How Much Description?

How much description should you include in your story? Should you wax on about the vibrant colors of the setting sun or merely mention that it was setting?

Tastes range from pages of eloquent prose to terse one-liners that get the point across. In the past, when readers had more time to savour words and the turn of a phrase--and were not bombarded with visuals 24 hours a day--long descriptive narrative was a treat. A writer's unique perspective added color and richness about places and settings most readers would never see.

But in these fast-paced times, filled with high-tech, color-enhancing, photo-shopped reality, most readers will skip your eloquent phrases and get on to the story.

The trick is to use as few words as possible to convey the biggest picture. Comparisons are excellent and in a single phrase can convey a world of meaning. For example, rather than describe the burly professor down to his shoe size, a phrase such as "He was a grizzly bear in a red bow tie" paints an instant picture of not only the man's physical appearance, but hints at his disposition as well.

Your goal as a writer is not to commandeer as many words as you can, but rather to make every word count. Whack at your sentences and scenes without mercy, eliminating unnecessary words--regardless of how pretty they sound when you read them to yourself!

Your future readers will thank you--and they might keep coming back for more.

Why Do I Need a Point of View?

One of the first decisions to make when you begin a short story or novel is: From whose point of view is the story told?



Story-telling has evolved over the years. Fifty years ago, a book could get away with long passages of exposition, description, or non-essential scenes and dialogue. It was common to find yourself inside first one character's head, and then another.



Not so any more. Modern readers have shorter attention spans and are easily bored. If every scene doesn't grab the reader, he is likely to set the book aside--or worse, never start it at all.



One technique that keeps a reader engrossed is a sense of identification with the hero, or protagonist. And one of the best ways to keep that reader reading is to put him inside your hero's head. We more closely identify with people we understand--even villains.



One problem beginning writers often make is to become so engrossed in the story that we begin to "head hop." This is jarring to a reader and immediately confuses, taking them out of that realm of make-believe where you want to keep them.



When beginning a story, you must tell it from one character's point of view. Pretend your blank page is a television camera and your character is looking through it. Your heroine won't describe her "golden cascade of hair" because she can't SEE her own hair at the moment. Likewise, she won't mention the hero's "dark, churning anxiety" because she cannot know what is inside someone else's head.





My beginning writing students struggle with this, often not realizing they are telling things which can't be known until I point it out to them.



There is a place for switching POV's. You can add depth and curves to your story by switching to another viewpoint, but be sure you make a clear distinction before doing so. Either a chapter break or section break, and then clearly identify your secondary character early in the paragraph so the reader eases smoothly into the next point of view without losing momentum.

For deeper point of view, avoid "telling" words like "felt, wondered, decided." Instead, show your character feeling, wondering decided.

Instead of saying, "She wondered if he would be back." Write, "Will he be back? Had she driven him away?

For more discussion on point of view, click on the POV label on the right sidebar.

Happy Thanksgiving

What are you doing cruising writing blogs? You should be relaxing and enjoying your day!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Guest Blogging Today

An email I wrote to the American Christian Fiction Writers communication loop is featured on another blog today. Check out today's post at Theresa Slack's blog. http://www.teresaslack.blogspot.com/

Manuscript Formatting

This post will deal with formatting a complete manuscript, but much of it applies to the standard formatting of any publishable material, from short-story contest submission to page-length articles.

Nothing can take the place of good-old-fashioned research of the agent or publisher to whom you are submitting, but the industry standard stays pretty much the same no matter who it is.

Everyone uses Microsoft Word and if you will use this program, you make it much easier on yourself. If you use a different word processing software, you'll have to set it up to resemble the following as closely as you can.

Font: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font. Can't go wrong with it.

Margins: Use a 1" margin all the way around your page (not including the header, which is discussed below)

Title Page: The first page of any submission should be the title page. It must include the title of your book, with any subtitle below. Use 14-point font and center it in the middle of the page. Beneath that, put the word count (as found in your Tools menu) and the genre of your novel (suspense, romance, general fiction, etc.)

Centered at the bottom, type your name or your agent's name, address and all contact information, including any web addresses and telephone numbers.


Header: Agent proposal preferences will vary, but an acceptable header will include the Title or Portion of your book title in all CAPS, your full name separated from the title by a slash, both flush with the left margin. Set your preferences to NOT include this header on the Title page.

Page Numbers: The page numbers should be flush with the right margin, directly across from your name and book title in the header. Start numbering with the title page, but do NOT include the number on that page. The first page of your manuscript will be page 2.

