Selling Out or Making a Sell (Part 2) by Dyanne Davis

This week, we continue with Part 2 of Dyanne Davis’ article, Selling Out or Making a Sell. Be sure to check out Part 1 of Selling Out or Making a Sell if you haven’t already and definitely share your thoughts!

Part 2 – Selling Out or Making a Sell by Dyanne Davis

Let’s move it a bit past the super explosive to the not as explosive. The manner of publication also garners much attention and sadly I might add with each group thinking they’re a bit better for whatever reason: For not making concessions, for doing it themselves. For not giving up knocking on doors until a mainstream publisher wants the work. The truth of the matter is there is no right or wrong way. Each writer has to make that decision for him/herself.  Let’s face it no matter the method some readers will like it and some will hate it.

In the past months heated debates have been sparked across the internet about the legitimacy of e-publishing, self-publishing and vanity publishing. (I won’t go into the differences about self-publishing and vanity publishing.  That would take at least another page.) One of the largest romance organizations Romance Writers of America, (RWA) is in the middle of the fray. Self-publishing and vanity rendered a writer as unprofessional by their guidelines.  And until recently so did e-publishing. None of this is important unless you’re a member of the more than 10,000 member organization.  I’m mentioning this here because in order to make a sale many RWA members turned to these forms of publishing. Were they selling out?  And if so whose business was it?

In November 2009 one of the largest major romance publishers, Harlequin made a decision to go into a joint venture with a vanity publisher. They would refer the aspiring writers who submitted to Harlequin and was rejected to this company. The company would then, for a very substantial amount of money, eventually publish the work. Harlequin would receive 10% referral fee from this company for any aspiring writer they referred, who then purchase the service of this company. The writers were told Harlequin would be watching the sales very carefully and that maybe some of the writers would be brought over into the legitimate Harlequin.  That’s the carrot that is dangled in front of the aspiring author who has work in the slush pile and will be or has been rejected by the romance giant.

This decision led to Romance Writers of America to place Harlequin on their not approved publisher’s list. I’m sure that before it’s done it will become known as the sound that rocked the publishing world.  Traditionally published and non-published alike wondered what this move would mean for them. Agents were fielding frantic calls from their clients. Writers were weighing in with their opinion. The question of self publishing and vanity publishing was discussed at great length. Internet fights broke out, complete with name calling. (Seriously)

And with every day that passed as I worked on this article trying for the most part to keep out my personal opinions on the decision, to not be contrary. To not be me. The fights did lead me to post a couple of times that their beliefs in the quality of self-publishing had led me to a decision to do it myself. I was emailed off loop by several well-meaning readers trying to dissuade me. My question was this: If I wrote a book and it was edited by the same editor how would said book be of any lesser quality?

I swear writing is a crazy business where the public at large obviously feels justified in making decisions they don’t have the right to make. How dare anyone down a writer for making their own choices for their careers. If they do not choose to write a certain genre or to tell of the plight of people of color shouldn’t that be their choice? If they decided to sell to publishers their peers may not like, shouldn’t that also be their choice? If they decide to publish their own work shouldn’t that also be their choice? Why should the question ever be asked, Am I selling out or making a sale?

Okay, as you can see I got a little sidetracked there. For a moment I was rereading some of the nasty posts in my mind concerning different forms of publishing. As we all know the publishing world is ever changing. Sometimes it takes someone with a big enough name to make a difference and to turn the tide. This came in the form of Donna Hill, a respected author and pioneer in African-American romance.  It was announced in Publisher’s Weekly that Donna has launched her own ebook publishing company. In recent weeks I’ve talked to several multi-published authors with mainstream publishers who have future plans for striking out on their own and doing what Donna has done.

