Slowly but Surely, the Process Moves Forward

It's been a little while since I posted, so I think it's time to give an update on my progress, and the process I went through to get here.

2010 and Prior -Wrote the "Shitty First Draft" (SFD)
The SFD took me a long time, about two years.  Of course, I was/am a new writer, still figuring everything out (I'd only seriously been writing for about a year prior to starting 'Pack'.)  About six months (and 35,000 words) into the first version, I decided to rewrite everything.  The premise was the same, but the cast and initial setup was completely different.  The only character I kept was my protagonist, Laila.  Even then, I didn't really know what I was doing, and kept going back and changing things around, so I chalk up most of the two years to newbie mistakes and the learning curve.  The next one won't take nearly so long.  I hope.  :-)

January - SFD Complete
My first draft was not good.  The basic concept was written, the characters were more-or-less developed, and the overall content was laid out, but it wasn't anywhere close to being published.  Which was fine.  It's accepted wisdom that the first draft should be shitty.  The author needs to write the first draft as fast and as creatively as possible, without letting the internal critic slow the process down.  The critic is allowed out to play during the editing process, and that's when you start to have a publishable story.

February/March - Prepared for Beta Readers
This was the first round of edits, and to be fair, I really went through the manuscript two or three times before I sent it out to anyone to read in full.  (I'd asked for some feedback on certain sections, but ultimately I decided it wasn't worthwhile to share the novel in bits and pieces.)  Even after the edits, the manuscript wasn't perfect.  I knew it wasn't ready to go out into the world, but I wasn't able to see what needed to change.  Luckily, that's what beta readers are for.

April - Break month.
I sent the complete manuscript to several people to read and give me feedback (my beta readers).  These were people that I trusted to give honest, constructive criticism, and they did a great job for me.  They all found aspects of the story that they liked, as well as things that needed to be fixed or changed to improve the clarity and cohesiveness of the story.  In particular, I found out I'm not so good at the description.  Which is great (okay, not great that I suck at providing enough setting and description, but great that now I know I suck at it, so I can pay more attention to it in the future, and fix my problems).

Meanwhile I took a break from 'Pack'.  I worked on other things, most time-consuming of which was my day job (it was my busy season). But more importantly, I needed to put some distance between the manuscript and me.  In order to see the flaws, I had to be able to read with fresh eyes, and a new perspective.  I couldn't be so wrapped up in the story that I took all of the criticism personally.  

May - Paper Review
First, I read through an unedited version of the manuscript, making my own edits on paper.  I called this the Master Copy.  Then I read through each beta reader's comments on their version of the paper copy, adding the changes and comments I agreed with to the Master Copy.  Each beta got their own color of pen in the Master as well, so I could keep track of who said what.  Have I mentioned before that I'm a bit of a Type A nerd?  Anyway, I managed to get all of that done for all five copies of the manuscript, despite the fact that I was still swamped at work and busy with personal things on the weekends. 

June (forecasted) - Finish Major Rewrites
My goal this month is to finish incorporating the written edits into the digital file, so that I have a completed work of fiction by July 1.  I think it's doable, but I will have to knuckle down and work hard to get there.  I need to add a couple of scenes, revise the ending, and generally make a lot of changes.  But I really think it's coming along.  Once the major rewrites are done, I'm going to send it to a couple more people to read, to see if it's (finally) ready to go out the door.

In the end, this has been a long and involved process.  Now that I've gone through it (or will have gone through it soon) I'll do better on the next novel.  I now know where I tend to get stuck, and what steps I'll have to go through to get it all finished.  Plus, I'm a much better writer now than I was when I started, so the SFD should go faster next time.  

I want to emphasize, however, that the writing process takes as long as it needs to take.  I'm not going to rush through everything and send a piece of crap out into the world.  If I need to go through another round of edits on 'Pack' to make the story sparkle, I will.  Good things are worth waiting (and working) for.

Favorite lines from 'Pack'

I'm back at it, working on the revisions to Pack based on my beta reader feedback.  So far, I'm really pleased with what everyone has said, and while there's still a ton of work to do (it seems never-ending) I think I'm at least on the right track.

But today, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite lines from the story.  Enjoy!

***

We kept up the pace for a couple hours, finally stopping for a break when my stomach growled so loudly that even Erik heard it.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"No, I think I'll wait to see if my stomach can eat my spine."

***

Teeth the size of paring knives glinted in a vicious snarl.

