Growing as a writer

As I mentioned in my last post, reading a wide variety of material does help you grow as a writer.

I was reading an article in Psychology Today about the things that happen in our sub conscious when we read.

I thought about how these different processes can be used to improve our writing and ultimately create a great novel. When I first started writing, I never considered my audience, but this was a huge mistake because if your reader can't connect on some level, they will give up on your book.

Pamuk says when we read we seek out the meaning of the story, so does your book have one central idea and theme, that initial hook to get them interested in the first place?

The transformation of words to images... have you built up enough descriptive text so your readers can picture your setting and characters and place themselves in your novel's world?

When you've experienced something, it is so much easier to write about because you've been there and know exactly how it feels and how you reacted, but that doesn't mean you can't touch on subjects that are new to you. If you research and interview enough, you have the potential to capture the moment so that the reader will wonder if it's real experience or just imagination...

However, make sure your scenes are realistic to your genre.

You have to love your text and put the time into editing and revising because then you will piece together a powerful narrative that your audience will love too. People who read are always looking for that next amazing book that really moves them.

Create believable characters. As readers, we are judging them, loving them, hating them, feeling sorry for them, willing them and questioning them.

As a writer, keep track of your storyline. A well written novel will connect the dots for the reader into a well rounded plot.

Bring all of these things together to write a satisfying story and do yourself justice.

The Writer's manifesto

To wrap up my How to be a better novelist series, it seems fitting to share the Writer's manifesto with you. I have it printed and pinned to my office wall and I make sure to look at it everyday. I stumbled across it when I was in dire need of a little direction earlier this year. I had just begun my new novel and I took a while to really get going. This manifesto helped kickstart everything for me.

What writing means to me

Receiving and understanding feedback is so important for a writer to progress, but I especially love it when people just get it - they get what I'm trying to do and what I'm trying to say. Thinking outside of the box is so important when you read anything. Never take the words, the situation or the characters at face value. When you get feedback like I received yesterday (which prompted this blog), your heart quite literally sings and it's the best feeling because you're changing someone's perception, you're enlightening them and touching them with your words. Writing empowers you. It gives you the power to make things right, cause utter devastation, challenge the status quo, turn life on its head and unleash torrents of emotion - heartache, humour, distress, excitement.... You hold destinies in the palm of your hand. I don't yet know the fate of some of my characters in The Dalton Bridges saga, but that is definitely all part of the fun.

4-step plan for reviewing other writers

On many writing sites we're encouraged to review our fellow writers, so we can all learn and improve and help each other on our respective writing journeys. What should you be looking out for? Well today's blog post will give you a 4-step plan to ensure you're covering the relevant areas and helping your fellow writers gain the most from your comments. We're going to be looking at character creation, plot structure, descriptions and the technicalities.

First up - characters. Some authors go down the descriptive route heightening the senses with carefully crafted places and scenes, while others write a blinding plot that keeps you turning the pages. But for me, characters are the heart and soul. Good character creation will have you connecting with them from the off. You should feel like you know them, be able to describe them, understand what motivates them and distinguish between each character you come across as the story unfolds. Personality traits should be relevant and speech should reflect personality.

Nowadays plot structure is being challenged and writers are keen to break from the norm. Essentially though, every good story has a beginning, middle and end and includes conflict and resolution. A plot line should never start with too much information, but rather allow that flow of information to penetrate throughout. Is the author using everything at their disposal to disperse detail - through dialogue, character action and description. A good writer mixes it up and mixes it up well. As a reviewer, this is what you're looking for. Does the storyline flow? Is it jumpy? Is there too much suspense, or not enough? Are you anticipating the protagonist's next move with ease, or with too much difficulty?

One thing to check with description - do you feel your senses are being assaulted in a good way? You will know if the author is "showing rather than telling" because you will see, hear, taste, smell, feel each scene and everything belonging to the scene like you are standing right there with the character/s.

Lastly, the technicalities. Check for the usual things - grammar errors, misspelled words, commas in the wrong place, never ending sentences... Also, is the tone of the narration fitting with the mood of the story?

Using the above plan will provide a good basis for your review, but remember to keep it positive and upbeat. For any writer, criticism is tough to take when we've laboured for so long over our pride and joy.