That still leaves writers who write for Harlequin and those who want to worried about how all the publishing changes will affect them.  With all of the changes in the publishing industry, I and many more writers will be asking ourselves, ‘Do we want to make the sale?  How badly to we want to do so and if so are we selling out?  If we sell to a certain publisher say for instance Harlequin, are we selling out? What if it’s a publisher we’ve had problems with in the past? Are we selling out? What if we decide to see if it makes a difference if we change our names and write characters who do not share our ethnicity whatever that might be? What if we go with an e-publisher? What if we self- publish? Do we take in to account that writing is an expensive endeavor? A lot of money is spent on writing, computers, the latest software, conferences, printers, ink, toner, paper. How do we pay for just the supplies if we don’t make a sale?

Why do we write, to sell, or for our enjoyment? I’ll leave you with this thought: Each writer will have to make the determination for themselves.

My personal opinion:

It doesn’t matter which medium a writer chooses to bring their work to the public. It only matters the quality of the work that’s produced. If you were a respected Harlequin author before Harlequin partnered with a vanity press, you’re still a respected author.

By the way if you’d like to catch Donna Hill live or whatever you call it when you watch a show via the internet (smile) you can catch a portion of an interview I did with her on my cable television show when she came to Chicago.  It’s posted on the home page of my website: http://www.dyannedavis.com. I posted the section where she’s giving tips for writers and telling what work she’s looking for.

Take care everyone.

Dyanne

Selling Out or Making a Sell (Part 1) by Dyanne Davis

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you had a really wonderful holiday. Here’s to the best possible year for all of us!

This article is about the little concessions that most writers make to have that contract that we all crave—to see their work in print.  How do we as writers view the choices we make?  How do the readers view them?

This is an opinion piece. But it’s also a topic I’ve wanted to broach for several months. Seriously, it has taken me longer to write this article than it has to write a book. I’ve rewritten it so many times because I’m fully aware of the implications of some of the things I wrote. Just this morning when I was reading the printed copy of this to edit for mistakes it just wasn’t doing it for me.  I then went to “My Documents” to see if I had anything already written that I liked. I looked at a blog that I did for Parker’s blog last Feb, Why do Writer’s Write? I still liked and agreed with what I had to say. I then reread an article I’d saved (probably from RAW) Are You Token Negro Romance Queen Material?

This was perfect. It was just what got me fired up again. It detailed all the reasons I shouldn’t be submitting this article.  First off, I really like the ‘Token’ article, or I wouldn’t have kept it. But like my Parker blog post said, “I write because I’m contrary. So… remember that going in and treat this article like a buffet. If you like it fine, if not, ignore and see if what I write next is more appealing. I like a bit of dissension from time to time, something that makes you think.

Because I know that the members of RAW (and RAW4ALL) are members of every conceivable racial group I’ve tried to write this article being politically correct.  My aim is never to offend. But in working so hard to achieve that goal the article was hard to write and I’ll admit it, it was downright boring. But I think I’ve figured out how to finally finish this.  I’m sure you’ll let me know later.

Since a good portion of the RAW family (specifically RAW4ALL) are writers I’m thinking that at least a few of you have had this issue. The idea for writing this article started at least a year ago when several friends said to me that they believe they’d sold out their muse for money. I just about had this article where I wanted it to be when I received an email from a friend yesterday saying the exact same words.  So I threw out a lot of what I’d written and started over.

The message from the friend took me back to my original point for the article. I know dozens of writers who would give anything to be in this particular friend’s shoes, me included.  But that doesn’t make her feelings on the subject any less valid. Yes, she’s having four books a year published by major publishers, but she’s not happy. She’s had to make concessions in her work that warred with her inner spirit. In essence she feels she’d sold out her muse.

Several writer friends and I have discussed at great length writing under a pseudonym and writing about characters that did not resemble us or share our experiences. We’ve wondered how the work would be received and how it would affect sales. Would we in fact be selling out, or trying to make a sale? In other words we talked of writing strictly fiction.  Would writing fiction move us into the sell out phase?

