Running from those deadlines like:

…my new term for the weight I’ve acquired ordering food every hour to justifying working in cafes.

I had a peculiar email interaction with an author a few weeks ago. She was super upbeat and had a fantastic sense of humor when contacting me. And when someone is excited, I get excited. Hear me bounce across the globe.

After discussing her editing needs and reading an excerpt of her manuscript and giving her my editing rate per word—she gave me the green light to do a sample edit for her.

She LOVED the sample edit.

And then things got itchy. She asked again about the rate and seemed completely caught off guard by the cost.

This is where I’m boogie dancing down the sidewalk and I choke on absolutely nothing but air.

It goes without saying that authors need to do what’s right for them and their book, and their budget. Period.

But it occurred to me—like a stomach ache from too much cake—that the author saw my editing rate in the beginning and never applied it to her word count. But why? My brain was out of answers. And still itchy.

In the end, despite loving me and my work, she passed.

It happens once in a weird moon.

But here’s the deal:

When we see an editor’s rate online or we’re requesting that rate, we need to make sure we understand the info we’re getting—and how to use it. An editor won’t bother doing a sample edit in the first place if their rate is too high for an author. No one likes their time wasted.

So, this is how to break it down:

If the rate is $0.008 per word and a manuscript is 70,000 words: 0.008 x 70,000 = $560.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. And definitely ask an editor for more info or additional clarity about something if you need to. We like talking details and connecting well with authors. They’re a rare breed of awesome.

Aaaaaand on to the next project.

In my last post, I mentioned why it can be beneficial to self-edit before we finish writing our first draft. If we leave big issues in the beginning, they’re harder to fix later without breaking the story. Problems in a manuscript can snowball faster than your neighbor’s flooding bathtub leaking through your ceiling.

Going back to fix a problem actually helped me move forward with a stronger story. But as we know, there are rewards as well as pitfalls to going back when we’re trying to power through a manuscript.

Recognizing Our Own Writing Flaws

I’m in a unique position of helping authors diagnose their story issues, so that mental muscle of mine is in fairly good shape. But not everyone has that charging in the background 24/7. It’s difficult to banish blind spots and see our own errors. Especially when we’re frolicking in creativity and dishing out the wittiest lovers’ banter. (Ooh, banter!)

So how do you gain self-awareness?

Oncoming Writer’s Block: If you’re familiar with the symptoms of writer’s block, you might sense your writing momentum becoming a bit erratic or slowing down. This absolutely happens to me. I’ll be looking for which way to go in a story, experimenting a bit, while writing becomes less fun. That’s a sign to look back at what you have so far with a critical eye. Something might not be working right that’s stalling you.

Playing the Reader: Part of getting a sense of perspective is putting yourself in a reader’s shoes. Would a reader be intrigued? Bored? Confused? If so, which moment triggered those reactions for you? Sometimes you need a few days to clear your mind and become the reader, and that’s totally okay—even necessary.

Testing Your Idea: It helps to test your story idea on a writing buddy, a friend, or your editor. Will they see some weak conflict or a hole in your character’s reasoning? Or one issue causing a lot of little problems? If so, that could eventually lead you to the Saggy Middle of Doom while you’re writing. Rework your idea to prevent issues later.

Being Brave: It takes some real backbone to look at the issues in your own story. Realizing our writing flaws doesn’t come from a place of skittish doubt or failure. It actually comes from a brave place, a place of courage. That you’re willing to ask yourself “Can this be stronger? Can this be more creative? More unexpected?” and then taking care to fix those issues.

Getting Stuck in Early Revisions

Is this like one of those dreams where we’re running through high water or thick mud and we can never get faster and closer to our destination? Because I hate those dreams.

We might feel the same sense of frustration in early revision. We don’t always want to look back at our work when we’re in the middle of our first draft. Because the temptation to over-edit and get stuck in the weeds is a very real risk.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Big perspective: If you find yourself tweaking character expressions and the smallest details, you should probably move on. What if you spend all that time on the little things only to realize later that the scene needs to be cut?

Grinding teeth: When I have an itch to redecorate my apartment, I’ll wander my living room without purpose, mindlessly rearranging things. But I haven’t actually brought anything new to freshen the room. I’ve just been switching around the decor items on my shelf. Nothing is changing.

If you’re rearranging the same sentences over and over to no effect, that’s a sign to move on and continue writing.

Are there any tricks and insights you use for yourself?

Don’t get bogged down in your draft. Sign up to take the overwhelm out of revision.

We all have a type. (Mine is tall, light-haired, and goofy. To each their own.) 