How to make your life as a writer work

This post is simply a list of bullets to get you pondering on with regards to your writing career...

• You need to chase your writing. If you really want it, pursue it.
• Pick a project. Stick with it.
• Keep up the pace.
• Write in a way that only you can write.
• Don't worry so much about trends and markets that your writing chokes.
• It's about quality, not quantity.
• It won't be easy.
• It will be lonely.
• Keep your expectations realistic and tune out the people around you.
• Writing is not something you do. Writing is who you are.
• Eat well and exercise to keep your creativity and enthusiasm burning.
• Own your successes.
• Deal with the frustrations of daily life when all you want to do is write.
• Don't linger over mistakes. Make it better next time.
• Feel empowered.
• Control the things you can, and leave the things you can't to someone else.
• Set your own trends.
• Don't be overwhelmed by the publishing industry.
• Connect with your writing.
• Put fear aside.

The real work of novel writing

In today's blog post I'm going to take you behind the scenes of writing a novel. Hands up if you thought writing a book meant sitting down and tapping away approx 100,000 words on your laptop in some kind of sequence and hey presto - finished!

It's ok because actually that's what I used to think before I started to learn my craft...

Many authors will write draft after draft after draft before getting to the finished product. I know when I was writing scenes for my first novel, some had multiple edits as I twisted and turned the plot (and because I was writing it over a period of 10 years). Just remember however long it takes and however you do it, there are four stages to take yourself and your book through before you submit the finished manuscript - and they require equal amounts of your time, dedication, focus and energy if you want your work to be the best it can be.

The four stages are:

1) First draft - Writing the story freely from beginning to end. Let the words flow and don't worry about indulging yourself - that's all part of the fun of writing something new for the first time.

2) Re-work - Checking sequence, timing, realism of plots and sub plots, depth of characters and descriptive text. Break the story down. Analyse each of the above separately and then bring them all back together. If something isn't working for you, now is the time to change it before you go too far down "that road".

3) Bulldozing - Cutting out unnecessary scenes, making the story more succinct and word counting so you fit the length of a novel in your chosen genre. If you weren't sure about a part of the story in Stage 2 but you left it in, this is your final chance to make the change. Guaranteed it will be more work if you left it until now, but better late than never!

4) Final edit - Includes a line by line analysis (painstaking work!) and grammar, spelling and punctuation check. Ask somebody to do this for you if you prefer. Not many of us have the luxury of an Editor, but friends may be willing to help you proofread. They will see things within your story that you've overlooked - and trust me, you'd rather hear this criticism now than after you've gone to print.

Writing books for a living - the reality

Here are 10 things I didn't know about writing for a living:

1) There is only a slim possibility you will be able to give up the day job and live off your book sales

2) Non fiction writing is more rewarding and profitable - easier to find a publisher, higher paid, more books produced

3) To have a shot at success, you must write within a genre

4) To build on that success, you should think about writing a series

5) Each book within the series should have its own conflict and resolution

6) Ideally the second book needs to be written before the first goes to print

7) Even if you manage to get traditionally published, unless you're a Bestseller, be prepared to dirty your hands and market your own work

8) Advances are only loans. Until your book sales pay off the advance, don't expect any royalties

9) Most authors will never "pay off" the advance ie. won't make enough sales to cover the "loan"

10) You'll only make between 50p and £2.50 on a book sale

Still want to give it a go? Of course you do! But stay realistic and plan your finances wisely before you take the leap of faith.

Your editing checklist

However you edit - whether it's after a page, after each chapter, or once the first draft of your novel is complete - there are certain things you should do to make sure your work is the best it can be.

You can get people to edit basic spelling, punctuation and grammar for you, but when it comes to the "heart" only you know how the story, the tone and the voice are supposed to play out.

Read your work aloud. 

Read each and every sentence. 

Read them separately and then read the complete scene. Does it work? Do you stumble over words? Is one sentence too long making you lose the thread of all the others? Do you pause where you have commas? If not, you need to make adjustments. 

When you're struggling to piece a block of text together, or a conversation, say what you want to be said out loud first and then write it down.
 
Imagine your readers reading the story. Is the language appropriate? Will they connect with the messages?

