it finished. On the contrary, the work has just begun.

A completed draft is still a draft and needs polish. Do you repeat certain words or phrases? Is your punctuation correct? Do you use any trademarked names and, if so, do you capitalize them? Are the facts of your story accurate and the premise believable?

The lazy writer expects the publisher to overlook weak writing and buy her manuscript, anyway. The lazy writer depends on the editor (or critique partner) to catch all the grammar and research errors. Lazy writers don't last long in this industry.

To succeed in your writing career, research your facts. Research your time period. Research the language for the time period. Research, research, research. If you're world-building, keep track of your facts and be consistent (another form of research). Lazy writers may get published once, but they won't sell a second book . . . at least not to any publisher I know.

Cheryl Norman

Guest Editor Janet Bank Returns to Discuss the Editor's Role

2009-08-24T13:40:00.004-04:00

This week the EditorChix are pleased to bring you more words of wisdom from guest editor Janet Bank.

What you should expect from your editor.

Whether you have hired an editor to ensure your manuscript is in tip-top shape before you send it to a publisher or agent, or you’re working with an in-house editor your publisher has assigned to edit your manuscript, there are certain things you should expect:

An editor should bring your manuscript as close to grammatical perfection as she can. If however, you have a spelling preference or word preference, let your editor know.

An editor should inform the author of the standards of reference she uses. I list my references—Webster’s International Unabridged Dictionary, Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White, etc.—then make notations about the rules cited for the author’s benefit.

An editor should make you feel comfortable bringing your questions and concerns to her. So if you don’t understand why an editor made a change or simply don’t agree, you should feel comfortable asking.

A good editor will never change the voice of the author. This to me is crucial. An editor who has immersed herself in your book, as she should, will have an intimate grasp of the author’s voice and won’t ever change it.

An editor shouldn’t make moral judgments or censor an author’s work. Censorship is not our role. If you have hired a good editor, she will make suggestions or advise you of possible problems. If she is the publisher’s editor, the manuscript has already been approved by acquisitions.

An editor should never lose sight of her role: Although, she is your editor, she is not the author. It is your book!

Lastly, you can expect an editor to make mistakes. We are only human, so forgive our occasional goof.

Guest Editor Janet Bank Asks: Is likeability overrated?

2009-08-14T12:59:00.004-04:00

Is likeability overrated?

Recently, I read an article on the quest for likeability in main characters. The author claimed writers are so anxious to make their main character likable, they may go too far. Maybe “likeability is overrated.” I too, on occasion, have reminded authors that their readers would have difficulty “liking” their protagonist. In retrospect, I think I would have gone a step further, and suggested to the author that what’s important is for their reader to care about, love their character.

Love the character? Perhaps, it’s not important if the heroine is likable; after all we love people who aren’t always likeable. Creating an interestingly flawed character the reader can appreciate despite her imperfections . . . that’s the trick. In fact, readers feel quite comfortable with flawed characters—often thoughtless, jealous, vain, rude, and occasionally capable of the despicable.

Why? Because we recognize ourselves in them and, because we chastise ourselves daily for saying or doing the wrong thing, we hope we’re still lovable.

As a reader, there is something that bothers me far more than an unlikable character; it’s a perfect one—too sweet, too forgiving, too patient. Fiction . . . If they were real, we probably wouldn’t like them anyway because they create an unflattering contrast for us.

I once edited a manuscript in which an author had created an interesting, funny, and quirky heroine. In the sequel, however, her heroine spent most of the story in an altered state—under a spell. The heroine was aggressive, rude, and crude; any redeeming qualities she had remained hidden. The author made an error in judgment. She took for granted the ability of the reader to glimpse the lovable character she had created. Frankly, by the end of the book, who would care? The character was neither worthy of the reader’s affection nor the hero’s. The character was neither likable nor loveable.

Some of our best loved heroes are fiercely flawed. Scarlet O’Hara was not only selfish and conceited, she often was downright mean. And Fitzwilliam Darcy—ill-mannered, intolerant, and yet he may be considered the most romantic hero of all time. Charlotte Bronte’s Mr. Rochester, Dostoyevsky’s Raskolnikov, Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff, and Arthur Miller’s John Proctor, are all marked by frailty. But somewhere along the way, we began to love them or at least genuinely care for them. And so a character finds a place in the pantheon of heroes.