Even our protagonists fulfill a type. (For the sake of simplicity, I’m using the female pronoun.) We spend a lot of time thinking about the main star of our book—her appearance, her likes and dislikes, her quirks, her goals, and her deepest desires.

And we also think about whether our protagonist is going to change or not throughout our story.

We often hear about character arcs and how important they are to map out. A character arc is the mental status of a character as she unfolds in the story. It’s when she begins with a particular mindset, and through a series of events, she changes that mindset by the end. This arc usually peaks at the climax of the plot, and the resolution shows the character as a changed person.

However, you might be surprised that there are many successful stories in which characters don’t change. But we’ll get to that in a minute. 

If we know what type of protagonist we’re building, the kind that changes or the kind that doesn’t, then we can plan for what type of story we want to tell. Will this story stand alone? Will it become a series? Do we want a strong character arc, a strong plot arc, or both?

All of these answers become clearer once we know what protagonist we’re dealing with.

The Classic Character Change

If your protagonist is going to have a life-changing realization near the end of your story, then you’re going to have a classic character arc. This is when your protagonist starts out with a certain outlook, and by the end she changes that outlook and solves the conflict of the story (inner conflict or outer conflict).

The simplest way to figure out the character arc is to ask the golden question: What is my protagonist willing to do in the end that she wasn’t willing to do in the beginning?

This change usually has a sense of “I’ve been a damn fool” as the truth about herself hits her like an oncoming train. Then she gathers her wits and newfound strength, and prepares to overcome the conflict—the one thing that’s interfering with her survival and happiness.

The Gradual Character Change

The gradual change is slightly (only slightly) unusual in that it’s not contained in one book, but can stretch over the course of many books.

If you’ve ever read the In Death series by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts), you might notice that her protagonist, Eve Dallas, doesn’t always have a defining character arc in each book. The arc pertains more to the plot.

There is still a sense of “I’ve been a damn fool” as the main character solves the mystery, finally seeing what she didn’t see before.

But emotionally, Eve Dallas grows throughout the series in little ways, from learning to trust a man to depending on him in ways that make this self-sufficient, independent woman uncomfortable. She grows into herself little by little while solving many murder cases.

This character change is a little bit different than a classic change for a couple of reasons.

First, the timing of the changes aren’t limited to a 3-Act structure, but nudged along over many books when small conflicts arise.

Second, all you have are good writing techniques to pull it off. You’re less dependent on structure and more dependent on honing emotional cues, the action-reaction-reflection-decision formula. And logic.

The character changes should still make sense within the story (triggered by events), but the arc may apply more to the plot. This type of character change seems to work best in a series format.

Practically Perfect in Every Way

This “non character arc” is interesting in that the arc is pronounced in either the plot or results in the character’s demise.

How can you have a story without a protagonist changing? Is that possible?

Sure it is, and those stories are all around us. This is when a character remains the same and the people around her change. The big realization/arc happens in the plot, or the character dies from events because she’s unwilling to change.

I think of Mary Poppins, a main character who never changes, but there’s still an intriguing story between the children and their parents. She’s the type of character in which others change around her. (The Banks family is forever changed by having Mary Poppins in their lives.)

Or if you’ve read the Amelia Peabody novels by Elizabeth Peters, you might notice that Amelia is always a daring, brilliant woman who prides herself on logical deductions and an imaginative mind to solve mysteries.

Readers don’t want Mary Poppins or Amelia Peabody to change. They’re fun characters. They can survive any situation because of who they are. This type of character can sustain a standalone novel or a series.

The other side of this coin is the character who meets her own destruction because she can’t change, or she’s left dissatisfied at the end. You may find this outcome usually in literary or general fiction, and cautionary tales. For some authors, “what not to do” this is their message for readers to take away.

Decisions, Decisions.

At this point, maybe you’re leaning toward one over the others. And that’s the idea. Know what’s out there and then decide what works for you and your story.

Your characterization (traits, habits, personality, past experiences, present outlook, etc.) will be directed by the type of protagonist you’re writing.

If you’re writing toward a classic character arc, then every scene works toward a personal realization. You set up the protagonist’s inner conflict and little by little reveal information to create an emotional progression toward change.

If you’re writing a character who doesn’t change, then every scene works toward showing how awesome your character already is while working to solve an outer conflict.

Happy plotting!

Need help with your story? I got you covered.

Revising a novel can feel like you’re standing at the beginning of an unending, cracked desert and have no idea how to get to the other side. Your mouth goes dry. As does every other impulse.

But in order to get from a crappy first draft to a polished manuscript, you have to go through that desert. Well equipped.

