Guest Post - The Value of an Editor by Sean Wallace

As writers, we all know the value of having an editor, and it becomes especially important when working on releasing your book through self-pub means. Today, I'm happy to have Sean Wallace stop by to talk about why it is so important to have an editor.

The Value of an Editor

So, I get to the point in my novel Dust and Sand where I have read each chapter ten times, where I have read the whole thing through another two or three, and I'm sure I've ironed out every possible mistake. There can't be any more in there! I've picked out typos, incorrect word usage, missing words, repeated words, everything. The human genome has not been examined as closely as this novel. It's ready. People can read it.

However, I know from experience that this feeling is a peculiar version of false hope. When I released my free eBook Deep Echoes, I felt exactly the same way. And I was a fool to do so: one of my first readers contacted me to say I'd swapped the two main characters' names half a dozen times. Then, when I re-read Deep Echoes after this, I found a bunch more mistakes, a horribly galling and awful sensation.

Having learned my lesson, I decided to hire an editor for Dust and Sand. I sent it off and twiddled my thumbs (i.e. worked like crazy on other projects). A couple of months passed. Then my editor replied, her efforts sitting in an email, a carefully-combed through Word document.

I opened it up, expecting a few minor plot points but nothing major. My main characters weren't similar enough that I'd repeat the naming mistake again! I read through it. There, on the second page, my editor pointed out that Dust somehow knows a character has scars without ever looking at them.

Somehow, I'd missed that in every single reading. Which just goes to show that, no matter how many times you've read a piece, there will always be mistakes in your writing, things which your mind glosses over without consideration: of course Dust knows that character is scarred, my foolish brain went, because I know that character is scarred.

The edit was full of tips like that, such as my anachronistic usage of some words and an almost-frustrated lecture on how little I know about horses (clue: I know sod all about horses). My editor also considered the whole of the plot, made some interesting suggestions, many of which I took. They were invaluable, and I am so grateful that they helped make Dust and Sand as brilliant as I think it is now (and, hopefully, the agents reading the manuscript will feel the same way!).

There are some mistakes and problems which an author cannot see for themselves: in writing, you cocoon yourself in you world, in your characters. Whilst that helps creation, it hinders objective analysis. Friends and family can only do so much for you as well: a brilliant beta reader can give you broad themes, maybe delve into the particulars of a piece if they are dedicated, but they will not put in the work to find out whether 'egghead' was a word in the 19^th Century (hint: it wasn't). They will not explain parts of geography for you, which they themselves have learned to be sure in the point they're making.

An editor is an expense, and one I understand many can't afford. I would implore you, though, to seriously consider whether you could tighten your belt for a few months and splash out on one. Because a good editor, a dedicated soul who loves stories and will put their heart into helping you make yours shine, is worth eating Ramen noodles and tins of sweetcorn for a few months.

 

Sean is a writer, a gamer, a project manager and also a bit of a self-deprecating self-aggrandizer. In his spare time, he just about manages to sleep.

 

To connect with Sean, check out his website and follow him on Twitter:

Website: www.darkmess.com 

Twitter: @SeanPWallace

Great Writing Blogs, Websites and Articles

Once in awhile, I put together a list of writing blogs and websites that I discover for myself, and that I think are great resources for writing tips, motivation, inspiration and the craft in general. Some items on the list are also links to specific articles that I found to be useful, entertaining or interesting.

I love to constantly find new ones, so please share your favorites in the comments.


Write It Sideways. To get a taste of the variety of great articles on writing and publishing, check out their Top 10 Articles of 2012.The content is frequent and I would it put it among the most useful blogs for writers to follow.

Surly Muse has a number of great articles on craft, such as Dramatic Scenes and Dramatic Irony: Eight Easy Fixes and Finding The Flow State in the Age of Distraction.

Advanced Fiction Writing by Randy Ingermanson is chuckful of helpful information. He explains his "snowflake method" in this article: How to Write a Novel: the Snowflake Method. You can also sign up for his ezine and get period email delivered right to your mailbox.

Live Write Thrive by C.S. Lakin delivers writing tips content a few times  a week, and gets into the detail of the craft. Many great articles to peruse.

Chuck Wendig's Blog, terribleminds, includes such great articles as 25 Hard Truths About Writing and Publishing.

Jessica Spotswood - On Being a Slow, Inefficient, Imperfect Writer.

More blogs, websites and articles of interest to writers to come in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

Creating Multidimensional Characters

I hate picking up a book or going to see a movie only to feel like I have just met a set of cardboard one-dimensional characters that didn't make me feel anything. It feels like a waste of time where I could have done something productive instead. One of the worst things for a writer is to create characters that readers do not want to get emotionally invested in, nor commit to keep reading about them.
When I sit down to write, making my characters multidimensional is something I have to be constantly conscious of, and work at getting it right. It is not an easy task.

So what makes a character multidimensional?

Well, think about all the people you know in real life. What makes them interesting/different/human? You would be hard pressed to come up with one person in your life who always has the same expression and acts the same way  no matter what the circumstances. Everyone has their own little neurosis, occasional moods swings, periods of depression or anger following a negative event and unbridled joy following life's positive events. Everyone dreams of something, has certain hardships in their daily lives and loves in their own way.