***

"No," I said firmly, trying to imagine the wolves were just misbehaving Labradors.

***

I watched as the first of the haggard looking buildings passed my window.  Faded and peeling red paint graced its walls, while slightly crooked steps led up to the sagging front porch.  The windows were clean though, and well-dressed mannequins advertised modern clothing inside.  The next building was equally dilapidated, and the sign over the door simply read Bar.

***

"How's the training going?" Sarah asked, as I gracelessly threw myself into a chair.

"I'm definitely going to be sore tomorrow, probably sore tonight, and maybe even sore before lunch is over," I replied.

***

Quick Update

I apologize for missing my posting earlier this week.  Things have been a little crazy around here.  So I'm just going to give a quick update on where I'm at.

I finished a second (or is it third?) review of the manuscript, tightened up some plot points and rewrote the ending.  The ending still needs some work, but I'll get back to that.

I've decided I need to write-out a character from the original draft.  She felt like a 2D stereotype and didn't add much to the story.  In fact, she wasn't physically in most of the story, usually appearing only through phone conversations.  I figured out a way to replace her, so I'm going to do it.  But that means a lot of revision, and one more pass on the manuscript before Beta. 

The new ending also beefed up another character for me, and added a new dimension to the story that I have to scatter throughout the manuscript.  I think it will be much, much better this way.

All of these changes have really cut down the size of the manuscript.  I'm down to about 60,000 words, which is a little short for a novel.  If I continue to slice and dice, it could go even lower than that (and might be better for it).  I'm considering calling it a novella now instead of a novel.  There are issues with that, of course, including that novella's are often difficult to sell through Traditional Publishing, but I'm thinking I don't want to go that route...much to ponder before fully making that decision, but I'm thinking about it.

I should have a Beta Manuscript by the end of the weekend.  My Beta Readers are lined up and ready to go.  Then it will be a month-long "break" from the novella.  I have a couple of story ideas that I'm going to start working on during the "break" to see if anything sticks.  I also have a short that I want to clean up and post for free online.  And I'm going to put up my own website soon too, so you can look forward to that.

Well, so much for a "quick" update.  There really is a lot going on!

Beta Readers

I've mentioned this a few times over my last few posts, but my manuscript is nearly ready to be reviewed by beta readers.  If all continues on current trajectory, I will have a "beta-ready" draft by April 3rd.  As I prepare to send this to a few readers, I thought I'd explain the beta process in a little more detail, particularly with regard to my own ideas and expectations. 

Caveat: This is my first time sending a novel out for beta-review, so ideas and processes may change over time.  Not every writer approaches their review in the same way, and this might not even be the best way, but it makes sense to me right now. 

What is a beta reader?
A beta reader is someone who is willing to read a complete, but as-yet unpublished manuscript and provide feedback to the author (me).  Here's the Wikipedia definition.  The beta should provide constructive criticism -- honest, useful, and insightful feedback -- on the work in question. 

From my perspective (and I imagine every author would feel approximately the same), it's not useful to say that you don't like me or you hate the book.  I need to know why you hate the book.  I need to know if and where plot holes exist.  I need to know if you got bored, or where there's not enough description.  I also need to know what you liked, and if you were excited, engaged, or couldn't put it down. 

What I don't need is a line-by-line copy-edit (although if you happen to see something, especially if it seems to be a recurring problem, go ahead and let me know so I can fix it). 

What are the expectations?
I think this is probably different for every author, but I'm going to request the following of my beta readers...

1. Deadline:  
We all have time constraints and life issues, but once it's out there, I'm going to be sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, tearing my hair out, to find out what you think.  So...I will give you a month to read it and send back your feedback.  I'm not going to do any work on the manuscript after I send it out, so this will also give me some time away from it to have a fresh perspective when I'm reading through the comments.

2. No Sharing:  
Do not share the novel with anyone else at this point.  Not your mom, not your best friend, not your next door neighbor.  It's a work in progress, and I know there will be additional revisions after I get everyone's feedback.  If you like the story, FANTASTIC!  Tell everyone how great it is and then tell them that some day, once it's finished and published, they'll be able to buy it.  You can even tell them the premise of the story and why you liked it.  But please do not share the actual novel until it's published.  If I find out you've passed it along to someone else, I will hunt you down and...no, okay, that's not true, but I'll be really upset.

