Getting It All On The Page (It's Harder Than You Think)

Writing a book seems simple. "You just sit down at a typewriter and bleed," as the old gem goes. However, sometimes we end up losing things in the translation from the slurry of brain sauce, to the electrical impulses in our fingers, and things that we know about our story just end up omitted by accident. Sometimes this can be funny, like when you forget an adjective and end up with a line like, "She had skin. That was certainly a plus." Other times, though, you end up leaving critical character development, plot points, or connections you want your reader to make on the cutting room floor.

Now, ideally, you're going to catch these things during editing... but are you going to trust your brain? The soggy organ that screwed up the translation in the first place?

Because sometimes you really can't trust yourself

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How To Double Check Your Map

Now, first and foremost, you need to edit your manuscript. It's the part of the job that all writers hate (except for that weirdo Geoff... we don't talk about him), but we have to do it. Once you've finished your draft, and left it in a drawer to percolate for a bit, you take it out and read it over, fixing as many obvious gaps as possible. Then you read it over and do the same a second time. Generally I stop self-editing after the third pass... but even I'm aware that I don't catch all my errors in just three little sweeps.

Shoutout to Alice The Author, who inspired this week's topic. Got check out her YouTube channel, and subscribe if you haven't yet!

And speaking of Alice (who self-identifies with this week's issue), she recommends two major strategies for catching as many missing bits of omitted story as possible after you've gone through and filled in all the holes you could catch on your own. First, hand your manuscript off to someone else (these people are typically referred to as beta readers). Make sure this person will give you honest feedback, and that you make sure they know you want to hear where any problems are, or where things don't make sense, or feel underdeveloped. They don't necessarily have to have any specific skill set or life experience, but people who are familiar with stories and their construction are always a plus. This is how you get feedback like, "This character seems like he's being a jerk for no reason... and this insult that he threw out made very little sense." Feedback which reveals you forgot to put in the background to explain a character's difficult home life and uncertain financial situation, along with personal insecurities that would put those story beats into perspective.

The second method is actually a lot harder for most people, because it can make you feel kind of silly. However, reading your manuscript out-loud makes it way more obvious when you've got a problem. I can personally attest to this, as there are some errors I didn't catch in my vignettes until I went to record them for the audio drama. For instance, in Paying Your Dues, which opens the supplement 100 Body Mods and Augmentations For A Sci Fi Game, I used two different names for the head of the newly-formed dockers' union. I fixed that in the audio, but it took me until that point to catch it!

Now, if you're somebody who feels a bit silly, I recommend using the Rubber Ducky Method. I wrote about this in another post, but the short version is that you put a small plushie, or a rubber duck, down on your desk and read to them as if you're explaining the story to someone else. This gives you a ritual and a purpose, and you can't just stop, because the point of the exercise is that you're trying to present your story to an outside perspective.

Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. Every writer is different, and we're all going to find things that work for us, or don't work for us. As such, it's best to use a layered strategy when it comes to your editing, giving yourself maximum potential coverage from mistakes getting through. Because some errors might get through your first two rounds of self-editing. Some more of them might get caught by your beta readers, with each one bringing a different perspective. Still more of them will get caught by a read-aloud session. Hopefully the few that remain will get caught by your actual editor, and then your manuscript will be clean and perfect by the time it gets into your readers' hands.

It probably won't be... but at the very least you'll probably have all the context, transitions, and lore you want to be there if you're diligent in making sure no one lets you leave anything out.

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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

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Try The Hemingway App To Clean Up Your Writing

First things first, I wanted to share a spooky little side project I've been working on for a bit. I've recently put together 50 Two-Sentence Horror Stories over on Horror.Media, and I wanted to make that my Halloween season gift to all my regular readers.

Now, for your regularly-schedule post!

An Editor That Works For You

As technology grows more sophisticated, it becomes an ever-more-useful tool in allowing artists to do more with less. While it's still a good idea to employ an editor with experience, a keen eye, and a pulse, you may not have the need or budget for that every time you write a blog post, or turn in a paper for your psychology class.

However, what you can do is get your hands on Hemingway, and let it show you some of your problem areas.

Take this out. And this. That's fine, lovely actually. This, though, this is garbage...

What Is The Hemingway App?

Short version, Hemingway is an app that lets you check and modify your work. A digital editor, it can point out not just where you have misspelled words and grammar errors, but also show where you've slipped into the passive voice, and bring your attention to words and phrases that have simpler, more straightforward alternatives. In short, it reads between the lines about as much as a computer can... for now at least.

It can't read your thoughts, but baby steps, folks!

