J.A. Marlow » Editing http://jamarlow.com The Writer: Socially-Sanctioned insanity. Gotta love it! Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:34:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Revision Started on Book 3 of the Salmon Run Series http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/revision-started-on-book-3-of-the-salmon-run-series/ http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/revision-started-on-book-3-of-the-salmon-run-series/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 04:28:00 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=565 Today I started revision on Book 3 of the Salmon Run series. The book needs a bit of work, but I was pleasantly surprised during a recent read-through that it’s not as rough as I originally thought it was.

A few tweaks, fully develop the ideas already present in the first draft, and it should [...]]]> Today I started revision on Book 3 of the Salmon Run series. The book needs a bit of work, but I was pleasantly surprised during a recent read-through that it’s not as rough as I originally thought it was.

A few tweaks, fully develop the ideas already present in the first draft, and it should be fine. I’m aiming to have the revision finished in 6 weeks at which point I will hand it off to my two editors. Estimate goal for handing it off to the editors: July 10th. If I manage to finish it a bit earlier, even better!

One of the things I want to do is increase the wordcount. The first draft sits at 25500. I would like to bring it up to around 35,000 which is around where the other two books sit (37800 for Night of the Aurora and 35100 for Alien Winter). Considering that I need to flesh out the subplots and I added four scenes to the revision-outline, I should make it.

I’m so excited about the prospect of having 3 books in the series released. For me, that’s a milestone. The characters are really developing, I’m enjoying the town of Salmon Run and the fun with the aliens. Plus, it looks great in the book listings.

It has me rethinking this upcoming National Novel Writing Month. I originally planned to write a new trilogy, possibly writing the first drafts of all three in one month. However, I still have a lot of outlining to do on that series. Writing out the next three books of the Salmon Run series might make more sense, and would be a lot of fun.

I want to see what the characters will be up to next, too!

Then would come figuring out the cover. Hmmm. I’ll have to chew on that as I’m revising.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2011/05/revision-started-on-book-3-of-the-salmon-run-series/feed/ 2 Quantity VS Quality: Is It Really One or the Other? http://jamarlow.com/2011/01/quantity_vs_quality/ http://jamarlow.com/2011/01/quantity_vs_quality/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:00:32 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=385 This is a post that might be better right before one of the big writing events, but it seems appropriate to place after the blog post about the finished first drafts of the novellas. After all, didn’t I finish 3 first drafts in only one month? Wasn’t that fast? Doesn’t that mean they are pure [...]]]> This is a post that might be better right before one of the big writing events, but it seems appropriate to place after the blog post about the finished first drafts of the novellas. After all, didn’t I finish 3 first drafts in only one month? Wasn’t that fast? Doesn’t that mean they are pure garbage?

Hehehehe

The debate of Quantity VS Quality has raged for years, even before the event known as “National Novel Writing Month” began (or any of the inspired spin-offs). It’s a debate that will continue forever.

Why?

Because each writer is different. There is no one true ‘truism’ when it comes to rules for writing. That’s a hard thing for newbie writers to realize. So much of life has ‘rules’ by which we must abide by if we want a glimmer of hope for success. Why not writing?

Here is a simple truth about rules when it comes to writing. What works for one writer may not work for the next. Anyone who tells you different is probably trying to sell you something.

Because of this, each writer has to spend time and personal education to find what works for them and what does not. Develop what I call “a personal writer’s toolkit”. Every single writer’s toolkit will be different from the next. Because we all think differently, organize differently, develop differently, and write differently.

Okay, I lied. There is one rule for writing (unless one is a hobbyist).

One very important simple rule:

Finish the project.

If a method of writing does not result in ‘finishing a project’ then a writer should seriously review it. And one place where a lot of writers get stopped is when their logical left side of the brain starts trying to edit the words just after, or even as, the creative right side of the brain is putting them down.

This is where the ‘quantity’ part of the equation can help. By drowning out the left side of the brain with shear number of words.