3. Comments:
Along with the manuscript, I'm going to send out a simple editing guide to use while reading the novel.  Essentially, I would like the beta readers to mark up the margins with their comments, using a legend of sorts to organize their thoughts.  For example, if a passage is boring, I want you to put a big "B" in the margin and explain in a few words why you're bored.  Like, "B - too much walking through the woods."  Or if a section is really exciting, it might be "E - LOVE IT!".

4. Be critical, but don't be mean: 
'Nuff said.

What can beta readers expect in return?
My undying gratitude.  And maybe a case of beer or a bottle of wine, your choice.

Okay, but seriously, I am trying to turn this into a career, so I will do my best to act professionally in my response to comments.  I will endeavor to not take any feedback personally, and I will not argue with your impressions of the book.  In fact, unless there's a comment that I truly don't understand, I promise to not bother you about it at all, unless you bring it up in conversation or something, and even then I promise to not get upset. 

Well, I'll do my best. 

It's a hard thing, putting your work out there for other people to tear apart.  But I really do want the criticism, because I need to learn and improve my writing.  I don't want people to coddle me and tell me that "it's just so wonderful."  That's why moms are not going to be allowed to read it (sorry Moms - you'll get to read it when it's finished).  Of course, I don't want to be crying over the darn thing either.

For those of you who are my beta readers -- and you should know who you are, but if not, you'll find out soon -- this is your chance to bow out.  If you don't think you can make the timeline, or don't want to put up with my Type A personality BS, you don't have to be a reader for me.  I won't get mad.  Believe me, I realize that it's going to be a bit of work, and we all have jobs, hobbies, and other commitments.  I will 100% completely understand. 

DropBox - a Lifesaving (okay, Writing-saving) Productivity Tool

It seems that I like posting on Tuesdays.  This was unintentional, but I guess routine will sometimes sneak up on you!

Anyway...

Today is March 15, which means I only have a couple more weeks before my self-imposed deadline.  Unfortunately, things are progressing much slower than I had hoped.  In part, that's my fault, because last week was not very productive for writing.  This happened for a number of reasons, but suffice to say, I let myself get distracted. 

This week, I'm trying to keep my butt in my chair as much as possible.  Luckily, I've been introduced to a new tool that will aid my progress.  It's called DropBox, and it's a super easy way to transfer files between computers.  All you have to do is save your file to the DropBox folder on your desktop and it will appear on every other computer that you've installed DropBox.  So now I don't have to go through the time-consuming process of saving the files to a flash drive and transferring them manually, or opening up Google Docs on a webpage to download the file.  It's already there!  Best of all, it's FREE!

I'll be working hard this week, and I still intend to make my deadline, come hell or high water.  I WILL have a beta-ready draft by the end of the month! 

*****************

On an unrelated side note, some of you may know that I have a Japanese exchange sister, Sachika.  In the aftermath of the earthquake, we were able to contact her.  She and her family are safe and sound, but the devastation has been brutal.  If you are interested in financially supporting the relief efforts, and want to make sure that 100% of your donation is being used directly in those efforts, you might consider donating to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  They have pledged that "your gifts...designated for the Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami will be used entirely (100%) in response to this disaster."

You know you're a writer when...

...bathroom signs drive you bananas!

There's a sign in our office bathroom that drives me nuts every time I go in there.  It's stupid, and not a huge deal, but I read it every day, multiple times a day, and I can't stand it any longer. 

Attention:

Please be considerate of your fellow employees and leave the stall area clean.

Everyone can help by making sure you utilize the provided seat covers as well as thoroughly wrapping feminine products and disposing of them properly in the container.

Thank you.

On first glance, this might not seem so bad.  But look closer.  The tenses don't really agree in the second sentence, and it's awkward at best.  I wish there was someone I could complain to, but in an organization that spans the country and employs more than 20,000 people, who knows who wrote it.  I'm sure it's part of some toolkit that was provided to our operations personnel on a national basis.  Luckily, I have people I can rant to!

So, here's my revision:

Attention:

Please be considerate of your fellow employees and leave the stall area clean.

Everyone can help by using the provided seat covers, thoroughly wrapping feminine products, and disposing of them properly in the container.

Thank you.

Or another version:

Attention:

Please be considerate of your fellow employees and leave the stall area clean.

Please use the provided seat covers, thoroughly wrap feminine products and dispose of them properly in the container.

Thank you.

Or a funny version:

Attention:

People work here besides you.  Don't be gross and mess the place up. 

Thanks!

 Anyone else have a version they'd like to share?

Hiatus is Over

Hello Again World!

