What My Manuscript Learned in Reconstructive Surgery

Seeing as I'm currently in the middle of five, yes five, different books, soon to be six when Mockinjay (YAY!) is delivered tomorrow (did you hear that Amazon? I don't want to come home to a package slip that says my signature is required. Leave the package or there will be consequences), I'm going to have my head in a book this week even more than usual so I figured I should do a post today.

A few weeks ago, after several rounds of revisions, I sent my manuscript to reconstructive surgery. In the process, I learned a lot that I had been told many times before but that makes a lot more sense when you learn it for yourself. However, just in case anyone else is able to learn through me, I'll expound.

I cut about 7,000 words, and it was pretty easy. I put them in another word document so they weren't lost forever, and I discovered that events that in my head were crucial to the plot were actually extraneous and could be removed without affecting much of the story.

That's the important part of this lesson - if you can remove an element of the plot and not have to change many of the following pages to stay consistent, then whatever it was was probably unnecessary.

Also important was that many of the cut bits in the second word document said the same thing. Over and over and over again. I was so afraid that certain crucial points wouldn't be picked up that I said them too many times, and consequently lost all tension. Because a part that was cut from the beginning had essentially the same sentiment as a paragraph cut from the end. That, in and of itself, is a bad sign.

Now while I was cutting all these words, I also added about 4,000 more. Because while I realized I could cut two pages and replace it with a single sentence pages later and have everything still make sense, I also discovered that certain characters had little depth. Which I already knew - I had written myself a note in all caps with a similar sentiment and then chose to ignore it - and I had to add words to make the characters more clear to everyone who isn't in my head (and you should be glad you aren't trapped in it...).

So if I were to sum up what I learned, it's this:

1. Check each part of your manuscript and ask if the story works without that chapter or plot device. If it does work without it, remove it or make it necessary.

2. If something can be placed at any part of your manuscript, that's probably not good.

3. Trust your gut. If your initial reaction was that a character isn't well-rounded enough, don't talk yourself out of that. Give him hobbies and motivations and a life!

And leave it to Dawson's Creek to provide me a bit of inspiration, which I now pass on to you.

Everything in life is not about winning - it's about finding joy in the process and loving what you do.

So with that I wish everyone a happy Mockingjay Eve, and that you may find JOY in whatever process you are in the midst of!

Fun Fact Friday!

Fridays are pretty spectacular. Almost always. You know what makes them more fun (or any day more fun, for that matter)??

FUN FACTS!

And I have realized my sister and I are more alike than I thought, because while she had to remind me of my love of random facts by giving me a subscription to a magazine full of them, I actually had a long word document full of them years and years ago. So today my fun facts will be pulled from those... I do believe you will learn a lot. Ready??

1.     By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. You know,  just in case... my friend did lose a shoe in quicksand once...
2.   The porpoise is second to man as the most intelligent animal on the planet.

from www.igougo.com
Did you know that's what a Porpoise looks like? Because I didn't!

3.   George Washington died the last hour of the last day of the last week of the last month of the last year of the 18th century.
4.   About a third of all Americans flush the toilet while they're still sitting on it. Yes, I do believe you needed to know this in order to have a proper Friday.
5.   According to the film's animators, you'll see 6,469,952 black spots every time you watch 101 Dalmatians.

From www.examiner.com

6.    10 percent of all human beings ever born are alive at this very moment.


Um, I officially want to go watch 101 Dalmations now. Nevertheless, Happy Friday!

The Italics Quandry

I was reading a book this past week that used italics with a higher frequency than I normally see. You know, things like, "Was he looking at me?" When I'm reading a sentence with italics, I put emphasis on that word in my head, which, for whatever reason, often involves me sticking my head out as I read that word. I'm not sure why this happens. Please tell me I'm not the only one?

Now, I have nothing against italics. I use them myself, but usually as a placeholder. Whenever I'm revising, I look at that italicized word and try to figure out a way to convey what the italics accomplish with words. In a way, it seems like a classic case of showing vs. telling. Italics, to me, feel like they are telling the reader, pay attention to me - I'm important because I am italicized. Sometimes, though, I'll admit - I can't find a way to put the right emphasis on a word as well as italics do.

