Category: Writing Basics

My internet receiver got blown over yesterday and I spent so much time dealing with that, that I didn’t get a tip written for today.

However, in the comments on last week’s tip about the reference books, a reader asked if The Chicago Manual of Style was online. I googled. And yes, it is.

HERE.

As for an online LDS Style Guide, there is THIS. It’s not as complete as the printed guide and I’m not sure if you can fully trust this one, since it’s a wiki and someone might have posted misinformation, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

I have had an idea for a book for a while. I am in no way shape or form a writer. (I may have butchered that whole sentence) Anyway, I need someone LDS because this idea would make very little sense to anyone else. I have about 70 pages of stuff that I would like someone to lightly go through and tell me if the idea has any merit. I know if would need major gramatical overhaul but that would be later on. I just need an opinion. I would, of course, be willing to pay for the time it would take you to do so. I am not looking for a freebie.

If you could e-mail me back if you are the person I am looking for and if so what the cost would be to help me out.

I am also wondering how I protect myself from someone looking over my idea and taking it for their own. How does that work?

I’ve already responded to this writer. LDS Publisher does not do ghostwriting. However, I know that some of my readers do. Please feel free to post contact information in the comments if you’re interested in helping this writer.

Some tips for hiring a ghostwriter:

• Ask to see their past work and ask them for references. Read what they’ve done before. Contact their previous clients to see if they were satisfied. Ask specific questions, such as how much editing had to be done after the ghostwriter was finished? Did they meet their deadline? Would you hire them again?

• If they check out, I recommend giving them one chapter to see if you like what they do before you hire them for the whole job.

• Some ghostwriters charge by the hour, others by the page. If they charge by the hour, having them do one chapter will give you a way to estimate the cost of the entire project. If they charge by the page, having them do a chapter will let you see if they put in a lot of extra fluff to boost their fees.

Protecting yourself:

• Copyright goes into effect as soon as your put your first word down. Keep notes of when you started your project and when significant milestones and/or research was done.

• Professional ghostwriters are not going to steal you project. That’s why you check them out thoroughly before you show them your notes. If there’s anything shady about them, go with someone else.

• Keep dated copies of your notes. Let your friends and family see them and document the dates so that if something does happen and you end up in a lawsuit, you have people who can testify that you were working on these projects before you hired the ghostwriter.

• Get a dated contract from the ghostwriter. Again, this will help you if you go to court.

I made on a mistake last Tuesday. I used a word wrong. I wrote the post and sent it live. Then something tickled in my brain that said maybe I should look a word up to be sure of its usage. I looked it up. I was wrong. (Hard to believe, I know.) I hurried to change it, but then I decided to leave it as is to see if anyone caught it. No one did—or at least, no one said anything.

The word? Sensual. Which means, “pertaining to, inclined to, or preoccupied with the gratification of the senses or appetites; carnal; fleshly.” Yes, it can also be used the way I used it, but that’s its fourth or fifth meaning.

The word I should have used was sensuous, meaning “perceived by or affecting the senses.”

Which brings me to today’s tip. Every writer should invest in a good set of reference books—dictionary, thesaurus, and style guide. Learn how to use them. Use them often.

Dictionary: The type of dictionary you need depends on the type of writing you are doing and the type of information you most commonly need. I found a great article on selecting a dictionary HERE. And what do you know? I must be brilliant because I’ve always preferred the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (which was rated as best in this article).

If you’re writing historicals, particularly early Church history historicals, you might want to look at Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. It’s a little pricey, but worth every penny if you want to get your usage correct.

Of course, there’s always dictionary.com, which is better than nothing but I frequently cannot find the word I’m looking for there, particularly if its root is in a language other than English,. Also their definitions are sometimes incomplete.

Thesaurus: Mark Twain said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” A thesaurus can help you find the right word. I like Webster’s New World (Roget’s) but it’s big and clunky, so I often use a little paperback Roget’s. I’ve also heard good things about the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, but I haven’t had a chance to check it out.

On line, there’s thesaurus.com and Encarta. Both are good, but I usually use the first one.

Style Guides: The style guide you use depends upon the style of writing you’re doing. My favorite, hands down, is the Chicago Manual of Style. I personally have the 14th edition, and I don’t like some of the changes in the newer 15th edition. But either way, using a quality style guide keeps you safe and it’s easy to change if your editor prefers things to be done differently.