I have been a bad, bad blogger.  I could give you a whole bunch of excuses, but really what it came down to is that I didn't want to write blog posts.  Things have settled down a bit now, and several people have asked what's going on, so I'm back to blogging and I'll try really hard not to leave you hanging again.

The Update:

Over the holidays, things got a little bit crazy.  I didn't have much time to write, but I did manage to create the preliminary ending to the novel.  I say "preliminary", because I'm not completely satisfied with the end, but it was good enough to let me go back and start the rewrites. Which I did. 

Over the last several weeks, I have been focusing hard on rewriting and polishing the "shitty first draft" that I threw down on the page.  For those of you who aren't writers, there's a common piece of advice that says you shouldn't worry about whether your first draft is any good.  That's what revisions are for.  Instead, you put your ideas down on the page and keep moving as fast as possible.  In my case, that wasn't very fast, but hey, working for a major accounting firm limits your free-time a bit!

So I'm now revising, editing, polishing and even getting a few reviews from people.  Overall, reactions have been good!  I think I've got a good start, and with some more time and a lot more work, I might actually have something publishable.  In fact, I had a wonderful opportunity to have my first three pages critiqued by Sara Megibow, an agent with the Nelson Literary Agency, and one of my top picks for potential representation.  She gave me some great feedback, which I will be incorporating into all of my edits as I continue forward.

I've set a goal for myself that I will have a finished draft, ready to send to agents, by the end of March.  That's two months from today, for those of you counting.  Which means that I'm going to become a social recluse over the next two months.  So if I don't post as frequently, don't go out as much, avoid your calls and emails...well, I guess you'll know why!

The Laws of the World

World-building is an integral part of any good work of fiction.  It is the author's job to make the world feel real, so that the reader can live in it for the period of time that they're reading the work.

"But realistic settings constructed from memory or research are only part of the challenge, for an intensely created fantasy world makes new boundaries for the mind...Obviously this does not absolve the writer from the necessity of giving outer space its own characteristics, atmosphere, and logic.  If anything, these must be more intensely realized within the fiction, since we have less to borrow from in our own experience." 

 ~ Writing Fiction, by Janet Burroway

Much of world-building is done in the head of the writer through research and planning prior to the actual writing of the story.  The author always knows more about the novel than the words that end up written on the page, especially in science fiction or fantasy.  Meanwhile, the reader needs to feel part of the written world without being overwhelmed with information dumped all at once. 

Benjamin Tate, author of Well of Sorrows (which I'm currently reading), posted not too long ago on Magical Words, saying that,

"The main goal...is to let the reader settle into the world and live in it without the world itself becoming overwhelming. Make the world familiar enough and expose the differences from our world in slow and steady stages, and the reader won’t even notice that they’ve snuggled deeper into their chair and are turning the pages that much faster."

I bring this topic up now because of my summer writing class.  We were required to submit a final piece, either a complete short story or the first chapter to a novel.  During the last two classes, we critiqued each other's work.  My final short story was set in the world of my novel, but occurred approximately sixty years prior.  Ironically, the short story's protagonist is the antagonist of the novel: Sarah, the current werewolf pack leader.  In any case, one of the primary criticisms was that I hadn't provided enough information about the rules of my fictional world. 

My goal had been to follow Benjamin's advice.  I wanted the reader to slowly become aware that the story was about a single battle in a werewolf war.  I tried introduce the rules of the world more or less evenly over the ~5,000 words of the story.  Unfortunately, by the end the readers still didn't have enough information to fully understand what was going on or feel satisfied with the conclusion.  My classmates asked about the identity of the werewolf pack, the reason for the war, and why the protagonist was so brutal.  We ended up talking about my world more than the story itself, which was fine by me since I had so much information to share.

Nearly everyone in the class thought that my short story was part of a longer work.  In a way, I suppose it was.  It was a piece of back-story for my novel.  But it made me realize that world-building is a balancing act.  You need to bring the reader into the world slowly and carefully, but you also have to give them enough to chew on or you'll lose them.  Every word, every sentence, needs to function on multiple levels to keep the reader interested, entertained, and ultimately satisfied.  If you don't give them enough, they feel incomplete, but give them too much and they'll either be overwhelmed or feel patronized.  The sweet spot is hard to find.

Now that I'm beginning the revision process for my novel, I'm reading with an eye for the "reality" of the world.  I've already noticed spots where I've given an information dump, or areas that need more description.  Revision is a wonderful thing.