Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 166

Letters to Kel: GET YOURSELF SOME FRESH EYES

No, I'm not talking about investing in Visine or taking a nap before you proofread your story.

I'm talking about finding someone to help you with the final polish. Someone to read through it and find all those little glitches and stupid typos that you didn't catch.

Here's the thing: After you've gone through your story a half-dozen times, and maybe paid an editor to go over it with you two or three times, you and your editor get kind of familiar with what's on the page. You have an idea in your head of what you want on the page, how you want the book to feel, the level of clarity. And after you've been over your book again and again and again ... your mind plays tricks on you. You see the sentences and paragraphs as you WANT them to be ... not how they really are. Your brain inserts the right words in there, and you gloss over the mistakes.

Here's what you need to do:
1 -- Find someone who has not read your story yet. Preferably someone you haven't talked to about the story, either, so they don't have expectations.
2 -- Find someone with a good, solid grasp of the rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation -- and the English language!
You might think that's obvious, but it's not -- I've edited plenty of people who speak English as their second or third language, and instead of going to someone who is a native speaker and reader and writer of English, they go to one of their immigrant friends who they consider more skilled with English, and ask them to check the book. Well, chances are good this more skilled friend makes the same grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation mistakes as the author.
3 -- DO NOT ASK FAMILY OR FRIENDS to read the manuscript. They'll tell you it's wonderful, don't change a thing. Or they'll focus on stupid little things that aren't wrong (for instance, I edited a book where the author's relatives insisted AFTER the book was published that "If you were a virgin, you were allowed to wear white" was wrong, and proper grammar was, "If you was a virgin, you was allowed to wear white." *sigh*) or they'll believe you're talking about them when you aren't, and their feelings will get hurt -- or worse, you ARE talking about them, and they'll want you to totally rewrite the book to suit them.
4 -- DO NOT WAIT until AFTER publication to ask for feedback from your smart, grammatically skilled friends. Do it beforehand, while you still have time to make corrections to the manuscript.
4a -- As a corollary, do not accept or ask for feedback after publication, if you did not ask someone (several someones, preferably) to look at it before publication. I had a client who kept friends and family completely out of the loop of her book. Then, they stood around her at the booksigning/release party for her book and pointed out all the mistakes they thought she made -- in public! To make matters worse, when she accused me of destroying her book, I asked her to tell me what the mistakes are ... and NONE of those mistakes were in the manuscript after I edited it -- she had sent the WRONG version of the book to the publisher, and never checked the galley proofs.
5 -- When the publisher sends you galley proofs of your book, this is the time to look for errors and correct them. This is NOT the time to look at the formatting, and decide if the font is "pretty" enough for you, and if the margins are wide enough, or you don't like the dingbats between sections or other graphics. This is the time to fix the TEXT.

The bottom line is: ASK FOR HELP, and ask those with skill and experience to give that help. Would you go to a stonemason for help with making lace? Would you ask someone from a tropical island to help you design clothes to stand up to an Arctic winter?

Off the Bookshelf: CRAFTING NOVELS & SHORT STORIES

This book by the editors of Writer's Digest is kind of like a toolbox. Each chapter by a different author deals with different aspects of writing. For instance:

In the CHARACTERS section, you have chapters on "Emotion-Driven Characters" or "Three Techniques for Crafting your Villain."

Under FOCUS ON THE WRITING LIFE you have "Creative Lollygagging: Work Harder at Working Less," or "Beating Writer's Block."

In PLOT AND CONFLICT you have "Story Trumps Structure" or "Rescue Your Story from Plot Pitfalls."