If you’re writing LDS books, you must have a copy of the LDS Style Guide to Publications. This is going to help you with capitalization, hyphenation and other style forms specific to the LDS Church. And it’s cheap!

Once you have these guides, don’t just put them on a shelf. Use them! If you have even a sliver of a doubt about the spelling, meaning of a word or the correct usage of punctuation, look it up. Become familiar with your deficiencies and always, always look them up. One of my weaknesses is the comma. I never can remember if I use one before the word “but”—as in, “I am pretty smart, but I forget when to use the comma.” I know this about myself so I look it up. A lot.

The more clean-up work you do on your manuscript before you submit it, the better chance you’re going to have of being accepted. And yes, I have rejected good stories before because the manuscript was going to take more clean-up time than I had in my budget.

Ok, here’s my situation and I’d like to hear what a publisher thinks. I have written two books out of a four part series (four parts that I planned to write originally). These books are non-fiction books and each stands on it’s own. My problem is that I’ve lost interest in writing the rest of the books and am dragging my feet on writing the final two. I did not sign a contract with my publisher for the whole series, only for each book. However, they know that I planned to write four books. The books are selling well (for LDS standards), but like I said, I have lost my desire to write them. However, I am still interested in writing other books and having them published by the same publisher.

If I were to not finish the series, would you recommend I contact the publisher to let them know or do I just not send in any more manuscriputs? And if I do this, can you tell me how this look to the publisher? Am I kissing my lucrative (ha ha) writing career goodbye?

Or would you recommend that I buck up and force myself to write something I have no interest in anymore? Should I stress myself out and spend hours and hours of work just to finish the series on time?

You have to deal with this up front and in a professional manner or you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Your publisher has invested money in this series, with the idea that it’s going to be a series. If you just don’t ever send another manuscript, it’s going to look like you’re a flake.

Call your publisher today and have a chat about it. Ask them how the series is going and if they want the other two books. Maybe they’ll say they think the “series” has run its course and won’t be interested in the next two books. Or maybe they’ll only want one of them. It’s okay for you to admit that you’re losing the thrill of this series–that happens a lot, even in fiction (Can we say “Robert Jordan?” RIP), but be prepared to pitch them something else to replace it.

However, if they say yes, they want the other two books, then you’ve got to buck up and do them. And you have to do a good job of it, as well, or they won’t trust you for any future book series that you pitch them.

Heh–heh. How many of you saw the title on your RSS feed and rushed over here thinking I was going to discuss something naughty?

Sorry. Wrong use of the word.

I’m talking about the five senses. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. If you want to suck the reader into your story and have it come alive for them as if they’re really living it, be sure to include sensual descriptions. You don’t need to include all five sense descriptions in every single scene, but the more you add them in, the more real it’s going to be for the reader.

The two most neglected senses are those of smell and taste—and yet those are two that can evoke some of the strongest reactions in a reader, particularly smell. Don’t be afraid to use them in your writing.

Pay attention to sensory descriptions as you’re reading over the next few weeks. Does it make a difference to you? Does it pull you in? Does it make the writing stronger? more real, more vivid? Can you think of a scene or an author you’ve recently read where the sensory descriptions captivated you? If so, tell us about it.

Think about how sensory descriptions would add depth to the story you’re writing now. Do some testing with your writing and let us know how it worked for you.

Article: Faith and Good Works, printed in the Boston Globe, March 1, 2009

I thought this was a great article, speaking to the fact that the YA market has been flooded with good LDS authors. I think it’s great that we’re getting some notice. Go take a read.

Who are some of your favorite LDS authors in the Young Adult market?

I’m reading a book by an LDS author who has written many books. The book I’m reading is filled with overuse of cliches & adverbs. Isn’t this generally considered poor writing?

Yes.

Why is she getting away with using a cliché or adverb on almost every page? And, why oh why (feel free to not use this next part when you address this question on your blog) is this book nominated for a Whitney Award? The story is great, but the overuse of these two elements weakens the writing.

You are the third person in two days to ask me this, and while neither of you mentioned the title of the book specifically, I believe I know which one you’re referring to because I have the same issues with it.

The answer is: this author has plenty of readers who love her books and apparently do not mind her use of clichés or adverbs, or they are willing to overlook that for the sake of the story. And this group of loyal fans is also the reason the book is up for a Whitney—because those fans nominated it.