You can get the app for free, and it can be used either as a writing platform to check your work as you write it, or you can paste an already complete project into the app to give it a solid going over. You can even list certain goals, like a maximum number of adverbs (since they're a danger in large numbers, as I said back in Blithely Digging Your Grave With Adverbs), or a maximum number of passages in the passive voice.

In short, it's an editor that gives you some creative freedom on what rules you want to break, while still drawing your attention to things that might be problematic if you just let them all slide. A solid investment for writing in the digital age, and a big help for people who know that a man who is his own doctor has a fool for a patient.

There is one thing that Hemingway doesn't do, though, and that's light the fire under you to actually get to work. If you find that your problem is less about getting a finished product you like, and more about not staring at a blank page for hours on end, then you might want to take a look at Fighter's Block instead. I covered it a while back in Trouble Reaching Word Count? Try Fighter's Block! earlier this summer.

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing post. Hopefully some folks out there find that a new editing app is just what the doctor ordered! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and to stay on top of all my new releases follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. If you'd like to support me, you could Buy Me A Ko-Fi or go to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to give me a tip. Alternatively, check out my Amazon author page to Buy My Books!

Thank You Notes Are An Author's Greatest Tool

You know how, when you were a kid, your parents always made you write thank you notes? If a family member sent you birthday money, or a friend gave you a gift, or someone said something nice to you, then you had to spend fifteen minutes or so at the kitchen table writing a little note to that person expressing your gratitude. I used to wonder why I had to do this. After all, no one has ever received money they weren't expecting in the mail and thought, "ugh, what am I going to do with this?" And surely the in-person thanks, likely coupled with a hug and a beaming smile, were proof enough of my gratitude... why do I have to reinforce it?

The answer is that I needed to build a habit. A habit which, as an adult, is an important thing for an author to possess.

You get more reader loyalty with heartfelt thanks than you do with a .45.

The Dance of Gratitude, and How it Helps You

So, why does an author need this tool in his or her troubleshooting locker? It won't help you resolve that dangling plot thread, create a more compelling narrative, or allow you to mystically predict the exact word count of every project, so what good is it?

Well, as any experienced author can tell you, writing is only part of your job. It's a big part of your job, but it's not the whole of your job. You still need to publish your stories, work with editors, go to conventions, interact with fans, get reviews, and attempt to generate an audience around your books. No one can do all of that on their own, which is why it's important to be able to use a well-placed thank you the way a champion fencer slips in around an opponent's guard.

I greatly appreciated that 5-star review.

I'll give you some examples of how a simple "thank you" can make your life easier, and help your career go further. Say you submitted a piece of work to a publisher. The editor who reviewed it sent you a rejection letter, but in that rejection letter said that he really enjoyed your manuscript, it just wasn't right for them. So, in response, you thank the editor for his time, and for his praise. Then, once you've shown that you can gracefully accept a "no," ask if that editor has any suggestions for places that would be more appropriate. Not only is the editor more likely to send you back a response, but if he has a colleague at one of those other locations, he might shoot an email over and ask for them to take a special look at your submission.

This kind of deft social maneuver can open all sorts of doors. If a fan gives you a positive review, shoot that fan an email thanking them for their kind words. They already liked your book, but now you've also shown that your readers matter by reaching out and being humble. You can even send out a mass thank you on social media, and while it might have less impact, it will generally mean your followers are better disposed to you. A thank you email is always appropriate when a blog or magazine reviews your book, even if they didn't enjoy it, or had some criticism for you. By showing that you appreciate their time and effort, you're more likely to be positively regarded by the reviewer, and it will keep doors open for future requests.

There's No Guarantee

There's no such thing as a guarantee when it comes to being an author. Your book might fly off the shelves, or it might get ignored. It could suddenly catch fire five years from now, and become a hot ticket. You could be a perfect professional, but there will always be reviewers, editors, or publishers who treat you like garbage. All you can do is keep your head up, and do your best.

Haters gonna hate.

If you remember nothing else, remember this; you lose nothing by saying thank you. Not saying it, though, could cost you serious social currency in the wrong situation. Also, if you're looking to make friends, here is The One Phrase Every Author Needs To Know For Networking Success. Seriously, it works.

Thanks for stopping in to check out this week's business-related post. If you have questions, concerns, or requests, feel free to drop me a line, or leave a comment below. If you'd like to help support The Literary Mercenary, then stop by my Patreon page! As little as $1 a month can make a big difference, and keep the content flowing. Also, if you want to make sure you don't miss any of my updates, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as well.