Writing events that push for a finished novel in a limited amount of time can help with the process even more. It gives the creative side of the mind, also sometimes called the Muse, the excuse to go hog-wild and tell the logical and nit-picky left side of the brain, sometimes called the Internal Editor, to shut up. There is a deadline that must be met. There is no time for editing.

That means the Muse has all the power while the Internal Editor has none.

For a lot of authors this is needed. They need to separate the two sides, allow one to work while the other sleeps. Otherwise they end up writing, then rewriting the same part, and then rewriting again, all because the left side of the brain won’t shut up and allow the story to be finished.

And the story remains unfinished because the internal editor is just sure that what has been written is utter garbage and there is no point in continuing the story until it’s fixed. The problem is that very few authors can write a good, much less perfect, first draft.

The thing is, the first draft isn’t about being perfect. It’s about finding the story in the first place. Even if you are someone like me who plots out the story in advance, you can’t truly know what the story is all about until that first draft is written and finished. Only then can you know what the story is really about. What direction it flows.

Much less how to revise it to make it a cohesive whole.

The first draft has to be written first.

As the old saying goes, “you can’t edit a blank page”.

So allow the quantity to come out. Find those words and get it down. Find the story. Find the characters. What comes out may surprise you. You may find yourself on roads you didn’t expect, but that is perfectly right. New plot developments might appear. Subplots involving the main characters. A nuance of the main plot or characters.

I love the surprises along the way. The nuggets and treasure that the creative side drops into the story. It is a road of discovery that can be exhilarating even while at the same time stressful.

And despite what the internal editor says at first, some of that first draft might be golden. You might find more right with it than wrong.

But those treasures can’t be found while the internal editor is blocking the words. For most writers, it is a good idea to put it to sleep until a writer gets to “The End” of the first draft.

Give your Muse the power.

Concerning “Night of the Aurora” and the two other sequels that I wrote during July, this is a perfect example of what I mean.

Book 1 came out almost right, right from the start. The main changes once revision started was a slight shift in the starting point of the book as well as adding the first part of book 2 to the end of book 1 to create a more satisfying ending. Other than that it was the regular revision work of adding or tweaking descriptions, action scenes, grammar, playing up the “Muse Bombs” (as Holly Lisle calls them) that the Muse dropped while writing the first draft, and polishing up the prose. No main elements of the book needed changing.

Book 2 has a good plot. The first part will need to be worked on to make up for the original start getting snitched to end book 1. That’s okay. I want the first part of the book to better echo the ending, to create more foreshadowing. Nuggets and treasures appeared during the writing which means 5-8 (or more) new scenes will need to be added to expand on them. But the main plot, characters, and ending are all good. It will not take that long to revise and polish up.

Book 3 has a good main plot, but there is a sequence towards the end that is too passive that will need to be worked out. The other big issue is that this book features an alien that speaks differently. The biggest challenge will be creating a syntax and symbology for that speech that is consistent through the story. I haven’t worked out that syntax yet, but I went ahead and wrote the book so I would know what would be needed when the time comes to clarify the method of speech. This book will take the most work in revision of all three, but most of what is there (other than the passive sequence) is good.

At their core are good stories. Writing them fast did not mean they are a mess. Far from it. Writing them fast and one after the other without stopping meant I could keep the voice and style of all of them consistent. The themes from one book wove into the next. The characters were consistent.  The dialogue in places sparkled, coming out spontaneous and in the character voices.

All good things. And they all came out of writing them fast and ‘finishing the project’.

Quantity VS Quality: a writer really can have both.

Rah!

_______________________________
“The E-Book Experiment” chronicles the business and creative side of an experiment with the business opportunities new technology and creative outlets now afford content producers. Will it fail? Will it succeed? The only way to know is to approach it with a solid plan and try. No regrets!

I hope the details of this journey will be a help to other authors. As the process proceeds to selling the final products I will also share hard data that might be useful in the decision making process of other authors who recognize that only they can take charge of their careers. For a listing of all the posts in this series, please click here.