As writers are we under an unspoken obligation to tell the stories of people of color? Are we allowed the freedom of writing simply to entertain? What if we’re writing to put food on the table?  (Okay, for most writers that’s a big laugh) Still, the worry over what our peers and readers would think colored our conversation thus the talk of writing under pseudonym. That in itself produced another problem. If we started over we’d have to start with building a new fan base. If we were in fact selling out would doing so in that instant to make a sale be worth it? Would we be stalling the progress other writers had made in staying true to their muse. Would we be selling out if we wrote something that the mainstream publishing housing would find acceptable?  Is it our responsibility as writers to try and uplift people of color by the kind of stories we write? If we write to make a sale how much damage will we do to our own cause and to the cause of future generations? In 2010 and beyond is this the writer’s burden to bear?

There was a time when many major publishers rejected out of hand stories from writers of color simply because the characters were people of color. It wasn’t uncommon.  Still, some writers were given a choice—change the ethnicity or forget it.  Some did. Some didn’t.  I’m sure those writers wondered the same thing, is making concessions, even major life altering concessions selling out or making a sale? Now here we are in America with significant changes all around us. There is an African American family living in ‘The White House.’  Our president is a man of color.  Yet and still, I find the need to ask the question: If the stories we write would become an instant NYT Bestseller if we changed ‘Something’ (I’m leaving that to your imagination) would we be selling out or making a sale?

We all know this isn’t the first time this question has been talked about by a group of writers. Who knows maybe that’s one of the reason many writers have chosen in the past to self-publish their work. Perhaps it was in order not to make concessions. But what of the ones who have not chosen this path? If they make a different choice will they not only have to deal with their own conscience but the voices of their peers reminding them of the struggle? Will they hear words much to the effect that what harms one of us harms us all?

To be continued…

-Dyanne Davis

Just Write! by Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant

I’ve been writing for several years now, and I constantly hear people make the same statement over and over again; “I have a story to tell, but I don’t know where to start.” My advice is usually not to make it a bigger deal than it has to be. If you have a story, just start writing it. Several people have also made the following comment to me: “But I wasn’t great in English.” My response: “That’s what editors are for.”

Look, the most important thing to do is to just write. Whether you use pen and paper, use a computer or tape yourself telling the story, just get the basics down. It has been my past experience that the longer you wait to put your ideas down , the better the  chance that you will lose the information.

I, myself, am an electronic and sticky kind of gal. I like to see the writing flow onto the screen as I type, which makes it easy for me to go back and make changes. Have you seen my handwriting? I also keep a tablet and a pad of sticky notes in my night stand, next to my bed. That way if I awake in the middle of the night, I can immediately jot down my idea, because chances are, I won’t remember it in the morning. It’s not a bad idea to keep a small tablet with you in your purse and/or pocket for those times when you are on the road and need to write down your idea. A tape recorder is also an excellent idea.

For now, don’t worry about putting your writing in any particular order. Just get it down. You can always go back later and re-arrange parts so that they flow together. Then your editor will work with you to make sure that the grammar and flow is going the way it should.

Speaking of editors; if your intent is to bypass and editor on your project, bad idea! One has to understand that although we think we can edit our own work, which we do several times, we will almost always come up short. Allowing an editor to have the final say in a manuscript is key. When an author edits his/her own work, it will flow as the writer remembers the story in their mind, which makes it very easy for a writer to miss errors. It is always good to have a fresh set of eyes to go over your work. And when I say fresh pair of eyes, I mean an editor and not your cousin Louie. I speak this from experience. There are several short cuts one can take in publishing their book, but editing is not one of them.

So put that anxiety on the back burner and ‘get to writing’. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Trust me, you’ll have plenty of time to worry about in the later stages of completing your project.

Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
Author, Writer and Publisher
2009 Presenter for the Women’s Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership Conference
www.literarywonders.com
www.yolandamjohnson.com
www.bryantconsultingonline.com

Writing for the Short Market by Dyanne Davis

Hello RAW family,

In the past months I’ve been researching where to send shorter pieces of fiction.  I’ve decided it’s time to find out more about markets that would pay for our work.  I began with purchasing the newest edition of  Novels and Short Stories Writers Market.  It wasn’t until I reflected on my own work that I’d already began my journey into short stories.

Several years ago while at the RWA National Conference in Atlanta an Amazon representative  gave a talk and told all about Amazon Connect where you wrote a prequel or sequel to your novel that was available on Amazon. It was an opportunity to get your work before people who’d never read you for a reasonable price. of .49 (cents).   I can’t remember now what I wrote, but was surprised when I got the rejection.  Before you go there, let me tell you it wasn’t ego that made me surprised, but I’d thought I could just write what I wanted as long as it pertained to the book that was coming out.  I was trying to tell a little without giving away too much from the book. After a few emails with my contact person he told me what was needed was a complete short story. It had to have a beginning, middle and an end.

The work had to be accepted.  The challenge still remained of introducing the characters and giving a flavor of the book that would hopefully have readers wanting to buy the latest book.  Word count was generous, 2-10,000 words. I redid the rejected story following the guidelines and had three accepted.  I didn’t think too much of it at the time that I was writing a short story.

(At this time the Amazon program is no longer doing the shorts.)

I didn’t even think of it a couple of years later when once again my novel was turned in with 11,000 words over.  Sidney was given the job of cutting out 10,000 words.  After we were done with the first edits I was now 15,000 words over and my editor said she had no idea how to cut anymore. The reason:  Well, I’d cut the things she suggested but new scenes cropped up as I did the cutting.  Since the book was the beginning of my vampire series, the scenes were part of the foundation I’d need for the rest of the series and therefore needed.

Shortly after that I received an email from the publisher of New Love Stories magazine asking me to contribute. Being in the middle of edits for another book I didn’t have the time nor  the inclination.  The publisher and I exchanged a few emails. I told him that I didn’t do short stories, but as soon as my scheduled permitted I would attempt one. I mentioned this to Sidney.  We’d worked on fourteen novels by this time.  She and I were having a back and forth email conversation and I told her I was thinking of writing a short story. She said she didn’t think I had a short story in me.

Challenge. Someone telling me what I can’t do.  Hmm. Not going to happen.  I was still way too busy to write anything at that time, but a light bulb went on. Sidney was wrong, wrong, wrong.  I’d already written a short story for another purpose. A large group of writers were each doing a short story for inclusion in a book.  The publisher was set, the contracts were signed and as oftentimes happen in the publishing world, things changed and the book was not going to be done.  Around the same time one of the groups I belonged to asked me to participate in a holiday round robin.   I started thinking about the fact that I had written two short stories without thinking too much about it. Then it hit me, submit the two stories to the magazine. Both stories were bought and the one for the round robin appeared in the premier issue of New Love Stories. For me personally I enjoyed the physical act of submitting something myself. Having an agent limits the works I can submit on my own. The short story market gave me a chance to be on both sides of the fence at once.

During the twelve months of waiting for the first issue of the magazine to come out I begin researching the short story market. I discovered that in this market, it was possible for a writer to actually make a living.

Make a living, a consistent living.  That had a nice ring to it.  It was now time for me to kick the research up a notch.  I scoured the bookstores for books on where these markets were,  took online classes, bought ebooks that claimed to be filed with this information. I will admit that if you look hard enough you might find one or two things that might interest you. Don’t write it off, it’s a start and you get to take the cost of the material off your taxes.  There are two items that are more than worth the purchase, The 2009 Writers Guide to the Short Market and Writers Magazine.