Creative Variation: Don't do it! A few beginning writers think they must attract attention to their creativity by veering from the prescribed standard. I had a writing student once who consistently refused to follow my instructions on how to set up his paper. He was an artist and would hand in very decorative reports using colorful font, and 24-point name and date. I know he thought he could compensate for poor writing by impressing me with his artistic ability.

I consistently gave him an F for not following instructions. Finally by the end of the year, he caught on and handed in a boring, clean paper like everyone else. He got an A on it.

Don't think you will impress anyone by not following instructions. The opposite is true. You will greatly impress agenta and editors that you are bright, humble, and can follow instructions, and may be someone they would like to work with.

Camy Tang has a detailed summation of manuscript formatting on her blog Story Sensei. Click here for further instruction.
http://storysensei.blogspot.com/2006/07/novel-manuscript-format-for-cba.html

What Do I Write About?

Once that all-compelling first story is on paper and out of your system, you may find yourself thinking: Now what? Can I do it again? What do I write about?

"Where do you get ideas?" is one of the most frequently-asked questions successful authors fend. The answers are myriad, as plentiful as the world swirling around you.

Ideas are born in reality and then taken to the next level by the question: What if? Writers look at an everyday situation and ask themselves, "What if the ending changed? What if the boy hadn't gone straight home? What if the guide dog suddenly attacked its master?

Some other tips to get the ideas flowing:

• Write the best, most intriguing first line you can think up. Then build a story around it. What comes next? My novel that is currently out on request to a top agent was formed from this simple exercise. I took a terrific first line penned by Christa Allen and wrote a first page, which won a "First-Page Contest." So many people asked me, "So what happened to the girl? Did she find her mother?" I stewed on it for awhile and the result was a 93,000 word novel which I hope finds a publisher soon.

• Dream up a crazy-sounding title for your book. Sometimes ideas come from great titles.

• Play word games. Make lists of nouns, verbs, adjectives and like the kids' game, match them up in all sorts of ways. The wordplay can spark ideas you wouldn't have had otherwise.

• People-watch. Great stories are built around great characters. And great characters are great because they're believable while being bigger-than-life. Pay close attention to the way the lady in the checkout line fiddles with her pocketbook when she's watching the total ring up. She's nervous, wondering if she has enough to pay for it. No one told you that. You could tell by her outward actions. Use that in your story to show a character's anxiety.

• Read-Read-Read! I'm surprised when I hear (usually a student) say, "I'm gonna write a book. I'm a good writer." When I ask what they like to read, they respond, "Oh, I don't read much, I just like to write." I have to smile. Someone is fooling himself. Much of good writing is learned. We learn by reading good writing. Reading teaches us what sounds right, how words flow together to provoke a feeling, a mood. Try to copy the style of an author you enjoy. I'm not talking plagiarism. Don't copy the words or phrases unique to that author. But try to imitate the style. You won't be able to do it, but the result might be a style of your own. It's what's called Voice.

Now, get out there and observe!

Do I Need an Agent?

You've fine-tuned that manuscript and now you're beginning to think it's publish-worthy. That thought brings you to a crossroads. Should you try to find a publisher on your own or should you try to land a literary agent?

There is no right or wrong answer. Much of it depends on your personality, your connections, your head for business, and whether or not your story is likely to grab an editor's attention from the slush pile.

For the unenlightened, the term "slush pile" refers to the thousands of queries, proposals, and manuscripts an editor or agent receives every single day from prospective authors just like you. From the months spent in your writing fog, you may emerge with the idea that you are among the very few who would attempt such an overwhelming task like writing a book. However, there are millions just like you, all vying for those elusive spots in the published world. And those hopeful submissions pile up every day on the desks of overworked publishing professionals.

One obstacle you will find if you begin to submit your work to publishing houses is that not many of them accept unsolicited queries from unknown writers. One reason they do this is to cut down on the enormous workload and the number of staff it takes just to weed through the junk, hoping for a treasure. There are, however, a few who will still accept your query out of the blue, so if you choose this route, submit to those houses.

But do your homework first! The internet makes is so easy now to research a publisher: what types of books do they publish, how many pages is their average, who are their authors, etc. Don't, for example, submit your erotica fantasy novel to Steeple Hill--a Christian romance publisher with strict online guidelines about content. There are no excuses for not doing your homework first and to fail to do so will earn you not only a quick rejection, but muddy your name in the event you come up with something acceptable later.