Could a new writer get away with this? No, because they don’t have an established group of loyal fans. Simple as that.

Show, don’t tell.

How many times have you heard that phrase? A million? A zillion? A quatra-billion-gazillion?

Yeh, me too.

But sometimes it’s easier said than done. One of the best tips I’ve ever heard on how to show, rather than tell, was to imagine your scene as if it’s on a movie screen, then describe in detail what is happening.

For example, let’s say we have a budding high school romance. Boy and girl are discussing their feelings for each other. Instead of telling us that he is embarrassed by the things he wants to say, or that she is afraid he’s going to dump her, picture the conversation on a larger-than-life, techni-color screen in your mind. What does it look like? Show us through your description.

Does the boy shift his weight from foot to foot and look off into the distance? Does he open his mouth to say something, then close it again? Do his ears turn a little pink at the top?

And what about her? Does she hold her books up close to her chest, as if they’d protect her from the blow of his words? Do her eyes water up just a bit and does she bite her lower lip? Does she look down at the ground, then back up at him?

The description and the choice of their dialogue (or lack of it), show us that he is embarrassed and that she is afraid. That’s what we mean when we say show, don’t tell.

One of the things I get asked often is where is there a need in the LDS fiction market? Are there areas or genres that publishers are looking for but not getting?

A simple trip to an LDS bookstore will help answer this question. Imagine you’re shopping for the Christmas that just passed and you’ve decided to gift everyone on your list with a fiction book. (I’m going with gender generalizations here so don’t jump all over me for this.)

The women are pretty much covered with romances and general or women’s fiction. There are also quite a few romantic suspense novels out there. You can get the men a historical novel or suspense. (Not much in the way of westerns right now but maybe somebody’s working on the next Stom Testament..?) You have some choices for teen girls. And you’ve got a great selection for anyone who likes fantasy.

But what about the boys on your list? If you’ve got a boy aged 10 to 18 that doesn’t care for fantasy, you’re out of luck. Girls in that same age range that don’t like romance are kind of out of luck as well. I’d like to see some fun realistic (as in, non-fantasy) fiction for these ages, maybe some spy or adventure novels, sports books, humor.

The downside, though, is this is a harder area to sell. Adult books sell better than books for kids. But still, that’s where the hole is and I’d like to see it filled.

I have an author friend who refuses to read any book in the genre she’s writing in—ever! She says she doesn’t want to be influenced by the writing of others. That she’s afraid she’ll be rejected if she sounds too much like someone else. That she wants to be a “fresh, new voice” in her genre. To me, this is just ridiculous (and we’ve had more than one heated discussion about this). What do you think?

I agree with you. I’ve heard this argument many times but it just doesn’t hold true.

Like any other business, to be successful, you have to understand your competition. You have to know what they’re doing and why you’re different. I love submissions that say, “Readers who liked [books A, B and C] will probably like mine because [whatever reason that it’s similar]. However, my book differs from those in that [your unique slant on things].” I immediately know where to put that book on the shelf, how to sell it, and who the audience is. It makes my job lots easier.

As for the concern that she’ll be influenced by someone else’s style. . . not if she reads widely enough. I could see someone putting their reading on hold for a few months while they’re actively writing, maybe, but in general, I think this is a mistake.

What about you writers out there? What do you think?

One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

* From Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language”

Some writers claim never to be troubled by writers block. I suppose we have to believe them because no one would lie about that, would they? (cough, cough).

I certainly have had my share of writers block—particularly lately as I’ve been promising this new and improved blog, chockfull of wonderful tips. All I need for a good case of block is high personal expectations + my own natural fear of failure and boom! I’m blocked.

Under the assumption that most writers will experience some degree of writing blockage during their writing careers, here are a few tips that have helped me.