If you find this information useful or interesting, please encourage others to come on by and visit.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2011/01/quantity_vs_quality/feed/ 0 Revision Type-In Finished! http://jamarlow.com/2010/06/revision-type-in-finished/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/06/revision-type-in-finished/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:58:36 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=280 Into the Forest Shadows

On a world of valuable giant trees and intelligent animals, a red-cloaked headstrong teen struggles to save her family from a planetary conspiracy awaiting her at Grandmother’s house.

The above 2009 NaNoWriMo book was the novel I used to go through Holly Lisle’s “How to Revise Your Novel” class. The class [...]]]> Into the Forest Shadows

On a world of valuable giant trees and intelligent animals, a red-cloaked headstrong teen struggles to save her family from a planetary conspiracy awaiting her at Grandmother’s house.

The above 2009 NaNoWriMo book was the novel I used to go through Holly Lisle’s “How to Revise Your Novel” class. The class started on December 1st of 2009 and finished in April. Only now have I finished one of the final stages, and that was to type in all the changes I marked up on the printed-out manuscript.

The original first draft: 81877 words

Revised draft: 79855 words

Considering I had several new scenes and no cut scenes, I’m surprised the word count didn’t go up. But, there you go. I was snipping a word here and a sentence there. Every so often a portion of a page. It all added up.

Hehe, or deleted up.

Whew, what a lot of work, but definitely worth it! I’m really happy with the way the story came out. Now to format it into chapters and prepare it for the beta-readers, who will then rip it to shreds. :D

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/06/revision-type-in-finished/feed/ 3 Surviving the Carnage of a Hard Crit http://jamarlow.com/2010/03/surviving-the-carnage-of-a-hard-crit/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/03/surviving-the-carnage-of-a-hard-crit/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:31:14 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=212 It’s hard to develop the thick skin necessary to accept crits. But then, writing is a difficult business to be in and a tough skin is essential. That said, when you receive a long and detailed crit that also includes negative responses, let yourself go through the steps of ‘mourning’ that your work isn’t perfect. [...]]]> It’s hard to develop the thick skin necessary to accept crits. But then, writing is a difficult business to be in and a tough skin is essential. That said, when you receive a long and detailed crit that also includes negative responses, let yourself go through the steps of ‘mourning’ that your work isn’t perfect. Even though your mind might acknowledge that it isn’t perfect (and that’s why you solicited for crits) your heart is another matter. You have to train yourself how to deal with it, and each writer will be different on that.

And as someone who just received a big long crit with many bad points in a story pointed out, here is what I did, in hopes it helps:

First, realize this is YOUR story. You know what you wanted it to be, the story you wanted to tell. Remind yourself of that first before looking at the crits. If you happened to write down your theme or your ‘hook’, take the time to read it. (I did this, and it was a very good thing. See below)

Then go at that crit in one massive read-through, but do it with a pen and paper next to you. If you don’t agree with something, keep moving. Put it out of your mind. It doesn’t matter anymore.

However, if you find something that you think might have a little bit or a lot of merit, write it down on that piece of paper in your own words. When you write it down make a note of the area in the story to find the problem to help you track it down later.

Remember to compare the crits with the theme and story you want to write. If the suggestions take the story in a different direction, ignore them, even if the suggestions are good. Filling the work with a bunch of themes and unconnected ideas will only make it worse, not better.

Do the above until you are done with what was said in the crit. Then put the crit away. Don’t look at it for a while.

What you will have left is the piece of paper where you wrote down your notes. Because it’s in your handwriting and in your own words, your mind and heart won’t view it as if another strange person is trying to infiltrating your writing. The notes are now YOURS.

This is a little bit of a mind-game. By doing this you won’t be opening up the crit continually, and possibly getting yourself upset with too much negativity or constantly seeing things you don’t agree with. You are giving yourself distance from the crit while still moving forward with advice that could possibly make your work stronger.