In the case of this particular book, I caught myself twitching a little each time I read an italicized word even though I really enjoyed the book as a whole.

So I'm wondering, am I alone in this? What are your italics thoughts?

Friday! Facts! Fun!

My fun facts today have a little story mixed in. After all, this is Story Time. So, off we go!

1. The dome of the Pantheon is as tall as it is wide - at 142 feet. For whatever reason, the engineering aspect of this blows my mind.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,Rome
This is the dome I speak of.

2. I was in Academic Decathalon my junior year of high school, and by "in" I mean that I studied more than I ever have in my life and didn't end up making the team. Regardless, I learned valuable things and had a lot of fun. I also learned worthless facts, most of which I've now forgotten. Except for this one, which snuck into my mind yesterday...

So my friend (who was in AcDec with me) and I liked to point at each other and say, "Hey, you've got some PIS in your eye!" Get it?? We had just learned the three parts of the eye - Pupil, Iris, and Sclera. We thought we were hiLARious. Most importantly, I still remember the parts of the eye. See? Success!

3. There are three slowly decaying cars parked on the moon.

Okay, I'm off to work. I wish the happiest of Fridays (of the 13th variety!) to you all, and to all a Happy Friday!

I love books. These are my random thoughts about them...

I currently have three books beside my bed, partially read. And as I read a fourth book, I've been thinking about what makes me stop reading. (For the record, though, I do intend to finish each of those three - just bit by bit.)

The reason is the same as when I was a teenager and scoffed at essentially any genre other than murder mysteries. No matter how wonderful the writing is, I have to be sucked in by the third page or it will take me weeks to finish a book. A good book I'll read in a day (given there is the necessary time). For example, on recent Saturdays I read Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall and Jodi Picoult's House Rules, each in less than 24 hours. Neither are short. Neither are murder mysteries.

But before I go on I must go back to my junior year of high school to a conversation I had with my english teacher. When I told her I had never stopped a book in the middle, she said, "But there are so many other books out there you could love, why waste your time on ones you don't?" I pondered this statement, then put down Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and never picked it up again.

Here's the thing - clearly Hemingway is an excellent writer. I'm not saying he isn't. But when I'm not invested in a book (which I wasn't with Hemingway), it takes me a while to read even though I read every day. So when I have shelves of books in my house I am itching to read, why am I forcing myself through a different one?

My bookshelf once upon a time... LOOK - it's The Sun Also Rises

In the end, I think it was pride. But there is another reason to keep reading, too. As an aspiring author, the best way to learn how to write is to read good writing. Let's take, for example, one of the half-read books beside my bed right now: Atonement.

I have passages galore highlighted in it, but I have little motivation to finish it. The writing is beautiful and stunning and I can learn from it, but the plot has taken forever (at least in my opinion) to develop and I'm still not really sure why I should care about the characters.

Somewhere around the end of middle school I couldn't find books that held my attention anymore, so I turned to murder mysteries and legal thrillers. From page one these books have suspense, so even if I wasn't crying over characters I was at least racing through the pages. I read every single Mary Higgins Clark and John Grisham book that existed, then discovered the plethora of other authors in the same genres.

Eventually, I began branching out again. I can't choose a favorite anything to save my life, but I can tell you without regret that my favorite book is The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold. Why? Well, I talk about that here. Not a murder mystery at all, but from page one I was drawn in and couldn't put it down.

Now I read a murder mystery only on a rare occasion, because that is not a genre I will ever write in so I do not need to be familiar with it. And I now find that a much broader range of books (and I mean BROAD, from chick lit to dystopian YA to non-fiction accounts of Mount Everest and Ebola) can suck me in and earn my devotion.

I truly believe that every person in this world could love reading, if only they found the right genre. Case in point: my mother. She never enjoyed reading. My entire life I never saw her read and finish a book. But she loves sewing, and in the past year she discovered a few series involving quilters and mysteries - and she's read several of them. She has been eager to read them, and tell me about them, and find more of them. I think that many of the people who tell me they don't like reading or don't have time for it have just never taken the time to explore books outside of what is required reading at school.