The advantages of this "do-it-yourself" approach are that if you do land a contract, you get to keep all the money you earn. You work directly with the publisher, rather than going through an agent who will keep 10-20% of your earnings.

The advantages of finding an agent who will represent you are numerous and signing with one can be almost as elusive as signing with a publisher. Agents are equally bombarded with hopefuls and have slush piles of their own. Again, do your homework before you submit to an agent! Read their websites, their blogs, their preferences and submit your proposal EXACTLY the way they ask you to. Being "creative" in your submission will only earn you a flat rejection.

Agents are experts in navigating the confusing world of publishing contracts, foreign rights, advances, royalties, etc. and unless these things are second nature to you, an agent will take this business load off your shoulders. Most writers prefer to stay in their caves and write. We don't like the business end of it and often, that naivete results in the writer being taken advantage of by a publisher. An agent knows when you are offered a good deal and has the negotiating skills to garner you the best deal possible.

The internet abounds with agent blogs filled with information, so there is no excuse for not educating yourself about each agent before you submit your work. They each have their own preferences such as: query vs. full proposal, email vs. snail mail, and genres of books represented.

One word of caution: if you think you may want to find an agent, it's best not to submit to publishers on your own first. That only cuts down on the number of editors your agent can submit to once you've found one. You cannot resubmit a manuscript once it's been rejected. Your agent will have the ability to present your work in the best possible light, so rein yourself in and refrain from submitting on your own until you land that agent.

That Dreaded Revision

Books aren't written—they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't quite done it. - Michael Crichton

Revision is the key to writing well. Too many new writers believe every word out of their imaginations is golden and cannot see the errors for the love glowing in their eyes. To write well, you have to get over your love affair with your own words.

It has been said that the first draft is like a naked toddler, racing through the house in joyous abandoned. The editor side of your brain is the loving parent who cares too much to let the child grow up naked. Writing the first draft is both exhausting and exhilarating, but that's not where the REAL work comes in.

Revision is a cruel taskmaster, but it is the harshest revisions that usually produce the greatest work. Revision is where you begin to weave the subtleties into your story, like fine threads of gold and sliver. Not too much. Just enough to add sparkle and value to the lines and paragraphs.

If you can count the number of revisions your finished work has undergone--you probably haven't done enough! I have learned to enjoy the revising process. That's where you whittle away nonsense, boring scenes, and even that beautiful flowing prose that swelled from your heart one morning when you felt especially poetic. If the writing calls attention to itself, it needs to go.

Learn to embrace revisions as the honing of your ideas, but don't stop with a simple word change or punctuation correction. Revision takes a carving knife and gouges deep holes in your story, cuts entire scenes or characters that do nothing but add to your word count. Revision cuts to the heart of your story and answers the question: What is this REALLY about? Your book isn't about the surface story. There's a deeper truth scratching to get out and it is that truth that revision finally frees and makes your work shine.

Happy revising!
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Sorry, English teachers!

Before I say what I'm gonna say, let me qualify myself. I have a degree in English and am a card-carrying grammar snob. I love parts of speech, purple prose, and flowery adjective trains. I have taught junior high and high school grammar and encourage the very style of writing I am about to trash.

So, if you are an English teacher, calm down! You may continue teaching the way you always have. This is for those who are past that stage and are ready to write publishable fiction.

When teaching reluctant eighth graders to put their imaginations on paper, we encourage adjectives and adverbs to make the writing more descriptive. We praise sentences like, "The gnarled old man walked slowly and painstakingly across the dirty floor."

However, you most likely are not a middle school essay writer and if you are, congratulations for being at the stage in writing where you are ready to take it to the next level. In publishable fiction, the fewer adjectives and adverbs you use, the better.

Huh? you may be thinking. How boring! I thought adjectives and adverbs pepped things up.

They do--in middle school. In professional-quality writing, they slow things down. Think of them as the cheap and easy way out, rather than the most descriptive. In the above sentence, if we whittled away the unnecessary qualifiers, we'd get a sentence more like this: "His back stooped with age, the man picked with painstaking concentration around the food cartons, cigarette butts, and yesterday's newspaper scattered across the soiled carpet."

An adjective or adverb used sparingly can be beneficial, but many times there is a better way to say what you're trying to say. We get in the habit of finding a noun and then plumping it up with a string of adjectives and think we've adequately described something. Most of the time, the better choice is to use more colorful verbs and even appositive phrases in the place of an adjective.

The goal is to paint a word picture, involving as many senses as possible, so that the readers don't see a simple one-dimensional cutout of your character, but feel as though they have been there.
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