"Familiar" is a Lame Adjective

This is my motto for the week. And now, I'll explain.

First off, I must say this: editors are incredible human beings. No, really. They are. I think they should get a special place in heaven. They see things we can't, point it out in a coherent, constructive, concise way, and then teach you how to prevent it from happening again. What you do after that is on your head.

Secondly, I've decided that in order to be a writer, you must truly be a masochist. I mean, how many people do you know want to get beaten senseless, and then actually enjoy the broken bones and bruises? Yeah, thought so. We are an odd bunch.

But the grounds for this post is brought on by one of those fabulous creatures called an editor. Everyone says "show, don't tell", and you may sit, minding your own business, typing away merrily, wondering exactly what that means. You may even think you have a good grasp on the concept. I thought I did. Lesson learned: never assume you know anything. Ever. And certainly don't over-use lame adjectives like "familiar", which I have done.

When you use a word like that, particularly in your first chapter when readers don't know anything about your MC or setting, familiar means nothing. Familiar to what? And why should you care? This is a wasted opportunity. If I tell you a door is familiar, that's it. I've told you. You have no emotional tie to that door or understanding of that memory what-so-ever. It can't possibly be familiar to you. But if I tell you that the gargoyle knocker on the door hangs lower than I remember, and I never liked how its iron eyes follow me everywhere, you've suddenly experienced it yourself. It is now familiar to you, because I've shown you how it's familiar. If I tell you someone has a soft, familiar voice, again, I've just told you. But what's familiar about it? How does it make the MC feel? Does it elicit any memories? By noting the elements that are familiar and the effect it has on the MC and/or supporting cast, the reader is suddenly able to relate and make that observation their own.

Now, these are just a couple examples, but I feel that every example helps. Even though we hear the concept of "show, don't tell" all the time, it is still important to remember how valuable of a tool it is. It's how we pull readers into our story. It's how we make them care about our MC, understand who he/she is, and believe that he/she is real. It's how we make them have no choice but to follow our hero/heroine into the next chapter, and every subsequent chapter. And it all starts with something so simple, yet so difficult to master. Little words like "familiar" aren't always lame words to use, but they can be wasted opportunities to develop your characters and the setting around them.

How do some of you battle out the "show, don't tell" problems?

What Revisions have Taught Me...

...so far.

I remember having a sense of relief the day I typed that last word of my manuscript. I didn't realize that was only the beginning.

Here, I'll put this in a familiar equation that has taken on an entirely new meaning for me:

E=mc^2

End-product= Manuscript x (Corrections)^2

Now. By 'corrections' I don't mean just spelling and grammar. No, no, no. If only it were that simple! It's content, logic, flow, plotting, character development, natural dialogue, relatability, believability (try conquering that one in fantasy)...oh the list goes on. And every time I'd read through it, I'd find something else that needed more work.

At around 100K words, that obviously wasn't a job done overnight (a few years?!). For the perfectionist in me, it seemed never ending. Mostly because the more I'd write, the more I'd learn and develop my craft (still). So every time I'd go back through, I'd find something else I wanted to tweak and change. Ah, the labor of love.

Probably the biggest thing the revision process has taught me is to trust you, dear reader. It sounds silly, but it's true. I know you are brilliant, sharp, witty, and intuit an alarming amount of ideas. (Not so great when I'm trying to be deceptive with plotting! ;D ) But you don't need to be beaten senseless with the same idea, said in 3 different ways, 3 times in a row. Thanks to Ben for helping me understand what I'm doing to you! So, I've learned to trust you. It's not that you aren't 'trustworthy', it's that I really want you to get it--see what I see in my head. But I'm learning the best way for that is to give just enough detail so that you can see it in a way only you can, and make the story yours as much as it's mine.

And through that process, hopefully you'll learn to trust me too!

What has the revision process taught some of you?

Oh Writing, How I loathe love Thee!

Due to many, various digital (and paper) stimuli, I had a revelation this week.

I have learned to write backwards.

"Are you suddenly dyslexic?" You may ask. Aside of the fact that that's impossible to attain as an adult, no. I've simply discovered that my path to learning how to write a novel is completely retrograde.

I've summarized it into what I'm going to call my 7 steps of grief writing.

1. Write a novel.

2. Time to figure out the plot.

3. Re-write novel.

4. Read a book about plot, Anatomy of Story by John Truby. A. Maze. Ing.

5. Re-write novel.

6. Plot solid; time to figure out "voice".

7. Re-write novel.

So there you have it. Completely backwards. Don't worry, my story doesn't read that way ;)

If any of you would like to share your journey, I'd love to hear it!