So what is my point, exactly? I'm not sure. In all honesty, I was about to go to bed. But in summary...

1. I think it's okay to stop reading a book in the middle...
2. But even a book you don't particularly love can still teach you something valuable.
3. Different genres, perhaps, are suitable for different parts of our lives...
4. and the reason there are so many different types of books is because we all have different tastes!

So what is your policy on not finishing a book? What makes you stop reading, if you do? Has your taste in genres changed over time? Seriously, I'd love your thoughts!

Friendly Reminders, by Way of Quotes!

I've been on a revising spree and therefore don't have any fun facts for you on this Friday, but I do have a quote.

The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning. - Oprah Winfrey

Now this is true for many aspects of life I'm sure, but it feels especially true for writers. There are many different levels that indicate success, be it getting an agent, a book deal, selling one book or a million - and the definition of success is different for each person.  But there are many small steps that I think are universal.

For example, getting my first full MS request a couple of weeks ago was certainly a step, as I think it is for each aspiring author who gets that first email that shows at least SOME interest. And the giddiness I felt while reading the email had nothing to do with achieving success, rather it was just from acknowledging that progress was being made.

This is all probably quite obvious, and I'm sure you're reading this and nodding your head thinking, "well duh!" But I don't think it hurts to be reminded to find the significance in little victories, especially when rejections are the norm in this industry.

So, on that note, I will leave you with this other quote I ran across in my beloved notebook full of my favorite quotes...

You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist. - Isaac Asimov

A friendly reminder, courtesy of my favorite Panera bathroom stall.

Okay and because I can't resist, a Stephen King quote from "On Writing." Which, by the way, is an incredible book that you should go read right now if you haven't already!

 You can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.

There Are No Rules!

I read two books in the past week that successfully pulled off things that are traditionally very difficult, which made me consider how the authors accomplished it.

From www.goodreads.com

First up is Beautiful Malice, by Rebecca James. The story is told in three different time periods, and, unless I'm mistaken, two are in the present tense. What is surprising is that I was never confused as to what place in time I was in each time it switched. I think this is partially because each time period had a distinct set of characters that didn't overlap, and the subject matter of each was very focused. The middle time period covered the most ground in terms of length, while the past and present portions were very focused.

Also, despite all of the changing in time I never felt overwhelmed by backstory. The past was told when it was necessary to inform the rest of the story, and always just enough to move it forward but little enough that the persisting questions kept me hooked.

From www.elizabethnoblebooks.com

Then I read Things I Want My Daughters to Know, by Elizabeth Noble. This novel was told from five different close-third person point of views, and in any given paragraph the point of view changed a few times. Each section was titled with the name of the character that would be focused on the most, which was helpful, but the narration certainly didn't stick with that character.

I think that this easily could have made what was a great concept and good writing unapproachable, but it worked. In my opinion, namely because the novel didn't belong to any one character. I wasn't more attached to one sister over the other, and each of their independent stories strengthened the common, unifying plot line - life after the death of a mom/wife.

Now I don't know that I'm going to be trying to do either of these any time soon, but as I read these books back-to-back I was reminded of something that is both an incredible and frightening aspect of writing - there are no rules!


This fits in well with a quote I just re-read:

Imagine Milton enrolling in a graduate program for help with Paradise Lost, or Kafka enduring the seminar in which his classmates inform him that, frankly, they just don't believe the part about the guy waking up one morning to find he's a giant bug. - From Reading Like a Writer, by Francine Prose

Just because something is difficult, rarely done, and advised against doesn't mean it is impossible to do well, which is why I think it's helpful to consider how it has worked in other writing. Now I don't think we should all go crazy and have ten narrators in a single story, but I think we should follow our instincts.  Get creative. Take a risk every once in awhile.

What's the biggest risk you've ever taken in your writing? What books have you read that successfully did something risky?