Matter of fact there was in article in The Writer that touched on what I was planning on writing.  (See what I mean?  Research is never wasted.) There are lots of how to markets and markets wanting articles and blogs and some of them pay extremely well.  The side benefit is that most of the magazines hold first rights, meaning you can sell the story again and again. There are also a few markets (mainly children markets) that will pay each time they reuse an  article. When the writer of the article mentioned making $10,000 from his one article, my interest soared.

Of course you’re aware that not everything connected with writing is all about the money. If it were, so many writers wouldn’t continually say they don’t write for the money but the love of writing. So on the other end of the spectrum I’ve discovered what writing for the love of it truly means. Through my research I’ve discovered tons of literary magazines that will enable writers to get their name before the public. I purchased Most of these magazines are basically salve for the soul as they pay in one to two copies of the magazine.

Suffice it to say that while I’ve been researching the market, studying the types of stories that they buy  (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT) and graphing my progress, I have gained untold respect for the writers who have mastered this.  My rejection pile is getting high, but you can’t sell if you don’t write.

Two pieces of good news. And yes, even in rejections there can be good news.  I’ve received two handwritten notes from an editor of one of the markets I’m trying to break into. The first one she told me how much she loved my story and my voice. But sadly they didn’t accept stories where there was marital strife of any kind, even if there was a HEA. Last week I received another handwritten note that said, she really loved another of my stories, but they didn’t publish political stories. Keep trying, she said, keep studying the weekly issues for the types of stories we publish. You’re getting close.

So I leave you with this: Short stories can be used as a kind of pallet cleanser. They’re fun to write and a challenge if you’re used to overwriting as I am. They are also a very lucrative market.  Just don’t go into it thinking it’s just fluff and you need not do anything but write.  That’s a huge mistake.   (THIS PART IS INTENTIONALLY REPETITIVE) You should always research your market and definitely research the publisher you’re submitting to. Read what they publish and learn their needs.  Until then do your homework and don’t write off the short story market. There are many things you can do while waiting to make the sale. Do your homework:  Work at finding the Right Markets, finding story Ideas, developing and writing your stories. Follow the rules of each individual magazine publisher, query them first if that’s what they want. Learn what happens after you submit your story or article. What’s the wait time?  How about your rights? What does the contract state?  Will you get paid, if so, when and how much?

While the writing might be a lot shorter for the short story market if you’re a professional writer it’s still a business and you should treat it as such. Have fun with it and never ever give up.  When I finally figure out what it is they want and make my first sale, I will come back and share.

Dyanne Davis —- http://www.dyannedavis.com

To Curse or Not to Curse by Katrina Spencer

To Curse or Not to Curse? That is the Question

• “Get your %&* off the couch and do the dishes!”
• “Get your butt off the couch and do the dishes!”

Which sentence is better? In truth, that’s like comparing apples to oranges. It really depends on the opinion of the writer. Writing is difficult, with or without the curse words. But if you choose not to use profanity in your writing, you’re in a whole different ball game. There are good things and bad things about the decision not to curse, and I will point out a few.

1. It puts limitations on your characters and the settings you use in your writing. I personally do not use profanity in my writing. So there are certain things I cannot write about. Writing a book about one of my characters being in prison, for example, would be something I couldn’t do. To write that book profanity would be mandatory. Not using profanity would be extremely difficult to maneuver. (I don’t like to say impossible, because in fiction, anything is possible.) I don’t mind having this limitation on me. Every writer has lines that they will not cross in their fiction and for me profanity is one of them. For you it may be death, or child abuse, those topics you may not want to touch. But for many writers, they want the freedom to write about whatever they want, without restriction. If you’re one of them, then omitting profanity could be a problem.

2. Your book has to be filled with enough tension, emotion, and drama that your readers don’t notice that they haven’t read one curse word. If you choose not to use profanity, you have to inject your novel with other punches of color. You don’t want your readers to close your book and think, “Wow, that didn’t have any curse words.” No, the trick is to have your book so exciting they don’t even notice. Let’s look at these too sentences:

• “What the @$%* you lookin’ at?”
• “What you lookin’ at?” he asked. He belched, then scratched the stubble under his chin, grating his fingers back and forth against the coarse hairs until it emitted a sound similar to sandpaper on wood.

