Where Was I Going Again? The Benefits of Re-Reading During a Revision

By Janice Hardy

A re-read might be the right path to find your story and fall in love with it all over again.

Many writers shudder at the very thought of revising their novel. Others curse. But I’ve always enjoyed the revision process (don’t hate me). I’ve found it’s where my best writing happens, because I know how my story turned out and I have a much better understanding of who the characters are and what they want and need to do.

Even if you’re a meticulous outliner, your final draft rarely matches your original plan exactly. And if you’re a pantser or discovery writer? Well, your manuscript may resemble your initial vision about as much as a squirrel resembles a spaceship. Though honestly, that can happen to plotters, too.

Because things change as we write. Motivations shift. New ideas pop up halfway through and suddenly alter our understanding of the plot. Characters do things we didn’t plan, and sometimes what sounded brilliant in Chapter Eight feels like a complete mistake by Chapter Twenty.

The More the Merrier: Adding Words to Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Before I dive in, here's a heads up that I'm visiting Writers in the Storm today to chat about a fun way to get you out of a writing rut. Come on over and say hello!


We spend a lot of time talking about what to cut from our manuscripts, but there are times when we really do need to add words. Even if a novel is the right size for the intended market and genre, we might feel the story just needs deepening to make it stronger. Here are some common reasons to add words to a manuscript.

So Where Were We Again? Salvaging Half-Finished Manuscripts

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I have a half-finished manuscript in my files (okay, I have several). Raise your hand if you also have a manuscript you like that's collecting dust because you're not sure what to do with it. You stopped work on it for whatever reason, and now that you're looking at it again, there are, well, issues.

It's not uncommon for our early novels to wind up HFNs (half-finished novels) because we were still learning and figuring this whole writing thing out. It's not even unusual for seasons writers to lose steam halfway through, because you don't always know where a story will take you. Sometimes it's to a great story place, other times, it's right into a deep dark hole.

If you happen to be in that hole, here are some common issues with HFMs and ways to help you salvage the story you love.

It's a Start: The First Line

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Several years ago, I was sitting in a room with a bunch of other writers at the Surrey International Writers Conference. We were all waiting for agent Donald Maass to begin his workshop on creating tension in our writing. He walked in, asked someone in the audience for the first page of their manuscript, and read the first line. Then he asked one of the scariest question you can ask.

By show of hands, how many people want to hear the second line?

Me or You? Part, Two, Mixing First and Third POVs

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Q: Can you mix first and third POVs?

Short answer: Sure.

Long answer: Like everything else in writing, it's all in how you do it. Kathleen Duey's Skin Hunger mixed first and third with great success, as does Roland Smith's I.Q. series. But I've read books that didn't mix them so well and made an utter mess of the story. Every POV switch was painful, there was no reason for them, and it just yanked me right out of the tale.

Mixing POV styles can be jarring to the reader without a good reason to do it. In Skin Hunger, the POVs are set 500 years apart, and the present day POV is in first person, while the past is in third. The more detached third person works well thematically with the distant story of the past. In the I.Q. series, the third person POV is snippets of the bad guys, so seeing them from a more distant perspective also worked thematically.

First and third mixed in the same time frame with two major POV characters doesn't always work so well, however, because there's often no reason for it to occur. It's done just to be different, or because you want to be able to show something your protag can't know and this is an easy way to do it.

If the reasons behind the POV mix are sound and serve the storytelling, go for it. If not, I'd suggest picking one and sticking with it. Mixing them is tough to do well, so unless it's the best thing for the story, you might be better off with one style.

Words That Sound Like What They Mean

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I love onomatopoeia. Not everyone does, so it's something I have to use with care. But just because I can't use "thwack" as often as I'd like, there are plenty of words that sound like what they mean that aren't onomatopoeia. The sound of the word evokes its meaning.

There's a great exchange in The West Wing that illustrates this. (I tried to find a video clip, but alas, no luck).

Ivanovich : Sam, it is freezing too cold in Rheykjavik, it is freezing too cold in Helsinki, it is freezing too cold in Staad, why must every American president bound out of an automobile like he's at a yacht club, while in... comparison,  while in comparison, our leader looks like... I don't even know what word is.

Sam : Frumpy?
 

Ivanovich : I don't know what 'frumpy' is, but onomatopoeticly, sounds right. 

Frumpy sounds like what it is. You don't have to know its definition to get a good idea of its meaning. A quick trip to the thesaurus got me these other words that could have been used instead:  

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together. Plotting a Novel: Part Two

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

On Monday, I went over the first half of my process for outlining and plotting out the first draft of my novels. Today, it's the last half.

The Three Act Structure is probably one of the more common structures (if not the most common) in storytelling, for both books and movies. Not everyone uses it, of course, but I'd imagine a high percentage do because it's so handy and works so well. It's not a formula so much as a framework, and it follows the natural storytelling style we've all grown accustomed to. Someone has a problem (act one), someone tries to solve that problem (act two), someone solves the problem (act three). You can be as loose as that if you like to write organically, or be very detailed and break it down into a much tighter formula if you like more structured.

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together, Plotting a Novel: Part One

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

My plotting process has been pieced together from a bunch of different sources over many years. Most notably, the books Plot, by Ansen Dibble, Scene and Structure, by Jack Bickham, and the structure musings of Alexandra Sokoloff. Other bits and pieces have found their way in from various blogs, conferences and simple trial and error. I found that following any of these verbatim never worked for me, but when I found gems that fit with my style, it made the whole process easier. And that process is definitely evolutionary.

My first step is to create a general outline. I'm a structure gal, so I like to know the major events that make up my story before I write it. I don't always know the specifics at this point, but certain things need to happen at certain times. Those steps are:

What to Do When An Agent Calls

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

When you talk to an agent, chances are you're going to be excited and terrified. This is it. This is what you've been dreaming of forever. But just breathe and try to keep in mind that this is a great chance for you to get to know that agent a little and see how you click with them. This is a person you could be working with, and you need to be able to talk to them without freaking out or feeling terribly intimidated.

It's important to remember that they're people, too. Every single one I've met was nice. They're scary only because of what they represent. (no pun intended) And if they're calling you, then there's something about your book they like, so you don't have to stress over that anymore.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Week: Dealing With Backstory

Backstory

Okay, I can hear ya'll saying "Backstory is small stuff?"

No, it's not, but the fear that if we don't add all that backstory readers won't get our stories is something we don't need to sweat over. Readers are pretty smart, and as long as you're keeping them entertained, they'll ride along with you even if they don't know exactly how or why something is the way it is.

And here's a secret:

They don't want to know everything right away. Tell them too much too fast, and there's nothing for them to discover as the story unfolds. That equals a boring story, and who wants that? Readers want to be surprised. They want to wonder why your protag is scared of bright sunlight (when he's clearly not a vampire of course). This wonder will help hook them and make them want to see what happens next.