Tag: tips

Twitter Tuesday #2

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Twitter Tuesday is a new feature on my blog. The first Tuesday of the month, I include all of the past month’s writing and editing tweets from the “field.” Read Twitter Tuesday 1 here.

If you’re reading this before May 15th, 2014, be sure to check out my Editing Giveaway! I’m giving away manuscript edits and critiques. It’s ridiculously easy to enter, and the more response the contests get, the more I’ll give away!

April

Retweets

Editing Giveaway for #ToAppomattox

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In order to generate more awareness for the To Appomattox Kickstarter Campaign, which ends May 16th, I’m doing a giveaway of my editing services. You can win a line edit of your first ten pages, a critique of your entire manuscript, or a full edit of up to 120,000 words! Please, SHARE this contest with your friends. The more response this generates, the more I will be giving away! 

Contents:

  1. What is To Appomattox?
  2. Editing Giveaway Eligibility and Terms
  3. Trivia Questions—First 10 Pages
  4. Retweet Sweepstakes—First 10 Pages
  5. Creativity Contest—Manuscript Critique
  6. Pledge Drive—First 10,000 Words or ENTIRE MANUSCRIPT

tA

1. What is To Appomattox?

To Appomattox is a historical drama miniseries created by Michael Frost Beckner. Beckner has been trying to get this series produced for many years. I think I first heard about the project in 2010 or 2011 and have been interested ever since. It’s been presented to all the major studios, who have all liked the script and the cast but have rejected it, claiming that American audiences want reality TV, not historical dramas.

I disagree. With the success of Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Tudors, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, etc., I think that a high-quality Civil War miniseries would be very successful.

The project has been on hiatus for so long, Beckner wants to get started with the pilot episodes, which is basically a 2-hour film. Once studios see the pilot, and once they see that Americans DO want a show like this, they are more likely to produce the remaining episodes. Beckner’s raised half the cost of the first two episodes and has gone to Kickstarter to crowdfund the rest.

This is huge, and it’s never been done before to this scale. The Veronica Mars movie was crowdfunded, yes, but remember that series had a longstanding, very devoted fan base. This is for a series that hasn’t begun filming yet.

As rewards for pledging, YOU, the audience, get to watch the film take shape and even shape it yourself. Have you ever wondered how movies are made from beginning to end? Donate $2 and you’ll have access to the production blog from start to release day. Donate $10 and you’ll get the production blog access plus the shooting script for both episodes. (EVERYONE can read the second episode! Just visit the Kickstarter page to read the script. You don’t even have to pledge! Think of it as a free sample). There are TONS of rewards available. Scripts, shirts, DVDs, the soundtrack. If this project gets funded, my husband and I are attending a screening and Q&A in Chicago to meet the creators and give our notes on the film. Awesome? Totally.

See the website for the cast and more information. Robert E. Lee had to be recast, but the casting isn’t public yet. I unofficially heard who is in negotiations for the part, and I am REALLY EXCITED about it. I’m also excited to see Damian Lewis (Life, Homeland, Band of Brothers), Noah Wyle (The Librarian movies, ER, Donnie Darko), and Neal McDonough (Captain America, Red 2, Minority Report, Flags of our Fathers). If you’re a fan of Jason O’Mara (One for the Money, The Good Wife), Rascal Flatts, or Trace Adkins, then you really need to check it out.

Editing Giveaway Eligibility and Terms

  • To be eligible for the contests, you must make a pledge of at least $2 to the Kickstarter Event. This is on the honor system, but if you won and I see that you had not made a pledge before entering in the contest, then you will be disqualified. When you make your pledge, you are promising to pay that amount if the Kickstarter is 100% funded. No money will leave your account if the Kickstarter is not 100% funded.
  • Do not email me your Kickstarter receipt unless you have pledged more than $150 or I have already contacted for winning.
  • The first four contests require a Twitter account. The last requires a Kickstarter pledge of $150 or more.
  • If you aren’t writing a novel, I’ll edit short stories or poems also. In fact, I have more experience with short fiction and poetry editing than novel editing. See the word count maximums I list below in parentheses.

Trivia Questions—First 10 Pages

For the first editing giveaway, I’ll be asking trivia questions on my Twitter account (@larathelark). You have 24 hours until May 12 to tweet me the correct answer. One entry per person, per trivia question. I’ll use Random.org to choose a random winner from the correct answers. Winners get 10 pages (up to 2,500 words) edited by a professional editor and writing coach (me!).

Hint: Retweet the trivia question. The more answers I get per question, the more questions I’ll ask each day! If I don’t get much of a response, I might only ask one or two trivia questions.

Retweet Sweepstakes—First 10 Pages

For the second editing giveaway, I’ll post a tweet on my Twitter account (@larathelark) and choose a random winner from those who retweet it. Winner gets 10 pages (up to 2,500 words) edited by a professional editor and writing coach (me!). I will choose one winner per tweet. Retweet each day’s for better chances of winning!