But, it also has a practical purpose. You’ve now condensed out of the crit only the things that you agree (or somewhat agree) with. You can focus only on them. You don’t have the work of looking through a long crit to find the little bit you need out of all the things mentioned there. You have a condensed to-do list that you can condense down further or cross out as you finish the points or decide you don’t agree after all.

As I mentioned previously, I received a difficult crit. The above steps made it much easier to deal with, especially reviewing the theme and story hook. Going through the crit all at once made me realize the critter was giving suggestions to turn the story into a novel. The story wasn’t a novel, and I didn’t want it to be. With that realization, I was better able to sort through the advice and use details here and there to help improve the story without allowing the short story to become more than I wanted it to be.

Every critiquer comes to the story with their own slant, their own preferences, likes and dislikes, wants and needs. Those wants and needs may not coincide with you or the story you want to tell.

Be flexible while reading the critique and see it objectively. But also be strong enough to say ‘no’ if it conflicts with what you want the story to be. Just because the advice is given doesn’t mean it must be followed.

Never forget this is your work, your words. Only you know where you want it to go, what it should be when it is polished and finished.

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/03/surviving-the-carnage-of-a-hard-crit/feed/ 3 Free NaNoEdMo Revision Time Tracking Spreadsheet Available http://jamarlow.com/2010/02/free-nanoedmo-revision-time-tracking-spreadsheet-available/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/02/free-nanoedmo-revision-time-tracking-spreadsheet-available/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:15:07 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=210 The spreadsheet tracks hours for “National Novel Editing Month”, where the goal is to revise/edit for 50 hours in 31 days. It can be adapted and used for other months, as well, for anyone who wants to use it. I used as a base the spreadsheet that was offered last year, I rearranged and added [...]]]> The spreadsheet tracks hours for “National Novel Editing Month”, where the goal is to revise/edit for 50 hours in 31 days. It can be adapted and used for other months, as well, for anyone who wants to use it. I used as a base the spreadsheet that was offered last year, I rearranged and added a few things. It’s a GoogleDoc spreadsheet, however, you do not have to have a Google account to access it.

If you have GoogleDoc yourself, you can “Save As” to save a copy into your own account.

For anyone else, you can “Download As” (Export) this out into Excel or an Open Office document (as well as others).

Nanoedmo Time Tracking 2010

Enjoy!

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/02/free-nanoedmo-revision-time-tracking-spreadsheet-available/feed/ 0 Novel Progress #amwriting http://jamarlow.com/2010/01/novel-progress-amwriting/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/01/novel-progress-amwriting/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:44:55 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=194 New words are not all there is to writing. A finished first draft is only a first (big) step. And it’s the stuff that comes after and before a first draft that has been occupying my time.

Revision of “Into the Forest Shadows,” the SF Little Red Riding Hood adaptation, is progressing at a good [...]]]> New words are not all there is to writing. A finished first draft is only a first (big) step. And it’s the stuff that comes after and before a first draft that has been occupying my time.

Revision of “Into the Forest Shadows,” the SF Little Red Riding Hood adaptation, is progressing at a good clip (no pun intended – see below). I’m aiming to have most of the revision finished by May, and I’m on-track to do that. I’m planning out the big type-in revision right now. Which means a lot of study of the first draft to see what went right and what went wrong, what stands out and what is mediocre (or even bad). I’m coming up with a lot of great stuff to clarify or to add to make it better. Not so much *add*, but more like finding some brilliant Muse Bombs scattered about (named by Holly Lisle for those wonderful little unexpected things your subconscious mind drops into the story as you are writing). The good part is that I see only a handful of problem scenes with only two critically flawed. That is so fixable!