Step 1: Play the Reader

Spend at least two weeks away from your completed first draft. You’ve just written The End so… Get drunk. Take that shower. Feed the cat. And get fresh perspective. Then forget that you’re this fabulous writer orchestrating your story’s destiny.

You heard me. Forget it.

Take a backseat and simply be a reader, settling into your book as if for the first time. And read your entire story from beginning to end.

And when you do this, make time. You want to read, if not all at once, then in big chunks. Don’t take long breaks. This will allow you to keep the entire story in your head in a short amount of time and really give you that broad view of the plot, characters, and overall flow.

Step 2: Take Notes, Notes, Notes

You’ve stepped back from all the details to see what you’ve really created. (Ahhh, my trainwreck.) There were some jewels, but maybe it’s not as good as you thought it was.

Don’t despair. Resist the I’M A TERRIBLE WRITER AND WILL DIE ALONE IN A DARK ALLEY WHILE CATS EAT MY CARCASS feeling. And take a deep breath.

Any story problem can be fixed.Trust me, I’m a professional.

Besides, you wrote a full draft! Most people haven’t even done that. They were binge-netflixing House Hunters instead. (I should really quit that show.)

The good news is: while you were reading, you were mentally gathering first impressions.

And with all the pens at your disposal, or highlighting tool, or commenting tool, now’s the time to jot down these impressions—any big story elements you found problematic. Ideas and areas that strike you as odd or not yet right.

Maybe you have too many unnecessary scenes that can be combined or deleted to tighten the pacing.

Character goals weren’t clearly stated.

The plot is like an unmanned airplane taking a nosedive.

The middle is lagging, dragging, sagging.

Things feels too safe and boring.

Or maybe an idea needs further exploration and time in the story.

The BIG stuff.  

When you take your notes, resist the temptation to go deep into your manuscript and lose your way. Just jot them down, and keep going.

Step 3: Re-imagine, Rewrite, or Search and Destroy

This is where you’ll do the most heavy lifting in your manuscript. Think of it as fixing the holes in your ship before picking out the window treatments.

The good news is:

When you made all of your notes, you were giving yourself a map to follow.

But what might some big issues really look like?

I love examples. Examples save lives.

Maybe you’re noticing your hero, Kevin, lacks integrity throughout his journey. He’s declared to the reader he’s a nice guy. But in the next chapter, he’s impatiently banging his fist on a door to a lawyer’s office, and when a lowly clerk shows him in with a stuttering apology, Kevin thinks “You idiot!” You notice things like this are happening from scene to scene. And Kevin isn’t schizophrenic. (I see this too often in alpha heroes.)

Maybe your heroine Lisa keeps running into all sorts of trouble (late to a meeting, forgets a baby shower gift, gets stuck in traffic) and while there are all these difficulties, you realize there’s not one moment of real conflict driving the story. Then you get to the Saggy Middle of Doom. And somehow the story, broken pieces and all, coasts to the HEA ending.

Maybe there are dumps of info scattered throughout the book. And backstory seems poorly timed, but you don’t know where to put it. Or the info isn’t directly relating to the plot, but you like it. Or there’s too much info and it’s repeating everywhere.

The thing with big issues is: they’re easy to diagnose.

With Kevin, he simply needs to be straightened out, where he makes kinder decisions (kindness through strength), where the telling and showing need to match up better. You can follow his thread from scene to scene and make the necessary adjustments. All of this may affect his character arc too.

With Lisa, poor Lisa, she has no antagonist creating obstacles or pushing against her. OR she doesn’t know what she wants. What’s motivating her? What does she want that the antagonist keeps dangling just out of her reach? You may have to do some rewrites to make sure that conflict is prevalent in every chapter. That she is making it harder for the antagonist and that the antagonist is making it harder for her (like a seesaw).

As with info dumps and fat lumps, we’ve all got them. Paragraphs of backstory maybe aren’t fitting the way you want them to because the info isn’t prompted by a character’s thoughts or actions. It just feels random. Once you supply those prompts and triggers, and clear away repetitions, the story will flow in a natural way.

Ta-da!

Let’s review:

1. Read your manuscript with fresh eyes.

2. Take notes of your first impressions (this is your road map!)

3. Brainstorm new solutions, rewrite, or destroy.

After the big stuff is fixed, you can focus on the emotional cues, adjust the smaller beats, pretty-up the setting, play with words—the FUN stuff.

As for the fat lumps, I’m still convinced wine is the answer.

Many weeks ago I was chatting with another editor, whom I greatly respect, about what’s expected of heroes to meet romance trends and get published.

Regarding an author’s manuscript, she thought it weird for the hero to be a dancer. That it didn’t quite fit with being a manly/attractive enough career.