1. Pack away the perfectionism.
   When I’m starting a new project, getting the basic plot and characters down, I have to consciously give myself permission to do it imperfectly. The important thing is to get something down on paper, I can always go back and fix it later. Sometimes I even intentionally write poorly, just to break my brain out of that “gotta do it right” psychosis.
2. Work on multiple stories.
   I always have a couple of projects going at the same time. If I get blocked on one, I can switch to something else for a bit. Usually I can find something that will get the creative process started. Once I’ve had a little success with one project, I can go back to the one that is stumping me.
3. Write a never-to-see-the-light-of-day book.
   If I’m not immediately in the mood to write when I sit down at my computer, I’ll open my “silly book” and work on it for about 15 minutes. This book is a clichéd story (for me, usually a mystery) with no outline and no plot. I pick up where I left off last time and write—not knowing what is going to happen next until it shows up on the screen in front of me. Working on this book also helps break that perfectionism cycle.
4. Interview your character(s).
   Ask them silly questions, like what they had for breakfast that morning or what they’ve got planned for the weekend—or even, what the heck is your problem? Sometimes I’ve discovered amazing things about my character(s) that add richness to my story.
5. Watch really bad television or movies.
   Some days when I can’t get going on any of my projects, I’ll watch a show that I know is pretty bad and think about how I would have done it differently. This helps get the creativity going and then I can apply it to my novel.
6. Stick to a schedule.
   I know, easier said than done. But I’ve found that when I stick to a regular schedule, my brain learns that at a certain time of day, it’s supposed to shift to a creative focus and the blocks become less frequent. Kind of like eating at a certain time of day trains your body to be hungry at certain times.

These are just a few of the things I do to overcome writers block. What are some of your best tips?

Notes from the 2008 LDStorymakers Conference

Workshop: Improve Your Writing
Presenter: Tim Travaglini, Sr Editor @ Putnam, Workshop on Saturday
Submitted by: gwynnwynn

Mr. Travaglini talked about several ways we can improve our writing. He said they were not necessarily in order of importance, and some were more important than others but he didn’t always indicate which were the more important ones. Mr. Travaglini had a very relaxed presentation style and I couldn’t always tell when he was changing topics. I wish I had better organized notes, but I was writing as fast as I could and I know I missed a few things.

Voice is the most important and most difficult to fix. This is where a huge component of natural talent comes in, although it can be learned.

Know your character intimately—what they had for breakfast, their dog’s name, their childhood, etc. Write a bio for your character, with description and everything. Ask yourself: Why do I love them? Are my characters appealing to me?

Narrative tension is tied into conflict. It motivates the reader to care about what’s going on. Bring plot in as early as you can. Weaknesses in this area include conflict that lacks weight or significance, that is trivial or misleading, scenes that don’t move forward, tangents or extra threads, taking too much time in the wrong place.

Conflict and resolution—you have to have something for your protagonist to overcome. There is no plot if there is no conflict; no ending if there is no resolution. When writing for children, your protagonist needs to resolve the conflict for themselves; cannot be resolved by parent or circumstances.

Sympathetic Protagonist—voice gives you a lot. If your reader falls in love with the character, you will have instant sympathy. Sympathy can also be created by the story, what’s happening. Anti-heroes are flawed characters and the story must be about their redemption. You also need to humanize your antagonist.

Secondary characters—you have to know them as well as your protagonist. You need to know whoever walks onto your stage as intimately as you do your protagonist.

Fresh take. There are no new stories. There are only 7 basic narrative structures in human storytelling but you need to make it stand out in some way. You need an original twist or interpretation.

You need a beginning, middle and end. This creates the narrative arc. Beginning needs to draw you in. It needs to have immediacy. He says, don’t use flashbacks ever—and if you do, they need to be brief and blended seamlessly into the text. You need a narrative arc. Are you building toward a climax?

Hooks are very important. First sentence needs to get you to read the first paragraph, which gets you to read the first page, which gets you to read the first chapter.

Internal logic—does your story make sense to an outsider?

Point of View (POV)—Which is right? Once you decide, don’t shift.

Pace—if the scene is not moving the story forward, the pace will be off.

Consider the following for the rest of your career:

1. What makes for a most compelling character? Who are your favorite literary characters and why?

2. What makes for the most compelling storyline/conflicts? What are your favorite and why?

3. How can you reach the broadest possible audience? Don’t over think. Your author’s passion drives you to create good work.

4. Do you even want to reach a broad audience?

5. Are you willing to make the completion of your work the most important thing? You have to be devoted to the work, to the writing. Treat it like it’s important. Your writing will not improve unless your answer is yes.

6. Are you committed to making your work the best it can possibly be? Will you sacrifice your ego for your work? Will you seek and entertain criticism and revisions.