I’ve also started the planning on a new novel idea that I’m hoping to have the planning done in time for NaNoWriMo in November. The new novel is currently called “Lost Garden of Dreams.” It’s science fiction (as usual) with a sub-genre of Young Adult Adventure. However, it could turn into Young Adult Science Fiction depending on how the writing comes out. I’m content to see where the planning and writing takes me on that. :)

Last, but not least, today was haircut day! And I lost about 5 inches, possibly a little more. We didn’t measure it this time. Wow, my head feels lighter! Tis a great way to start out the new year. :)

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/01/novel-progress-amwriting/feed/ 0 A 5 Year Writing Business Plan! http://jamarlow.com/2010/01/a-5-year-writing-business-plan/ http://jamarlow.com/2010/01/a-5-year-writing-business-plan/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:20:43 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=190 I’ve been writing ever since I could string letters together to form words, and it’s never stopped since. However, the big goal of some day making a living off my fiction writing has remained elusive.

For a long time, the problem was the quality of writing. I know that isn’t the problem any longer but [...]]]> I’ve been writing ever since I could string letters together to form words, and it’s never stopped since. However, the big goal of some day making a living off my fiction writing has remained elusive.

For a long time, the problem was the quality of writing. I know that isn’t the problem any longer but instead a variety of other reasons. Reasons I refuse to let stop me any longer. So, with that in mind, this is the year to start treating writing like a business.

And when a business wants to get somewhere at some point down the line, what do they do? They build a business plan.

And that’s what I’ve done this year. Created a business plan for writing.

So, the big lifelong dream (here-forth referred to as the “Big Dream”) has always been to “Make a living off my fiction writing.” Might as well make it a great big dream if I’m going to be dreaming, anyway!

However, that’s too big of a goal to work towards. Too overwhelming, too big, too easy to give up on, too easy to go astray, too easy to ignore and hope it goes away. It is the mountain that we are hurting our neck to crane up to see. Nope, we can’t look at something that huge on a daily basis.

There needs to be little steps leading up to it.

5 Year Plan

Which brings us to a 5 year plan. This is an amount of time that is a bit long but also a bit short. But definitely viewable. One of the foothills instead of the mountain.

So, in 5 years, where would I like to be on the road to the Big Dream? I decided to be a bit ambitious with this, as well.

The 5 year plan is to sell 3 books.

Now, selling a book is pretty much out of an author’s control once they are finished with the writing, editing and revision. But, I can submit book after book in hopes that one hits the right person in the right publishing climate in the right mood at the right time. Let’s face it, a lot about publishing is pure dumb luck.

But, I can maximize my odds.

To do that I need to widen my options. Have a variety of work in various sub-genres to send out into the publishing arena. So, I’m going to take “3 books” and double that to come up with the number of 6 books to be written and revised within the space of 5 years. (Actually 4 years, as that 5th year should be heavy in the submitting, and any books written that year will be sent out in the 6th year.)

So, I need to write and revise 6 books in four year’s time.

That still sounds like a lot. At first, I thought I was being a little too ambitious.

However, once I did the math, it really wasn’t. Based on four writing/revising years that is 1.5 books a year which equals, on average, 120,000 new words a year (based on an average of 80,000 words a book).

Here is what I have already proven I can do (based on 2009):
July Nano: 100,000 words
November Nano: 150,000 words
Total: 250,000 words (about 3 books a year)

That means with only two Nano months a year I have MORE than my required number of new words.

Or, another way of looking at it: I want to take half the year for revision only. That would mean I would only need to write 667 words a day for 180 days to write 1.5 books a year.

This is so doable that it’s ridiculous.

So, next step down is that I need to write, revise and polish at least 1.5 books a year.

For revision, I am doing two things. First is working up a process for myself that works efficiently and effectively for how I work and write. The second is actively learning all I can by taking Holly Lisle’s intensive “How to Revise Your Novel” class (the sign-up for the 2010 class ends January 9) as well as studying the revision section of Zette’s free “2 Year Novel” course (the sign-up for the 2010 class ends January 8), plus miscellaneous books and internet information. Even without these I’ve managed to revise one book in 5-6 months. After learning more, this should grow in efficiency.

The One Year Plan

Now I’m taking this down even further down from 5 years. We’re moving to the yearly level. Unlike 5 years, this is a much more manageable time-frame that isn’t quite so overwhelming.