Does the plot flow? 

Are the sequence of events logical? 

Are there long periods where nothing is happening? 

Is the mix of speech, description and action equal throughout the whole story?
 
Use verb contractions to lighten your character's conversation. Instead of "I will do it", use "I'll do it". Write speech how it's really spoken using the different emotions of your characters to dictate that.

Avoid cliches - they are the devil. It's actually a really hard thing to do.

Avoid exclamation marks too. Try to bring out the emotion of the text without over emphasizing it with a ! If the sentence falls flat once the exclamation mark is removed - that sentence needs re-writing.

Finally, take out unnecessary words. Every word should earn its place.

I'm sure there are many other aspects to be thinking about, but these are the most important to me.

7 tips for keeping your readers hooked

We've touched on the emotional journey you're taking your readers on when you write a story, so now it's time to talk about how to keep your readers' interest peaked throughout this journey. 

If you think of your story like a contract between you and your audience and the biggest clause of that contract is your promise of a good read, it's therefore your duty to make sure you deliver. And if you really want to impress, exceed their expectations altogether.

Here are some tips for keeping your readers hooked:

• Don’t bring people into the story without an introduction – unless of course you’re waiting to formally introduce them. In the opening of Little Child, I substitute an introduction with an explanation of motives instead.

• Don’t switch tenses in the same scene. It stops your writing from flowing.

• Don’t use He or She if multiple characters exist in the scene. It’s so easily done, but will instantly make your text lifeless and dull - and hard to follow.

• Stick to the rules of your genre. If it's historical fiction, include history. If it's a romantic comedy, include love and laughs.

• Ensure your protagonist is active throughout the story because if they aren't, you've picked the wrong character to lead your story.

• If you use characters and scenes as build up before the main event, follow through with these to the very end to give your story depth.

• Every story should have conflict and resolution. Make the conflict good but make the resolution better. The conflict should never just fizzle away.

Character creation

Give your characters a rainbow of personalities so they compliment each other

Every writer will have their take on character creation and how they go about it, so here are my thoughts for the How to be a better novelist series.

When creating characters you need to think outside the box – don’t completely stereotype your protagonist - some stereotyping is ok so the reader can connect, but make sure you keep surprising yourself and the reader with the prot’s decisions and actions. How many different emotions do you feel with Maggie in Little Child? Maybe at first you love and admire her, then maybe as the story unfolds the adoration turns to dislike. As more and more is unravelled, there could be the strong possibility you may absolutely hate her… Snape is a brilliant example from Harry Potter. We never know to the very end what motivates him and why he does the things he does, but JK Rowling leads us on a journey.

That’s something else I find really useful – take the protagonist on a journey because in doing so, you’re taking the reader on a journey. And that’s what writing a book is all about.

My rules for secondary characters are more lenient. Example James in Little Child – he’s very one-dimensional. My personal view is that this is ok. Too many characters doing things to surprise will detract from the protagonist.

Read your character's dialogue aloud, imagine them as a living person. Brainstorm their hopes, dreams, fears. Do this with your whole cast, but spend twice as long on your prot. Readers connect / fall in love / compare themselves with the prot. in every book (I certainly do!) so they should always get first priority. Secondary characters are there to support the prot. but they should never be strong enough to override. Again, this is just my personal view.

Tricks for clarity in your fiction writing

We all have bad habits when we write which are hard to break because we don't know what they are until we hear the criticism. The good news is, there are simple things you can keep in mind whilst you're writing to bring back the clarity and sharpen up your prose.

Use metaphors, similes and analogies sparingly, but if you really must use one, pick a metaphor over the other two.

Forget cliches. No squeaky clean. No trips down memory lane. No sleeping like a log. Or springing into life. It's really hard when they roll so nicely off the tongue...!

Use the past tense rather than "would".
    Every day she would run through the park.
    Every day she ran through the park.

Avoid weak words like appeared to or seemed to.
    The man appeared to be shocked.
    The man was shocked.

Cut out unnecessary adverbs. He ran quickly. If you're running, you're moving fast and the reader knows that. Only include the adverb if there's something about the action the reader needs to know.