Both sentences are up to the writer’s discretion and what they choose to do. But notice in the second sentence the extra punch I added. Both sentences show a side to this character that the writer may want to express, but if you decide against using profanity, remember that you have to add a little bit more oomph to express your characters fully.

3. You will offend less readers. I know, I know, a lot of you may say, “Who cares if they get offended! I want to write the book I want to write, and portray my characters the way I want to them to be portrayed.” And that’s fine. But I’m sure many authors receive reader e-mail or Amazon reviews that said they liked the book but they could do without all the F-bombs. If that sort of thing doesn’t bother you–great. But if it does, then think again before writing that expletive.

The fun thing about writing is that you get to create worlds that you control with the flick of your wrist. The language the author chooses is their prerogative. So I ask, which do you choose when writing, to curse or not to curse?

Writing Secrets by Dyanne Davis

Hello RAW family,

Hopefully you know me well enough by now to know I’m pulling your leg. If not I hope you know the publishing business well enough to know there are NO secrets, just timing, luck good writing and perseverance.  That said I will give you some tips that I have received from interviewing authors, agents and editors.  Most recently, I interviewed the managing editor of Red Sage for my cable television show.  I tried to ask her questions I thought you’d want the answers to. As soon as it’s edited I plan to put a clip on youtube.

As for the tips below, just remember I’m not saying these are the only things that work, just some.

1.  Never, ever, ever send in a rough draft to an agent, editor, or contest. Once you’ve written The End to your manuscript it simply means you’re done with your rough draft. You have to leave it alone for a time (a month works for me) then go back to it and do clean up.

2. Learn how to write a good synopsis. Think of it as a tool.  An editor uses it to see if you the author told the complete story. They are not judging your story on the synopsis alone.  (At least not your voice.)

3. Editors will buy a story that is not perfect, but that they see the potential in. A good story can be fixed.  They will also not buy stories that are written perfectly.  I was told they’re looking for substance and magic over perfection.  (I kept trying to get the answer to what is magic and even with the explanation I still have no idea what that is.  I think it’s an elusive something that speaks to the particular editor or agent reading your work. That may also be the reason why when an agent sa work by an author that they love it’s rejected.  The work spoke to the agent, but not to the editor.  (I hope that helps)

4. Do not get upset from form rejections.  There are many reasons why your work could have been rejected and some of it does not involve your writing.  I specifically asked this of Theresa she said, sometimes the story is 90% there and fixable. But they have learned from past dealings with authors that they tend to not take any kind of constructive criticism or become defensive and angry or try to establish personal relationships with the editors in hope of having their work accepted. To deter this, editors sometimes will not comment even when they want to.  Just continue to send your work out.

5. Learn to write a good query. Your query is intended to give the editor or agent information about you and your qualifications to do the story you’ve written.  Give them your publishing credits if you have them. Tell of contest wins and affiliations with any professional organizations.  Talk about one book in your query.  Make sure you give the word count and tell if the book is finished.  (It should be)

6. Because industry people do read your blogs and such, try and limit your personal attacks. (None would be nice.) Also you might want to avoid putting up entire stories for free reads if you intend to try later to sell them.

7. Figure out what your strengths are and use them. Never lose them.
(Anytime someone in a contest or critique mentions something you do well, hang on to that.   Hold onto the knowledge that you do have power and skill and make use of those skills).

8. Figure out what your weaknesses are and improve them.

9. Learn the difference between conflict and arguments. Learn the difference between internal and external conflict.  All stories need conflict. The genre you’re writing in doesn’t matter.

10. Make your first sentence count. You want to grab the attention of the editor immediately. Get to the heart of the story (the focus of the story) and stay there.  When you start wandering away, you lose the reader.  Sure you know what you’re talking about, but the reader needs to know also.

