Tag Archives: Writing Tips

Today’s Writing Tip

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Use your POV character’s name sparingly. Some authors seem to think they need to use it repeatedly, even when it’s clear (or should be, if written properly) who’s doing what. Same goes for the other characters as well.

It drives me crazy when authors do this. Unfortunately, the editor in me kicks in when I read something that’s not well-written. Then I start rewording sentences in my head and rolling my eyes rather than staying connected with the story. I’m reading a book right now that has an interesting plot and quite a few good qualities except the author repeatedly makes the same mistakes, such as this one.  He also uses far too many prepositional phrases, which often introduce redundancy as well.

When you’re editing your work, pay attention when you use the POV character’s name more than once in a paragraph, or even too many times on a page. If it’s clear who’s involved in the action or speaking, you don’t need to repeat the name. This is why we have pronouns! Use them!

Today’s Writing Tip

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Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em…

That phrase from the Kenny Rogers’s song, “The Gambler,” came to mind the other day and reminded me of how difficult it can be to edit your own work. As authors we tend to be attached to our own words, especially when we say something really clever. Yet sometimes, it really does nothing for the story other than to slow it down.

It requires a high level of objectivity to cut something out of your own work. It isn’t easy and for some, it’s impossible. Sometimes letting your work sit for a while so you can go back and see it as a reader would works. If you absolutely can’t do it, hire someone. Just make sure they know what they’re doing. I know too many people who have been ripped off by editors who really didn’t do a proper job.

Remember that there are several kinds of editors, i.e. copy editors, line editors, and content editors, to name a few. If your work requires all three, but is only reviewed for one or the other, it will still have problems.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Using holidays and special days to promote your book, using the appropriate hashtags, can be one way to draw in an audience you may have otherwise missed. Of course knowing in advance when these special days occur is essential for proper promotional planning. This is where the website https://nationaldaycalendar.com is worth its weight in gold!

It tells you what all the special days for each month will be as well as designated weeks and months. It may take a while to go through and find them all for the year, but even if you do it once a month, you’re likely to find certain days that you can tie into your book in some way. For example, my book “The Terra Debacle: Prisoner’s at Area 51” has a main character who is a telepathic walking plant with an IQ that rivals Einstein. When National Vegan Day comes along you can bet I’ll promote it!

Just remember to use hastags designated for it to get the full benefit.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Proper copy editing is something that not every reader will notice. I do. One mistake I’ve noticed quite a bit in that department is the punctuation of dialog. Most people seem to know they need to use quotation marks. Amazingly, a few seem to miss that, but gratefully, it’s relatively rare. However, there are a couple goofs I’ve seen enough times to recognize that how to do it correctly is not common knowledge. After all, some of the best writers out there aren’t English majors.

Here’s one thing to watch for. When the same speaker continues speaking into the next paragraph, leave off the close quote. However, the next paragraph begins with a quote, so don’t forget that. This tells the reader that the same person is still speaking. Otherwise, they’ll expect someone else to pick up the dialog in the new paragraph.

Another thing I’ve seen quite a bit is using a period after a statement instead of a comma, when “he said” or “she said” is included. For example:

“I’m going to go to that Mexican place for lunch.” She said.  WRONG

“I’m going to go to that Mexican place for lunch,” she said. CORRECT

Another is using a common or period when in reality the character asked a question. A question is indicated with a question mark, n’est-ce pas?

Little things like this drive alert readers well-versed in proper English and writing skills up the proverbial wall and are what can earn your story less than 5-stars.

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I may have mentioned this before, but I think it’s worth repeating. It’s always difficult to edit your own work. Getting distance between you and your story so that you can see it through your readers’s’ eyes is not easy. Of course, letting it sit for a while usually helps. If you tend to work on more than one book at a time, this is easier to do. Otherwise, you’re likely to be impatient to finish it up and get it out there.

Even if you have an editor, you really need to go through it again on your own. I have seen too many books that were supposedly “edited” but in some cases I suspect the editor was their dog. Seriously. Partly, this is because there are numerous types of editors. If you’re not paying attention and know the difference, perhaps you’re not getting what you’re paying for. For example, there are simple proofreaders, copy editors, content editors, and line editors. Not every editor will provide all three. Some who are not professional, simply someone with a good eye, may not even notice them.