Show, don't tell. Emotions can be conveyed through the character's actions.
    Angered, Martha sat down at the table and started writing furiously.
    Martha sat down at the table and started writing furiously.

Don't use passive sentences.
    There was a dog barking in the background Vs The dog was barking in the background.
    There were cats crying for food Vs The cats cried for food.
    He was to be elected Vs He was elected.

And this is my favourite one and something I am consciously working on whilst writing my new novel: Using your five senses to bring a scene alive - the setting, the characters, the pace.

Don't just describe what your character is seeing, hearing, smelling. Don't just describe the physical and obvious aspects of a setting. Put the emotion into your writing. Make your readers feel it.

The best books I have read (and the ones I'll always remember) are the books that made me feel something. Right off the bat I can tell you I laughed my way through India Knight's "Don't you want me?" and I cried my heart out through Danielle Steel's "Lightning".

Using these suggestions to tighten up your writing will make the words come alive on the page and enhance the reader's experience.

Motivation for novel writing

It's really difficult to not get distracted when you work from home because there are a million things you could be doing verses the one thing you should actually be doing. If you woke up this morning with only a smidge of interest in working on your novel or writing project, trust me, it will be very easy to achieve little or nothing today.

So how can you stay motivated?

First of all, set yourself a realistic target for the day. Something along the lines of editing 100 pages, writing the first draft of a chapter, or piecing together a sub plot using a spider diagram. Try not to beat yourself up if it doesn't happen for you, but do everything you can to complete the task by the end of the day. That in itself will give you a massive boost.

Allow yourself some day dream time (maybe when you're making and eating breakfast - or lunch - or both) and let the buoyancy of the day dream carry you for a moment or two. It's ok to get swept up in best case scenarios (I do it all the time!) but don't turn the dreams into your expectations. You'll only be setting yourself up for a mighty fall...

Finally, write what you love and love what you write - and do all that unconditionally. Trends and markets are important (and they should always be sitting in the back of your mind) BUT if it's coming out stilted, you'll know straight away and it'll put you right off. DON'T think too much about the technicalities. DO focus on the heart of the story. Tuning and fine tuning come much later. That's what second, third, fourth and fifth drafts are for!

As I was telling a friend, when I'm in the zone with my writing, I'm really in the zone. That writing place, that I hope for the writers out there you can connect with, is simply magical. The words flow, the plot thickens, the characters come alive in the visual inside my head - and the secret is to capture it in words before reality drags you back to, well, reality. When I wrote my first novel, I would say I probably only found that peace about four or five times in the space of six months. The rest of the time I teetered on the edge, my everyday To Do list sitting there in the back of my mind, bugging me and distracting me. Does it affect your creativity and output? Of course it does, and it also causes frustration and resentment. To escape is self indulgent and selfish, but that's how I write my best stuff, so I'll never change it.

A few years ago now, a friend and colleague gave me some advice when I kept making excuses about why I couldn't write daily. Apparently Yoda says in Star Wars "Do. Or do not. There is no try." Sandy wrote this on a piece of paper for me and I still have it pinned to my noticeboard in my home office today. It's amazing the impact a few words can have. They were the catalyst to get my first novel finished after so long. I guess what I'm trying to say is - find your motivation and hold on to it (for dear life in many cases), so you can fulfill your potential and complete whatever writing goals you've set yourself today, this week, this month, this year and beyond.

Strategy for a good novel

Apart from the obvious - spelling, grammar and prose - when you're writing that work of art, my strategy for a good novel lies in the characters, the plot and the pacing. Once you've fixed your genre, these 3 key ingredients are pivotal during the writing process.

You know how much I swear by my characters. Their emotions dictate their actions which in turn dictates the plot. Strong characters will lead a story and this what the reader will remember.

Plots need to be plausible but you do have some flexibility here. A reader will be prepared to suspend reality to a certain extent and for a certain amount of time during the story - and this is what you must exploit.

When it comes to pacing, even the best plots can suffer if the pacing is too slow or too fast. No reader wants to drag their heels through a novel, so make sure they don't have to.

The best novels I've read hit these elements on the head and I salute the writers. We wannabe authors can never stop learning from the experts!