What is critical, however, is that our readers know or suspect that however thoughtless and vain our heroine may be, she has redeeming qualities that remain intact and she is worth caring about; maybe worth loving. Now you have a memorable character.

Janet M. Bank holds an MA degree in English and is an experienced book editor. She edited RUNNING SCARED, Cheryl Norman's latest release from Medallion Press. Patty and Cheryl thank Janet for guest blogging this week and welcome her contributions in the future.

Laying Low or Lying Low?

2009-07-20T17:43:00.004-04:00

Dear EditorChix,
A writer friend told me about your new blog and thought I’d check it out. Your post about dialoguing was very informative. Already I’ve learned new techniques from your blog. I do have a question. I never seem to know which form of lie or lay to use in my writing. Is there an easy way to remember which to use?
Laying Low

Dear Laying Low,

You can now come up for air. First, thanks for finding our premier blog helpful. It’s always nice to know someone’s seeking and discovering ways to improve their writing skills.

Second, yes, there is a rather simple formula for remembering the difference between the irregular verbs, lie and lay. Review the following table for definition and verb tenses:

Lie (No direct object—the subject is doing something to himself or herself); has the meaning of “to rest or recline”
Lie
Lay
Lain
Lying

Lay (Takes direct object—the subject is doing something to an object or someone else); has the meaning of “to place or put something down”
Lay
Laid
Laid
Laying

Most writers stumble when it comes to the past and present tense of “lay.” One author wrote: He laughed, kissed her, then rolled off her to lie on his back.

The question to ask is: Did he roll off her to “rest” or to “place” on his back? Obviously, the answer is rest. And, written in third person, all the verbs are past tense, so the right choice would be “lay,” not the present tense “lie.” So, the sentence should read: He laughed, kissed her, then rolled off her to lay on his back.

And unless you're a hen, your signature should be Lying Low. ;-)

Hope this helps in your writing. Come back to visit us anytime.

Patty

Formatting Dialogue

2009-07-15T22:47:00.003-04:00

Dear EditorChix,
My critique partners complain that I don't know how to format dialogue and that I overuse tags. What exactly does this mean?
~Frustrated Writer

Dear Frustrated Writer,

First, read some of the bestsellers and note how those authors format dialogue. You'll notice minimal use of tags--those he saids and she askeds after the quoted speech. Today's writer shuns tags in favor of beats. A beat is a short narrative identifying the speaker while sneaking in some description and/or action.

Dialogue Tag: "Of all the nerve," Milly said, clenching her hands and stomping her foot against the hardwood floor.

Dialogue Beat: "Of all the nerve." Milly clenched her hands and stomped her foot against the hardwood floor.

When dialogue is between two people and the speaker is obvious, omit the tag and beat:

Milly needed Tom's help, but she didn't have to like it. "I suppose we'll do things your way."

"Wow. That must have hurt."

"What do you mean?"

Tom flashed her an infuriating grin. "Letting me have my way."

We know if Milly isn't speaking, it's Tom, so we don't need to add Tom said and Milly asked.

As for formatting, spoken dialogue requires quotation marks to signal the start and the end of speech. “What the heck is that?” he asked. Punctuation pertinent to what is being said is contained within the quotation marks. If the dialogue contains a quotation, offset by single quotes. “What does she mean by ‘members only’?”

Notice in the last example where I placed the question mark. The quote-within-a-quote isn’t a question, so the ? doesn’t belong before the closing single quotation mark ’; the question is the entire sentence and belongs before the closing double quotation mark ”.

Quotation marks are used in pairs, an opening and a closing. The exception is the speech, dialogue that takes more than one paragraph. Each new paragraph takes an opening quotation mark, but the closing mark appears only at the point the speaker finishes.

Internal dialogue requires no formatting and no quotation marks unless you change to present tense, first person.

Well, she'd show him a thing or two.
~or~
Well, I'll show him a thing or two.

Internal dialogue doesn't take a tag with italics:

WRONG: Well, I'll show him a thing or two, she thought.
BETTER: She thought she'd show him a thing or two.
PREFERRED: Well, I'll show him a thing or two.
~or~ She'd show him a thing or two.

Try searching your manuscript for dialogue tags and look for those you can improve or eliminate. Good luck!
Cheryl