A character who always acts confident no matter what's going on around her may become flat and boring. Make her act confident in public but give her moments of insecurity and doubt in private, and suddenly she becomes more human, and definitely more relate-able. Hey, even super-heroes show weakness from time to time. That's why they are interesting.

Observe the behavior of people that you interact with every day (or on occasion) and note the nuances of their speech, body language and mannerisms. Write these down and keep adding to the list frequently. Then use these notes to make your characters come alive. Infuse all your characters - primary and secondary, protagonists and antagonists - with the traits and behaviors of real, "recognizable" people.

Another way to make characters more multidimensional is to give them a history, a background. It is always easier to understand individual choices and personalities when you know what shaped them in the past and what they want in the future. None of us exist in a vacuum - don't insert your characters into one.

Have fun with writing your characters, explore them and let them tell you about who and what they are as you write them. Allow them to giggle at an inopportune moment because they are nervous, and to have a good snotty cry when life gets too tough. Make them come alive for yourself first. Then they'll come alive for your readers as well.

Guest Post by Josh Boyd - How to Think Creatively

Creativity is one of the main tools of a writer. It's is a writer's prerogative and mainstay. But creativity needs to be fed, like anything else. There are moments when we don't feel creative, whatever the reason, and that hurts us terribly. Because without creativity we, writers, are just not ourselves.

Today, Josh Boyd talks about ways to help us think creatively and I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

 

HOW TO THINK CREATIVELY

The world is often pushed by creative thinkers. Even scientists are creative in their own way as they think outside the box and find solutions that no other person could see. Nikola Tesla’s recounts of his visions of theories and inventions are nothing short of poetic. The question is though, can you make yourself think creatively? Is it an innate ability or can it be manifested? It is certainly true that there are those that find this task much easier than others, but there are ways to encourage creativity to emerge from those whose brains seem entirely absent of it.

When you’re writing, each sentence is of importance. This means giving care and thought to every word. Some do think that this is a bit over the top, but would you expect an artist to be careless with some of his brushstrokes? Always keep this in mind and look to see if there is a different way to write something. Evaluate your own words and don’t allow yourself to go into automatic mode to push your story along. Just as every part of your book is a chance to wow a reader, it is also a chance to bore them. A quote from Anton Chekhov sums it up perfectly:

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

Another way to help is to get inspired. This is simple to do in many ways. What was the first thing that gave you the idea to become a writer? Go back to it and get yourself going again. It is easy to become stale and formulaic without a boost of inspiration now and then. Re-gain your enthusiasm and creativity will come with it. Search out new things too to keep your mind fresh. That doesn’t mean ripping off other people’s ideas though. Look at the ways they have tackled problems to help you think differently. Also you’ll be surprised how a rubbish book will get your mind cranking as you think to yourself, “I can do something 100 times better than this! If they can get published, so can I!”

Go outside. Absolutely anywhere at all. If you can go somewhere you’ve never been then even better. If you’ve sat in the same place trying to come up with that perfect piece of dialogue or clever way to introduce a character and got nowhere after hours, it is time for a change of environment. Your brain needs stimulation and even just a fifteen minute walk and some fresh air can do wonders to unclog your head. You never know, you might encounter someone who inspires you to create your best character. You have to work hard to be a writer, but don’t see this as a break. Anything that helps you to do better work is all part of the task at hand.

 The simple thing is don’t be disheartened if you suddenly think you’ve lost it. Writing and creativity is not like sport wherein once you gain an ability you’ll only lose it if you stop practicing. The mind can work in mysterious and very annoying ways, but if you start to lose confidence in yourself it’ll only get worse. Stick to your project even if it takes years. Fight through the bad times and enjoy the good times because you’ll have plenty of both. Keep inspired, invigorated and confident and creativity will come to you.

Joshua Danton Boyd is a copywriter from the online accountancy firm Crunch based in Brighton. He is also a regular contributor to Freelance Advisor.

My Favorite Writing and Writer Blogs - Part II

NaBloPoMo Post #21

Writing oriented and writer/author blogs can be a great source for learning about the writing craft, fun ideas and much inspiration.

Here's more of my favorites (see My Favorite Writing and Writer Blogs - Part I post as well)

The Bookshelf Muse already had many great articles and resources, but recently they came out with perhaps one of the most useful tools for a writer. It speaks to the concept of "show, don't tell" that many writers often struggle with. Meet the EMOTION THESAURUS! An amazingly extensive collection of various physical actions and reactions for each emotion a character can experience. What a great tool; it now resides on my browser favorites bar. Very Highly Suggested!

A. Victoria Mixon, Editor - Many interesting articles on writing craft, writer tips and editorial  advice

Kicked, Cornered, Bitten and Chased - The Bumps and Bruises of an Animal Trainer and Young Adult Writer - A fun blog from a YA writer and animal trainer. Posts and articles include stories from the side of the animal trainer, as well as writing discussions and carft advice

Christine Dodd's Writing Tips - Tips for writers from the author of contemporary and paranormal romance

Kriss Brady - Keeping the Passion for Writing Alive - informative fun writing articles and tips


Watch for My Favorite Writing and Writer Blogs - Part III sometime next month