I didn’t read the manuscript. Maybe she was right for that particular story. But the other part of me wondered, why can’t he be a dancer?

Although not a novel, but a romantic story nonetheless, I have two words:

Dirty Dancing.

The moment Patrick Swayze does his first hip thrust, I want to die a good death.

And have you ever seen a male ballet dancer up close? All that muscled grace…holy hell.

Or a Broadway star giving it his all? See Hugh Jackman on the Internet.

Dancers and performers are talented athletes. They practice, they sweat, they push themselves to incredible physical limits that would make me cry and give up after all the chest wheezing. The wheezing that makes me think this is it, this is how it ends.

Bottom line: I’d celebrate a dancing hero in a romance novel.

All of this got me thinking about what we expect from heroes. We love the high-powered bossman in a slim suit. We love the rugged rancher with calloused hands. We love the undercover operative who leads a mission. We love the prince who commands an army but secretly wishes for a normal life.

High-powered…rugged…leads…commanding. I’m noticing a theme here. These traits are used often for our beloved heroes.

Maybe we’re giving the people what they want.

But are we being unfair to heroes?

In real life, I’ve known men who cry, who feel unsure or shy, who don’t like to lead at all, who get lost in trying to find the right career. And who become hairdressers, assistants, waiters, and fashion designers, whether it’s temporary or they feel passionate doing what they do. These guys are all man.

Yet more often than not, it’s usually side characters and heroines who seem to fill these roles in novels.

Sometimes we create these stereotypes for ourselves, when we don’t have to.

If you write the best hero you can, motivated, sympathetic, and believable (even with traits like commanding or shy) then it shouldn’t matter if he has a “less manly” career—whatever that actually is.

We say all the time that heroines can do or be anything, from CEO to airplane pilot. That means heroes can do or be anything too. Even be a dancer. Yum.

Want to work with me? Head over to my website and say hello!

Maybe you have the meet-cute down, but struggled with the climax(ooh-la-la). Maybe your characters have wit but lack chemistry. Maybe the chemistry is hot, but the plot is lukewarm. Maybe you’re incredibly frustrated with not knowing what to revise.

Or maybe you’re the opposite: You have a solid novel with just a few kinks.

Whatever your writing woes entail, one thing is certain: Your book deserves a professional editor to give you quality feedback on the meat of your story, to unearth the excellentandeh about your novel, and recommend fresh and creative ideas for fixing problems.

Enter: The Developmental Report

Affordable developmental editing packaged into a lengthy letter. This report gives you amazing feedback about your story and the freedom to revise on your own. Painlessly.

Because when your story is bulletproof and quality, it gets you farther than the marketing blitz in an overcrowded industry.

Despite the dying cries of publishing companies and retailers, the market is saturated with new books every year—especially by the romance genre. In 2014, romance generated 1.44 billion dollars and is the highest selling genre worldwide. (Second highest is mystery, which made HALF that amount.)

That means you’re competing in an already fertile playground where intelligent, discerning readers have an abundance of traditionally published and self-published romances to choose from.

If your book isn’t standing out, then it’s dragging with the herd.

The single most important factor readers use when deciding to buy a romance novel is: the story.

And that’s what The Developmental Report is all about.

• Develop characters that make readers care.
• Perfectly time your plot and turning points.
• Move your plot forward with every single scene.
• Bring your fictional world to life with setting and sensory details.
• Pace your story, not too rushed or lagged, but just right.
• Give readers a satisfying ending they’ll never forget.

You can make sure your book is true to your vision and working for you.

This is the perfect opportunity to get me and my experience without a long editing process (which, as you may know, can cost thousands of dollars, and take months of your time).

I’ll share your goals, celebrate your strengths, and encourage your efforts. Because sometimes it’s nice to have a little extra support. Sometimes your life partner and friends are tired of hearing about your problem-child book. Sometimes it’s better to have a caring human expert on your side than to go it alone.

And sometimes…it’s just good sense to cover your butt before you publish.

Don’t miss a chance to get The Developmental Report for your manuscript.

You Get Agency, and You Get Agency - EVERYBODY Gets Agency!

You Get Agency, and You Get Agency - EVERYBODY Gets Agency!

The thing about writing is – your main character isn’t the only one with a life.

The thing about stories — especially in Western culture — is that the main character is expected to have agency. They’re supposed to make decisions and take action, not just have things happen to them. Sure, the inciting incident can happen to them, but after that? Not so much. (Well, except the bad stuff, but getting out of it? That’s on them.)

However, you can take this to the next level!

If…

View On WordPress