11. Decide if you’re writing a plot or character driven book. Ask yourself why the reader should like your characters and then make sure those reasons show up on the page.

12. Don’t let your secondary characters take over your book, even if they are fun to write. (I’ve made that mistake but I gave the secondary characters their own book.  You can too.)

13. There must be a change in your characters from the beginning to the end. Otherwise, why write the book? It matters.  Your character may start out whiny, unlikable or too rough.  In the end your readers have to like or understand them. (Personally, I like writing real characters, people whom you may never like. But I have to force myself to remember I’m writing for the reader so I have to have them change also.

14. When writing a synopsis, get to the heart of things right away. Make sure it’s clear what your hooks are (and by hooks I simply mean anything that sets your book apart from the rest and makes the reader pick it up).  Make sure your conflict is clear and that it’s obvious that your characters are compelling.  If possible, I would try to get those elements in somewhere in the first half page of the synopsis or at least by the end of the first page (but that might just be my way, so take that however you will).

15. Make sure you hit the ground running when the book opens.

16. Become a student of the market and use your knowledge. Know what’s selling and why.

While getting this article ready I read an interview with Jayne Ann Krentz. She spoke of the many times her career tanked and the reason for adding a pen name. She kept up with the market and made adjustments by studying her own writing style and writing a book that would fit in with the market versus what she really wanted to do.

Okay, stop throwing things at me and cursing.  I’m not telling you to follow the market trends.  I’m saying know what’s selling.  See if with a bit of tweaking if your work could fit another niche.  Just give yourself and your work every opportunity to get published.  Leave no stone unturned.

17. Be professional at all times. (Complaining is for your friends or family).  Editors and agents really do appreciate an author who realizes that publishing is a team experience, who appreciates her aid and expertise and who recognizes that she has the same ultimate goal (a winning book) as you do.  Please remember your agent does not have the power to force an editor to buy your book.  They want you to make a sale.  They work for months and sometimes years on your behalf without seeing a dime.  Know this and appreciate them and their time. You’re not their only client. They have a life. And above all, as long as they submit your work that is about all that they can do until someone says, “Yes, I want to buy your client’s work.

18. Develop coping strategies for the difficult times (exercising, shopping, yelling at the mirror, crying in the shower, watching sad movies, whatever works for you). Give yourself some time to deal with rejections, revisions or disappointments.   (Personally, I give myself no more than three days. And that has to be for something really big. I’ve found if you’re always working on something you don’t really have a lot of time to feel sorry for yourself. You just keep working, keep trying and thinking positively.

19. Learn to be brutal with the red pen. Write tight.  (This one may make some people cringe, so take it with a grain of salt.  I love seeing red on the page—at least, when I’m the one who has been wielding the pen—because it feels like progress to me.  I’m getting rid of extraneous or repetitive words and phrases, improving the flow and heightening the emotion and the tension).  I try really hard to find my own holes before my editor does.  Her red ink is not as pleasing as my own. (smile)

20. Recognize that you will have some bad habits that you can’t seem to get rid of…but still, never stop trying to change those habits. (One of mine is overuse of well.)

21. Be kind to yourself. You are, after all, the only one who can write your book.  Your manuscript needs you, so don’t beat up on yourself.  We’re all still learning, every one of us.

22. Figure out what writing/editing techniques work for you and don’t let anyone tell you that your way is the wrong way (because theirs is the right way). (If you need to write all your books in the bathtub using markers on a white board while you wear your special favorite hat, go for it).

23. Give yourself breathing room, family time and play time.  Engage in new hobbies. Never stop learning about things other than writing.  All of this will add to that well we all draw from.  Furthermore, knowing that you don’t have to live the book twenty-four hours a day will help you stay fresh and focused when you are writing.  Enjoy!