7. Revisit and reread your favorite books and answer questions 1 & 2.

Notes from the 2008 LDStorymakers Conference

Workshop: Getting Out of the Slush Pile
Presenter: Tim Travaglini, Keynote Speaker on Friday
Submitted by: Karlene Browning

There are 10,000 new children’s books published each year in the U.S. Here are a few tips for getting out of the slush pile and becoming one of those 10,000.

• Talent, Training, Perseverance—You need to be strong in two of the three to be successful; and always be working on improving the third area.
• Collect and be proud of rejections. They are an indication of your perseverance; that you’re not giving up. (Kate Dicamillo, author of Because of Winn Dixie got 400 rejections.)
• Luck—the harder you work, the luckier you get.
• #1 thing to be a topnotch writer is to read in your genre—lots!
• Join a writers group. Find one that you like with good support and honest feedback
• Take classes and read books on writing.
• Dont be afraid to revise. “Your words are not gold.” (Richard Peck goes through his finished manuscript and deletes his favorite sentence because he knows if he can cut that, he can do what needs to be done for the good of the story.)
• Know who you’re submitting to; who you should be submitting to. Consider submitting to a junior editor. They are hungry and eager.
• Attend writers conferences where editors and agents are presenting. Any agent or editor who attends that conference is “fair game” for submission. Include mention of the writers conference in your query/cover letter.

Notes from the 2008 LDStorymakers Conference

Workshop: Creating Your Inner Writing Team
Presenter: Carroll Morris
Submitted by: Lee Ann Setzer

I attended Carroll Morris’s session, “Creating Your Inner Writing Team.” Carroll, who co-authors the “Company of Good Women” series with Lael Littke and Nancy Anderson, reviewed the special strengths of the right and left brains, reminding us that no one is all right- or left-brained—it’s not like the non-dominant side is “filled with packing peanuts!”

We’ve heard plenty about brain dominance in the last twenty years, but a couple of points impressed me. One was that the left brain—she called it the Project Manager and the Inner Editor—is naturally active, aggressive, and demanding, while the right brain—the Creative Dude—is naturally passive and accepting. So the Inner Editor demands to be heard, while the Creative Dude, when ignored or put off, shrugs and wanders away.

She also emphasized that all the voices in our heads are there to protect and help us. The Inner Editor tries to keep us from making mistakes that might hurt us, while the Creative Dude is constantly “googling the environment,” noticing pieces of important information, forming impressions, and coming up with ideas. She briefly addressed those other voices as well, mostly left-brain residents, like the frightened child who’s afraid of rejection and the spoiled brat who wants to goof off.

Carroll helped us relax and guided us to visualize our “inner writing team,” starting with our inner writing area. We invited each member of the team into the room, one at a time. We had a firm chat with the Inner Editor, expressing gratitude for all its help but asking (it? him? her?) to please take a break when Creative Dude needs to share ideas. Then we invited Creative Dude to share anytime, and we promised to listen. The project manager, the frightened child, and the spoiled brat all got some attention. Each inner voice promised to help—after all, they only want what’s best for us!

Maybe I’m a little remedial here, but it hadn’t occurred to me the those voices in my head were on my side. Focusing on them one at a time and acknowledging their contributions gave me energy and some new optimism. The last couple of days, I’ve been more successful at turning off the Inner Editor (or rather, sending her on a well-deserved vacation) and inviting Creative Chick’s ideas. Thanks, Carroll!

Lee Ann Setzer
www.leeannsetzer.com

There seems to be some disagreement about the use of prologues. What qualifies as a prologue? If a first chapter covers an event that happens a few months before the next scene, is it a prologue or a first chapter?

Prologues go in and out of fashion. Some publishers like them, others hate them. Some might call their prologues Chapter One, but they’re still a prologue.

Currently, prologues are out of favor. But this is my opinion: A good prologue that is well written adds to the story. The main purpose of a prologue is to give us needed backstory, but to allow it to happen in real time instead of the dreaded info dump. Prologues work best in fantasy, where we need to know something about the main character or the villian, but the main action of the story doesn’t start until the main character comes of age. Or sometimes a thriller, where the bad guy does something to set the story in motion, but the effects of his acts aren’t felt until months or years later.

Here’s an article on prologues that explains it pretty well.

None of this info really helps you decide whether to call your prologue a prologue or to call it chapter one. If you’re really concerned about it, go look at some books in your genre from the publisher you’re submitting to. Do any of those books have prologues? If so, you’re fine using one. If not, call it chapter one.