So, bottom line, if you want your book to be a high quality product, you should go through that final version yourself. The way I prefer to do this is with a proof copy. Yes, a print copy I can hold in my hands and turn the pages. The physical feel of the book in your hands facilitates seeing your story through a reader’s eyes. It’s a different “dimension”, if you will, from an electronic device. For me, it’s also less distracting to underline, highlight, or dog-ear pages that require corrections without losing the flow.

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Having more than one story arc adds depth, complexity, and interest to your story. Story arcs can be subplots or simple little details that you tie together. Be sure to manage them properly, however, and close them, when required, so they don’t leave your reader hanging. That’s a faux pas that shows you’re not paying attention to your own story.

A well-woven story will have several things going on, albeit in the background. Tying characters together is one way to do this. Rather than having random characters come on stage, then leave permanently, tie them into the plot in some  way. It’s a small world and coincidences like that are credible. I believe that mystery writers tend to do this intuitively, but it works in other genres as well.

If you’re writing a serial, you can have a lot of fun with this concept. Anyone who has followed your series will appreciate a tidbit now and then that refers back to a previous episode. If it influences the current story in some way, all the better.

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I’m sure you’ve heard of Murphy’s Law, i.e. “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”  Anyone who hasn’t experienced this truism at some point in their life isn’t living on this planet. However, as an author, have you ever thought of it as a great plot enhancer?

When you’re plotting action, you may be inclined to move things right along without any complications. Not only is this often unrealistic, but can actually be boring. Suspense is a major factor in good fiction and how your hero or heroine is going to get out of their current scrape is what keeps your reader turning the pages.

Thus, if things are moving along  bit too well, figure out all the things that could go wrong. Throw some obstacles in the way and make your protagonist’s goal harder to attain.

Today’s Writing Tip

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I don’t know about you, but I skip around a lot when I’m writing. In other words, I don’t start out with chapter 1 and continue on straight through until I type “The End.” This is for numerous reasons. One is that I write using multiple viewpoints and sometimes it’s easier to follow that person through several chapters. Another is that I tend to write in layers. I don’t conceive a story in its detail all at once, but go back as other things come to me, whether it’s tweaking dialog or improving a description.

Needless to say, this can get tedious. I’m currently dealing with a 141K word WIP and jumping around to find the right place can be a real nuisance. One way to get around this is by bookmarking certain scenes or chapters so I can get there more quickly. I always seem to be short on time, so every trick that saves a few moments helps.

One thing to remember, however, is you need to remove them before submitting it for ebook or print format. The coding can really honk up the final version, plus the bookmarks may not be in places that make sense to anyone but you, anyway.

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Who’s your muse? In other words, what inspires you? Is it a walk in the woods? Another author? An inspirational phrase? A ceramic statue? It’s good to have something to turn when you need guidance or ideas.

I don’t know about you, but often my best ideas come when I’m away from the computer. It may be driving along my quiet country road, vacuuming, mowing the yard, or washing dishes. Evening watching TV often brings inspiration, depending on what you watch. I spend a lot of time on The History Channel and their programming often dovetails nicely with my work.

The most important thing is to know what feeds your muse. Feed it regularly whichever diet it prefers and you’ll never be short on great ideas.

My official muse is Kalliope, muse of epic poetry. I did not necessarily adopt her, but it’s more the other way around. Astrologically, she has a very prominent place in my horoscope, which explains a lot about why I’ve been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil.

Today’s Writing Tip

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I’m declaring today “Internet Appreciation Day.” Those of us who have been writing for a while truly appreciate how easy it is to conduct a lot of research without leaving home. Finding out the details that make your novel come alive are usually no farther away than Google.

I can’t help but reflect from time to time on the “old days” when research meant going to the local public or university library. Magazines were helpful for location research, but now we have Google Earth to say nothing of the wealth of information on the internet.

As you’re probably already aware, I’m a detail freak. I don’t want some future reader to get in my face about some stupid mistake I made in one of my stories. I have so many bookmarks in my browser it’s ridiculous and I actually donate to Wikipedia on a monthly basis, because I don’t know what I’d do without them.

Getting it correct these days is easier than ever. I, for one, truly appreciate writers who care enough about their work to do the research and get it right. There’s no excuse to make foolish mistakes anymore when a Google search is only a few keystrokes away.

Take a few moments today and think about what the author’s world was like in the old days. Then pay your next ISP bill with a smile.