Update on my Writing Process

Hey everyone,

I felt it was time for an update. I'm moving on to the next chapter of my journey as a writer, and it is entitled: Panic Attacks.

Here we are. Three re-writes, countless drafts, revision after revision, a short film called "revenge of the 'delete key'", etc., and I have loved every moment of it! I also, unfortunately, now believe my characters are real people, and have been caught talking to them aloud. (Please do not call a therapist on my behalf. This is perfectly normal, I assure you.) So where does that leave me? Submissions.

Now, before I go into that, I must say a few things. I would not even be here without all of you. Many of you have read a draft along the way--some have even read multiples. But all of it--the encouragement, support, feedback, enthusiasm, critique--I can't emphasize enough how much I cherish and value it. You have all been the life preservers as I float along a dark, foreboding river to lands unknown (hopefully not to the Heart of Darkness). And Ben? Let's just say he should be sainted. It's a lot to ask someone for hours and hours of their undivided attention, and none of you hesitated when I asked. Thank you! My story is better than it ever could have been on my own, and I feel truly blessed to have such a supportive network of friends and family. And it is that support which encourages my confidence to move forward to...

Submissions. These days, every author needs an agent. Agents are quite remarkable human beings--they receive over one hundred submissions every week, somehow manage to read through all the query letters and book blurbs, and above that, market all of their current manuscripts to publishers/editors/etc. 'They' liken the Agent-Author relationship to a marriage. I've read in many places that landing an agent is probably one of the most difficult things to do, hence my next chapter: Panic Attack.

I feel like I'm sacrificing my firstborn. Seriously. I've cradled and nurtured it for about 19 months, hiding it from the authorities. Soon, I shall be querying and sending sample pages to agents that fit my genre (YA Fantasy--and no, it's not about vampires). I hope and pray that someone will love my story as much as I do, and realize how committed I am to learning and working to improve my craft. That being said, it is also very likely that I will have no such luck. Only time will tell, as time always does. And while time's doing the telling, I'm trying not to panic.

Regardless of what happens, I wanted to tell all of you thank you--for everything. I've found my passion through this process: a love (and obsession...) for creating stories.

Gratitude from a Late Bloomer

Here I am. The scientist, by all accounts. Except I don't care about science. Not really. It's interesting, don't get me wrong. So interesting I even majored and minored in it and am currently employed in the field. While I do enjoy my job and the aspects science has to offer (namely incredible technology, theory, and brilliant co-workers), I've discovered something else. Something that usurps all of my thoughts, all of my time, and, consequently, all the ability to do housework. Writing.

I've always loved reading. Getting lost in the adventurous tales of peril, whether it be physical or emotional. From the depths of Mordor to the crazy donkey-chasing Aunt Betsey in David Copperfield, I love them all. The lessons, the struggles. I was perfectly satisfied losing myself in them, until one bright shining day, Ben, my devoted 6'5" cheerleader without pom-poms, suggested: "Why don't you try writing?" "Me?" I gasp. "Remember I do numbers and Greek letters, not words." But there sat that obnoxious idea, forcing every other idea out.

Scenes began to flicker in my mind. Scenes of people I didn't know, places I'd never seen. I became curious. Curiosity turned obsessive. Obsessive turned to the computer. And ideas spewed forth.

It is as an adult that I've discovered a love (and obsession) for writing. Whether anything comes of it, or it remains simply a passion of mine, remains to be determined. In the meantime, I fight with my computer. Fight after drag out fight. Edit after harrowing edit. (Me and the delete key are still coming to terms.) There are many of you--many supportive, encouraging, amazing people--that have helped me tremendously as I embark on this unique endeavor. Reading draft...after draft (Ben, you're amazing). Giving honest feedback so that I may learn how to create a great story. Thank you for giving me hours and hours of your undivided attention, reading the pages I hand to you, believing in me through the process--I feel blessed to have so many people near, genuinely excited, helpful, and supportive.

I'm still working (almost everyday) on that story some of you have read. After some soul-searching and reading books on writing, I'm on re-write number 4 and draft number 10,000 (or so it feels). There's much work to be done, but I'll let you know when I reach my next stage: submission (shaking).

It's been 1.5 years now. The journey is incredible in ways I never would've imagined, and I'm grateful to all of you for keeping me on it! I couldn't do it without you.