Style and impact are often two topics overlooked in workshop presentations. Let's look into the fine tuning of your style and writing for impact.
1. Structuring a paragraph: Carefully consider the sentences within a paragraph. Place them in a logical order, the last leading to the next paragraph. I do a lot of paragraph considering and moving sentences to be more orderly.
2. "Never use a big word when a small one serves the need." I used to have a software package that checked how many syllables in a word and another to check how many times I'd used a phrase. It counted the use of a particular word. A big word is jarring in fiction. Let those readers cruise on through your work, without dealing with big words.
3. Check the use of have hads/passive voice.
4. That old live-by-the-rule: longer sentences for narrative and shorter ones for impact.
5. Check the use of some. Always pinpoint when you can.
6. Check usage of I am vs. I'm. "I'm going to town," serves the purpose. But "I am going to town," makes a statement. If the character is a bit angry, the writer can show this by the second phrase. Don't vs. do not is also a good example.
7. Make dialogue serve as the reader's insight. "Don't look at me like that." "You're nervous, of course. Your hand is shaking." Dialogue phrases like this move the book quickly and omit the need for a narrative description. Publishers are counting words more than ever now, so make that dialogue work for you.
8. Check your verbs. Make them as powerful as you can. Dialogue is also great for using atypical verbs to spike reader interest.
9. If short or one word sentences fit, use them. Proper isn't always creative.
10. Use the senses to trigger memories and give insight to the character, i.e. He ran his thumb over the window sill. The chipped layers of paint reminded him of the old woman's face.
11. Check the use of prepositional phrases. Stick to 2 or 3 at a maximum. More than that and you're looking at 2 sentences. Use Grammatik.
12. Do not edit the life out of your work. And don't let someone else do it, either.
We have our dreams, but there is the practical side of life, too. I'm hoping that the following information will help you. Take into account that all life styles, situations and sheer career luck are different. My final day of decision came with a hand full of contracts from two houses, an established career, and the thought that I didn't want to lie on my deathbed thinking that "I had the chance and didn't try to do something I loved." I originally posted this to a writer's bbs, and then thought that someone else might consider it, too. This is just advice/tips--you're on your own.
My supporting background--At one time, I held a day-job,
was a single mom with 3 children, and wrote for two publishers,
and I maintained that schedule for years--before going full-time.
And I'm still learning, still changing goals, being flexible.
Goal setting is important and that word "durability"
mixed with dependability. I deliver on time and try for the best
book I know how to write. Check out my booklist
and you'll see I've written a few.
1. Your life situation outside of writing counts for a big
part of that decision. If you have a partner carrying the insurance
and who can help with household breakdown expenses, etc. is a
big factor--another income to help between tought times. If your
children are grown is another. If your house and car are paid
for is another. In another words, no significant payments you
can't handle.
2. Placing the life situation aside--are you already established
with a publisher and things are going well, so that you have at
least 2 years or hopefully a few more guaranteed. As for a contract
dollar amount that depends on the proportion you are going to
spend on promotion/traveling/supporting your work. I guesstimate
that of a gross income 60% or more goes back into a career, if
you are promoting and have business expenses, i.e. computers/copiers,
and that includes taxes and retirements (This retirement factor
is a big deal to watch, putting into your SEP-IRAs whatever regularly.
Time has to be spent not only in writing but in doing the things
a corporation does for you. Or should.) So you have 40% to pay
personal taxes and living needs/car payments, etc. **If you are
only beginning in category, that need for pr, etc. isn't there.
Build those books and readership and then let them know when books
are coming out. If you are doing single title with/without publisher
support--you'd better work it, honey. For a first book, regional
pr is good.
3. As to reliabilty: Even if you've done a fair amount of consistent
work and place on the lists and have other successful benchmarks
in your career, a good rapore with editors/the publishers, etc.,
EVEN THEN, sailing isn't always clear. But it isn't in the day-job
work place either. A lot is corporate management that we cannot
control.
Recommendations: This from someone else, but I think it's
good advice: DO NOT JUMP INTO FULL-TIME WRITING WITH LESS THAN
5 BOOKS (see below), AS AN AVERAGE. SUCCESSFUL BOOKS, WHERE YOU
UNDERSTAND SELL-THRUS, MARKETING, ETC. There are exceptions, but
the take on this is that the first book can be a fluke, might
have taken years to write, and that the second and succeeding
books have to be even better. Some writers have a "second
book" theory that says the second book must be stronger than
the first. So one book doesn't usually cut it for a lasting career.
1. If you want to pursue writing full-time, clean out your debts,
get a handful of contracts, stuff your savings account and be
prepared to approach writing as you would a day job with regular
productive hours. If you have only a bit to wait until your children
are grown, wait until then.