Questions every author should ask

Yesterday I introduced you to the idea that being an author - or freelance writer - or both means more than just writing nowadays (see my post 10 jobs of a modern day writer). And it sucks, let's be honest. When all you want to do is write and you can't, it's a frustrating and miserable time for all.

There's the dreaming. And then there's the reality. Unfortunately, as a writer you start by dreaming and quickly get doused in reality, whereas friends, family and colleagues expect you to be world famous - just like that. In fact, they expected instant success the minute you penned the last word, but let's be honest, didn't a tiny part of you expect the same thing too?

I know I did - and I was more prepared than most after being brought up to speed with the current state of the publishing industry at one particular conference. Problem is, I'll always dream!

Whether you're going after a traditional publisher, or you're attempting indie publishing, you need to be asking yourself some serious questions along the lines of:

1) Can I handle people criticising the story I've been working on for years?

2) Am I in this for the long (long) haul?

3) Do I have time to read and improve my craft?

4) Am I really and truly ready to be a published author?

5) Do I have time to build my author platform, manage my online presence, market my book AND continue writing?

6) Am I willing to support and promote other authors struggling to be heard just like me for our mutual benefit?

If you can't answer YES to every one of these, then it's time for a rethink...

Embrace or run away!

Like anything, it's a tough old business, yet I'm guessing you keep at it because one day, just one day you might come good.

To end this post on a positive - don't forget my definition of success and celebrating each and every little achievement.

The 10 jobs of a modern day writer

When I began my publishing journey a few years ago I thought all I had to do was write and if I did it well enough I would be famous all over the world.

I loved my ignorance back then!

I learned in one day that there was so much more to it than that. I think it took about four hours for my dream to be blown apart.

To succeed in today's industry you've got to wear nine additional hats to the hat of being a writer. Pretty scary eh when all you thought you had to do was write!

So in no particular order, here are my 10 jobs of a modern day writer:

Writer - first and foremost this is what you set out to be. Always fall back on the writing (if everything else I'm about to tell you overwhelms you) because this is where you'll earn.

Administrator - to keep track of bills, payments and expenses for tax purposes.

Accountant - to file the tax return.

Editor - to be a great writer you need to be an expert at stringing the best words and sentences together with a minimum of spelling and grammar mistakes.

Researcher - to get beyond Wikipedia information and dig for the real facts.

Negotiator - to get the best rates for your super duper writing.

Marketeer - to build your brand as a writer and make you visible to potential opportunities.

Speaker - to share the industry with others.

Advocate - to sing your praises and to sing those of your fellow writers too. Word of mouth is such a powerful tool! Also for rights, payment, treatment and helping each other with all the different aspects of being a writer.

Networker - to connect and recommend.

Turning envy into inspiration

We're going to move away from the Author Platform now and talk about How to be a better novelist.

I read a great article on turning writer's envy into inspiration and wanted to share a few of the highlights with you in this post.

We've all been there, reading the most amazing, inspiring text and wishing we could be even so much as half as good, then realising with that horrible sinking feeling that we're never going to reach that high bar. It's simply not attainable to us.

But stop right there! You're allowed a marginal amount of wallowing in self pity before you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back to your craft.

Don't let envy eat away at you!

Yes, it's a natural emotion, but why not harness its energy and turn it to your advantage?

Everybody has a unique voice and you shouldn't try to write in a voice that isn't your own. By all means follow the market trends and advice, however stay true to your originality and stay true to your instincts.

I strongly believe you can't be taught to write - you've either got the flair for it, or you haven't - but you can be taught to write better and hone those natural, inbuilt skills.

Writing isn't a race or competition either. I personally see it as more of a journey - a journey only for me. People will always try to measure your success with how many book sales you've made blah blah blah, but I reach the pinnacle of my success when I finish writing the story. It's all to do with how you feel about your achievement, not how other people feel about it. Manage your expectations of yourself.

Finally, study the work that inspires you and learn the techniques these writers use to capture the scene, the emotion, the whatever it is that's gripping you. I'll often dig out different books when I'm writing this scene or that scene so I can embrace the greatness of the writer and try to apply it to my own writing.

Strive to be better at what you do, but for gawd sake don't waste time beating yourself up!

Remember this definition of success from Maya Angelou: Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.