From the math above, I know that to reach the 5 Year Goal, I need to write and revise at least 1.5 books a year. Well, to help increase my odds just a bit, I’m taking that to 2 whole books a year. If I don’t get two books a year finished, that’s no problem. Just so long as it’s above 1.5.

And I am taking this down even further to the monthly level. With how I write using the various Nano’s, here is a basic month-to month plan. Notice how it wraps around the beginning of the year, basically starting on the July of each year for the first draft of Book 1. Book 1 then ‘rests’ while other revision and outlining is done, not to be touched until the end of November when book 2 is written:

Jan – Revising Book 1
Feb – Revising Book 1 – Outlining
Mar – Revising Book 1 (National Novel Editing Month)
Apr – Revising Book 1 & 2
May – Revising Book 2 – Submission Starts
Jun – Revising Book 2 – Outlining
Jul – JulNoWriMo – First Draft of Book 1
Aug – Revising Book 2 – Outlining
Sep – Revising Book 2 – Outlining
Oct – Nano Preparation – Outlining – Submission Starts
Nov – NaNoWriMo – First Draft of Book 2
Dec – Revising Book 1

The above calendar gives each book a time to have the first draft written as well as giving it time to ‘rest’ before it is taken up for revision. Each book gets 4 1/2 to 5 months of revision time.

Then comes the nail-biting phase. Pushing the little darlings out of their comfy home to find a place out in the publishing world!

Submitting is a daunting project all on its own. To help it feel a little bit more fun and not so agonizing, I’ve joined the “2010 Great Acceptance/Rejection Contest” at Forward Motion Writers. You get points for novels and short story rejections, acceptances, queries, and the like. The whole goal is to see how high of a number you can get. And with earning points whether there is an accept or reject, you can’t lose! Well, except if you never submit in the first place.

Personally I’m hoping for more than 2 points the very first year. ;)

The past two years have been a huge learning curve for me. But, the above is all based on what I have proven to already be within my capabilities. That’s why I did the writing math. To prove this isn’t beyond myself. I’m already writing more books each year than I would need in order to reach the 5 year goal (3-4 books now compared to the 1.5 required by the 5 Year Plan). That thrilled me to pieces when I figured that out!

And there it is. A solid plan from the big to the small to work my way to the Big Dream while not getting overwhelmed with it. Taking the Big dream and slicing it down into smaller and smaller pieces. Finding the resources and training to help me along the way. It will take work and dedication, but breaking it down makes all of it so much more accessible.

Onwards towards the Big Dream!

Anyone else have a writing business plan thought out?

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2010/01/a-5-year-writing-business-plan/feed/ 3 NaNoEdMo 2009 Update http://jamarlow.com/2009/03/nanoedmo-2009-update/ http://jamarlow.com/2009/03/nanoedmo-2009-update/#comments Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:49:13 +0000 JA Marlow http://jamarlow.com/?p=167 Nanoedmo is going okay. Not great, but okay. I’m doing well with the numbers. Out of 50 hours I’m standing at 40 hours last night. But it’s a good thing I did so much earlier in the week, as this last week has been horrendous. For 5 days, no editing at all. The only creativity [...]]]> Nanoedmo is going okay. Not great, but okay. I’m doing well with the numbers. Out of 50 hours I’m standing at 40 hours last night. But it’s a good thing I did so much earlier in the week, as this last week has been horrendous. For 5 days, no editing at all. The only creativity has consisted of doing a little sketching during my lunch times for the proposed book cover. At least THAT has gone well.

What has been wrong? Going over 2 weeks of being sick. Basically I developed a severe sinus infection. Then I had a reaction to the antibiotic. Can we say not fun?

Add in a huge set-back at work and it all equaled a rather bad March.

But as of last night, after having forced myself to slog through a difficult portion of the editing, I’m hoping to be back on track. The novel sits at having 19 out of 25 chapters edited. We’re closing in on the end! The question is, is what is left in March enough to finish those final chapters when the last two also need to be rewritten.

We’ll see!

]]> http://jamarlow.com/2009/03/nanoedmo-2009-update/feed/ 0