Here’s the current Tweet to RT:

Creativity Contest—Manuscript Critique

This contest goes from May 5th–May 12th, with the winner chosen and announced Tuesday the 13th.

Why do we need To Appomattox to be funded? Use the hashtags #WeNeed #ToAppomattox and my handle @larathelark in your answer to be considered for the contest. My favorite tweet will win the choice of either a manuscript critique of an entire novel (up to 120,000 words) or a substantial line edit of the first 30 pages (up to 7,500 words).

Pledge Drive—First 10,000 Words  or ENTIRE MANUSCRIPT

Contest closes May 15th.

First 5 backers to pledge more than $150 to the To Appomattox Kickstarter will get a professional, line edit of their first 10,000 words, plus writing coaching, valued at $600. If the Kickstarter event is not fully funded, then you can still get 10,000 words edited for $150, payable to me instead. I’ll contact you May 16th to give you that option.

First backer to pledge more than $500 to the To Appomattox Kickstarter will get a professional, line edit and writing coaching for their entire manuscript, up to 120,000 words! This is valued at $8,000.*

*THIS GIVEAWAY WILL ONLY OCCUR IF THE KICKSTARTER EVENT IS 100% FUNDED.

Email your pledge receipt to lara willard <at> icloud <.> com (remove spaces and brackets).

Follow me on Twitter for the remainder of the contest to see if any more giveaways will be announced. Now SHARE, PLEDGE, and ENTER!

Have any questions? Ask them in the comments below.

Twitter Tuesday #1

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With the exception of yesterday’s post on SMART Goals and motivation, I haven’t been blogging much.

I’ve been reading, editing, and writing. I’ve also been tweeting. And while I’m actively editing, I sometimes live-tweet the advice I’m giving my clients.

But some of you don’t have Twitter. And rather than tell you to get on Twitter and follow me (@larathelark), I figure it might be good to compile all of the writing advice into one monthly post. So here’s the first one, and we’ll see how this goes. This way you can get all my writing advice tweets without having to participate in the time-suck that is social media.

Of course, if you already Twitter tarry, then feel free to follow me there. It’s a good way to connect with writers, agents, and publishers on a superficial level.

Anyway, the idea is that the first Tuesday of the month, I’ll post all the #writingtips tweets from the previous month here. We’ll see if I remember in following months.

February

March

(Here’s a link to the video of that Space Ghost episode)

Big words

Retweets

10 Steps to Finishing a Novel

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The great thing about blogging is that you can’t hear my maniacal laughter. Oh, I’ll give you ten steps all right. Just don’t think that those ten steps will be easy or even consecutive. Think of it more as a twisted game of Chutes and Ladders. You go up a few steps, slide back down to the bottom, go up a few more steps, slide back to the bottom again. You’re basically Sisyphus.

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

A nicer title for this article might be:

The Creative Process for Writing a Novel

except it also includes processes that are critical, not creative, so maybe:

The Ten-Step Program for Novelists

(Titles aren’t really my thing.)

If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen a link I posted a while ago entitled “Madman, Architect, Carpenter, Judge: Unlocking Our Personas to Get Unstuck” from Ed Batista. In it, he quotes Betty Sue Flowers and her approach for getting unstuck as a writer. Now, I’ve already posted on The Myth of Writer’s Block, but there’s a difference between being “blocked” and being paralyzed by your inner critic.

Flowers’ essay is short, and you should read it. But I’ll sum it up for you anyway. She says that we all have conflicting energies. One, the madman, is the creative energy.

The judge is the critical energy: the internal editor, the voice that says, “That was the worst thing I’ve ever read” or “You are a ridiculous hack.” It’s the impetus to hold down the delete key.

So Flowers introduces two more personas, ones to act as mediators between the madman and the judge: the architect and the carpenter.

Basically these four personas represent 1) creativity, 2) logic, 3) craft, and 4) perfection. Separating these processes and letting them each have their turn will allow your work to grow and be refined from start to finish. You can even select one day for each persona. Monday = Madman. Tuesday I’ll organize his mess. Wednesday I work on syntax, style. Thursday I polish. Friday I submit the work.

Sounds really smart, right? It is!

But let’s look at the broader picture. How can we apply those four personas to writing out a novel-length work?

Steps 1–2: Experience

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: Hey Kids, Comics!

#1: Feed your creativity.

Read good stories. Read like a writer. Watch movies known for their storytelling (See this and this for ideas). Watch Sherlock. Listen to people talking. Eavesdrop. People watch. Go make memories. Travel. Spend time outside.

#2: Feed your knowledge.

Research. Spend time world-building. Flesh out your characters, then get to know them inside and out. Need character worksheets or exercises? I’ve got them here.