Story Structure: Getting Started (Plotting Your Novel – Part 1) by Ty Moody

Story Structure: Getting Started
Plotting Your Novel Series – Part 1
by Tyora Moody

A few years ago, I was talking with a woman from my church. I made the mistake of confessing to her I wanted to write a book. She proceeded to ask me a question that put a damper on my spirit. “But Ty, there are so many books in the world, what could you write that’s any different?” Yeah, that’s a real “encouraging” statement. Thankfully, the pull to write led me to start developing stories anyway. 

There is really nothing new under the sun. As an avid bookworm, I’ve read books that are really quite similar as far as story structure, but each author added their own unique way of telling the story. So, if you’ve been discouraged about writing a book, this article will hopefully spark you to get that story out of your head and on paper.

Creating a Story (Main Plot and Subplots)

The main plot consist of the series of the events that drive the reader to turn the pages of the book. If you have a story idea and you are also a reader, you might have noticed there are quite a few similarities in most stories. Let’s look at two popular genres below.

1)      Romance

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl break-ups with boy. Boy and girl make-up and get married. How original is that story? Well, that’s the underlining plot for most romance novels. Still, romance remains the most popular genre.

2) Mystery/Suspense

Same with mystery. Somebody was killed. Several people are suspects. The real murderer is found.

According to some research, there are only 36 basic plots. Those novels that get published have something about them that set them apart from ever other story. Paying particular attention to your character development and adding subplots that support the main plot can set your future novel apart.

Exploring Writing Processes

Once I started letting people know I finished a manuscript, they wanted to know how I did it. In all honesty, just like DNA everybody has their own particular process for structuring a story. I discovered a process that worked for me, and made all the difference when it came to writing the second manuscript.

There are two main writing processes and in some cases the processes will overlap depending on the writer. Now what I’m introducing does not include all the little bitty “things” a writer might do (playing music, writing in a coffee shop, morning vs. night writing, etc.) to really set their process apart from another writer.

A. Seat of the Pants (Pantser)

This style I can say is NOT me and also happens to be the format I started with for the first manuscript. I think it’s safe to say most writers start out this way when presented with a blank screen or notebook paper. With this process, the writer types up the scenes as they appear in their minds. They can sit at the keyboard for hours and write a reasonable set of chapters. Somehow the action flows from one scene to the next, making up a believable story. 

I admire writers who write not really knowing what’s coming next. For the past few years, in November, I’ve tried this style for the NaNoWrimo contest.  Each time, I cranked out three chapters and then quickly ran out of steam. The reason. I am NOT a seat of the pants writer. I fit in the other category and you may too.

B. The Plotter (Planner)

I write mysteries. It’s important to keep up with clues and suspects. Some of those clues point to the real suspect, while other clues, known as red herrings, point to possible suspects.  It took me a while, but I learned it helped me to keep track of the main plot and subplots by keeping a detailed chapter outline. Now when I start a manuscript, I have a pretty good idea of how many chapters and scenes I will need.

Now remember, I said earlier that sometimes the processes overlap. While I outline the chapters, I still have a blank canvas in front of me. This means my characters are still going to tell the story. They might decide to throw a wrench in the plot. That’s okay, I will stop and refer back to the chapter outline and make adjustments.

So, Let’s Do This!

I encourage you to grab a notebook and write down a few ideas. Write a few chapters. It’s okay to write badly. Don’t worry about editing.  You may start to notice a pattern or a sense of ease as you write.

• Does the story flow easily from one scene to the next (seat of the pants)?
• Do you need to think about the scenes a little more with a chart or an outline (plotter)?

Once you have established the style of writing that works for you, writing a manuscript will not be quite so daunting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is the editor of WrittenVoicesBlog.com where she features “African American Literature that Edifies the Soul.”  Known simply as “Ty” in many circles, she’s also a writer, blogger, and the owner of Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company.  Follow her journey to publication on TyoraMoody.com.