2. Try for 2 publishers, not putting all your writing eggs in
one basket.
3. Really work on writing skills, that is to have the ability
to write non-fiction and fiction copy. There are many avenues
now in copy writing that supply a good income. Make certain those
business letters are up to par--That is a skill a lot of really
good fiction writers do not have.
4. Keep aware of the changes in media and in publisher/reader
tastes and be prepared to change your style/update if that is
necessary.
5. Be prepared to follow the growth of your talents, but keeping
a steady grip on reality and which publisher is supporting you
consistently.
6. Be prepared to produce consistently, a single title every 6-9
months and category 2-3 times/yr.
**The above is the somewhat basic profile of a durable writer.
THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS, but
I'm talking about durability. But even a durable writer cannot
battle corporations merging, editors changing, poor covers, poor
distribution, etc.
**A good rule of thumb is when your professional writing full
time income exceeds for years, your day-job income. REMEMBER--all
the time you're working at the day job, you're building skills,
not only writing skills, but how to deal with editors and publishers,
how to market yourself, what's the real-deal. You're building
a career and learning the business. And you have a safety-net.
Many writers, experienced ones, do not know how to schedule the progress of a book. I have been using the 20 page per chapter rule since I began publishing 14 years ago. I've maintained a day job and 2 publishers for part of my career, and being regimented was a big part of keeping everyone--including my family--happy. (Try juggling 2 publishers for years with different styles and formats, and you learn survival skills.) Writer's Math is one of the best skills I can recommend to you in time management, when those pesky editors for some reason want the books you have contracted to do--the books they have paid you to write.
If you are unpublished, you are probably balancing a day job, family stuff, and extensive learning how-tos. But you need this rule, too. One of the best things I can recommend to any writer, published or unpublished, is to push yourself--to work at a regular pace.
DOING THE MATH: The 20-page per chapter math works like this--either go under or over a bit, but it will all come out "in the wash." Basically, a 100,000 word book is around 20 chapters or less (remember to be flexible here, including prologue or epilogue as chapters); a 55-60,000 word books is around 10 chapters. My basic chapters have about 5,000 plus words, but I do not calculate words often. At the end of the novel, I calculate the total word length. But 20 pages per chapter, or 15 or 25, gets me started writing and lets me know where I am in the development and necessary shape of the book. Font makes the difference. I use Arial 12, and the best way to test this is to take one of your chapters and change the font into Courier, Times New Roman, or whatever, and compare the output.
To schedule the development of the book, try this: Calculate 1 or 2 chapters per week. 20 pages would be 5 pages for 4 days. Every week. That means by Wednesday--where should you be in that 1 or 2 chapter production? Life interferes, of course, but constant regimen is the best advice I can give. Sit down, take a calendar, and decide if you are writing a 10-chapter book in 10 weeks, or 2 chapters in 5 weeks-- When I was working a day job and had 2 publishers, children, etc. I at least tried for those 2 chapters, and sometimes 3. I'm running 2-3/week now, when I'm working on a book.
Padding the time frame:
A published writer also has to allow for promotion time--workshops, traveling, bookmark design, etc. An estimated 2/3 of the average professional novelist is spent on correspondence, website, booksignings, mass mailings, promotional material development, etc. A major book may take a month to promote. Then the next proposal is due.
An unpublished writer has other problems--reading how-tos, spending time online learning, attending workshops, and just plain perfecting the craft to a saleable state. It took me 7 years to work on this, amid raising 3 daughters, a farm, moving, working a day job, and lots of life interferences. The important thing is to learn, not write by rote--which is what some writers are doing, and they are not growing. I have always been a learner, and that has served me well.
Okay, back to the padding part. Both published and unpublished need to pad the 20-page per chapter time schedule, adding 1-3 weeks for editing. I edit all the time, each chapter, the previous chapters as I go along, and the entirety when the mss is completed. I am in constant edit. Other writers are not.
It is important to note that everyone has different production modes. Whatever works, works.
It is also important to keep up the pressure and keep that story alive within you.
It is important to complete one novel, not to generate scads of half-written ones.
Using the 20-page/chapter rule gives you a variable skeleton upon which to hang your schedule. I work at a pretty good clip, plus writing articles, doing this stuff between and I enjoy designing my own ad materials, etc. It is my humble opinion that beginner or no, a short novel should be completed within 3 months, and depending upon the intensity of research, a longer one in a 6-9 month period. (When a real life crisis interferes and it does, it is important to get back into the schedule when you possibly can.)
So now, on next Wednesday, how far will you be into that 1 or 2 chapters?