This is where many creative people stop. But to actually get things finished, you’ll need to keep moving forward.

On to the next step!

Steps 3–4: Produce

This is where the madman comes in.

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: Fanpop

#3: Brainstorm

No idea is off limits. Try to come up with some themes, pitches, or log lines so you have a bit of direction for the next step.

#4: Create

Be wild, reckless. Imagine your inner critic bound and gagged in the corner. Unleash your inner child and play. Write a paragraph or a scene. If you are a pantser, you might even complete a first draft before the next step. Just get words down.

When you are ready to plan, whether you’ve written a sentence or a full first draft, move on. 

Step #5: Plan

5–6 correspond to the Architect.

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: National Archive

Plan. Plot.

Start sketching out a roadmap. You can drive with your headlights out, sure, but it’s good to have at least some idea of a destination or what’s coming up next. This plan can be as rough or as detailed as you want it to be. Just stay flexible. Related posts:

Repeat 1-5 until you have an idea of a destination and a route to get there.

Step #6: Harvest

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: Smashing Picture

Curate. Organize.

Gather what you’ve generated. Organize it. Be selective with what you keep. Cut, rearrange, paste.

Repeat 1-6 until you have a complete manuscript. Celebrate. Then take a break to read a book or two about writing. Spend some time here on the blog. Ask questions. 

Step #7: Critique

7–8 correspond to the Carpenter

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: National Galleries Scotland

NOW is the time to start critiquing. Look for lazy writing. Find cliches. Read out loud. Underline wordy or clunky writing. Use a highlighter, not a pen. This is a time to find problems, not fix them. If you try to fix everything now, you’ll overwhelm yourself!

Take a break. Read poetry, go for a walk, go on vacation. Give your ego some time to recover. Compile a list of people who might want to Beta Read for you.

Step #8: Progress

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Refine: Library of Congress

8a: Rewrite

Take a scene or a chapter at a time. Look over critiques, then fix them. Be a writer. Be creative, be original. Fresh language. Specific details. Show, don’t tell.

8b: Proof

Inspect your writing for grammatical or logical errors. You can do this at the same time as #8a, but realize that one is about creating, and one is about judging. They are like twins with different personalities. You can take them as a set or separately.

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Twins: Design for Mankind

Write, critique, refine, proof your query letter if you’re looking for agent representation. 

Step #9: Invite

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: Australian War Memorial

Give your new draft to other readers. Listen to their feedback. Decide if you agree with them.

While you’re waiting for their feedback, read QueryShark. Refine your query letter.

Repeat 8 and 9 until you feel ready to submit or send your work to a professional. Note that if you already have an agent or editor, you’d likely submit your work to them very early on.

Step #10: Post

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

Source: Smithsonian Apparently people mailed actual children via post. Seriously.

10a: Hire

Send your query letter and sample to a freelance editor for professional feedback. Alternatively, you could send your query to a critique group or published author friend. Consider anyone’s feedback critically, but also understand that sometimes your gut reaction is more of a defense mechanism. Don’t accept or reject changes without considering each one.

If self-publishing, you take on the financial risks of publishing rather than a publishing house or small press. Ideally you will hire at least one copy editor or line editor and one proofreader. I’ve seen multiple editors and proofreaders still miss typos!

Repeat 8.

10b: Query

If you are looking for representation, send your query letter to agents.

If no one requests a complete manuscript, repeat 8-10 until somebody does. A published writer is a writer who doesn’t give up. 

Nobody promised you a rose garden. This is a long, hard road. You will sacrifice much. But at the end, you will have learned and achieved much.

Then: Representation!

You did it! Plan on plenty more writing, rewriting, and marketing in the months and years following representation as your agent submits your book to publishers.

Summary:

  1. Feed your creativity by experiencing life.
  2. Feed your knowledge gaining experience. Research facts. Fabricate the rest.
  3. Brainstorm like a mad scientist.
  4. Create with wild abandon. Repeat 1–4.
  5. Plan. Repeat 1–5 until you have a destination, an ending, a THEME.
  6. Curate, cut, and paste. Repeat 1–6 until you have a complete manuscript.
  7. NOW you can take the gag out of your internal editor’s mouth. Critique. Then take a vacation.
  8. Refine, fix, rewrite. Unleash the literary genius. Live up to your potential.
  9. Invite others to read your new draft. Welcome feedback. Write your query and summary. Repeat 8.
  10. Send your stuff to the professionals. Repeat 8–10 until you get representation.

An even briefer summary:

10 Steps to Finishing Your Novel | Write Lara Write

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Note: My husband, a Captain in the Marine Corps (now Reserves), says he only needs 6 steps to accomplish anything: BAMCIS. I can see that being adapted for novel writing. Once he finishes a novel, I’ll let him write a guest post about it.