Instead of an entire book focused on one aspect of writing, such as hooks or revision or plotting, this "toolbox" offers nice bite-sized chunks of advice that deal with specific aspects that might just be troubling you in writing your book or short story. Well worth the time to read straight through, and then go back and visit on a regular basis, just to brush up on things.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY: Murder a la Christie by Marilyn Levinson

Today's Spotlight is on a fellow Uncial Press author, Marilyn Levinson, with her newest release, MURDER A LA CHRISTIE.
Professor Lexie Driscoll is leading a discussion of Agatha Christie’s novels at the first meeting of the Golden Age of Mystery book club, when an old friend is murdered. A free spirit, Lexie finds herself outside her element housesitting in the upscale village of Old Cadfield. As she unravels secret after secret, more members are murdered. Lexie employs Miss Marple’s knowledge of human nature and Hercule Poirot’s cunning to find the killer.
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and books for kids.
 
Her latest mystery, Murder a la Christie, is out with Oak Tree Press. Untreed Reads has brought out a new e-edition of her first Twin Lakes mystery, A Murderer Among Us--a Suspense Magazine Best Indie--and will bring out a new e-edition of the sequel, Murder in the Air, in April. Her ghost mystery, Giving Up the Ghost, and her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations, are out with Uncial Press. All of her mysteries take place on Long Island, where she lives. 
Her books for young readers include No Boys Allowed; Rufus and Magic Run Amok, which was awarded a Children’s Choice; Getting Back to Normal, & And Don’t Bring Jeremy. Marilyn loves traveling, reading, knitting, doing Sudoku, and visiting with her granddaughter, Olivia, on FaceTime. She is co-founder and past president of the Long Island chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Her website is: www.marilynlevinson.comFind her book on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1c1byHd  

Letters to Kel: REFERENCES AND RESOURCES AND FUN, OH MY!

And here's my "official" list of reference books I have kept. Over the years, I've bought a lot of books as research for books I wanted to write, and got rid of them when I realized they didn't give me the info I wanted or needed, or I decided the book wasn't going to pan out, or other reasons.

I have LOTS of books on faerie tales and mythology -- Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Mabinogion (Celtic), Native American, Arabian, Greek, etc.

Bullfinch's Mythology
The Arthurian Encyclopedia
The AMA Home Medical Encyclopedia
New York Public Library Science Desk Reference
Bodytalk -- Morris
Dictionary of Quotations -- Evans
The Way Things Work -- Lodewijk
An Incomplete Education -- Jones and Wilson
Survival with Style -- Angier
The Cartoon Guide to Genetics -- Gonick and Wheelis
The Cartoon Guide to Physics -- Gonick and Huffman
Back to Basics -- Reader's Digest
The Compendium of Weapons, Armour & Castles -- Balent
Light Elements -- Stone

A good starting place for research is the children's section of the bookstore -- find books that explain the basics, the simple, bedrock details of things like how different mechanisms work, essential history and geography. For instance, you have some scenes set in a pyramid -- find a kids book on Ancient Egypt and building pyramids. Kids' books are more likely to tell you the details you want/need to know, rather than having to wade through 2,000 pages of scientific data you'll never need, and might not understand without going to other books to explain them!

Plus, with the Internet, you have a good chance of finding -- free for download -- diagrams and photocopies of older books or historical documents from the time period or location where your story takes place, that you might not be able to get access to either through a bookstore or library by going physically there. I had a friend doing research on what kind of plastic surgery was available during the Regency era. She didn't have to go to England, she just got on the Internet and found ancient manuals and sketches from that time period, and copied them to her computer for future reference.

Off the Bookshelf: A TURN IN THE ROAD by Debbie Macomber

One of the things that makes Debbie Macomber one of my favorite writers is that so many of her books are linked -- meaning that chances are good when you pick up one of her more recent novels you'll run into an old friend. Someone who appeared as a secondary character in a previous book.

In A TURN IN THE ROAD, it's the return of a Blossom Street friend. In a previous book, Bethanne Hamlin was staggering under the breakup of her marriage and fighting to pay the mortgage so she and her children can stay in their home. She launched a business organizing parties, regained her sense of self-worth and discovered talents she had put aside for years for the sake of her husband and family.

Now, six years later, Bethanne is a successful businesswoman, preparing for her son's wedding. She is still on good terms with her ex-mother-in-law, and when Ruth declares she is driving cross-country to her 50th high school reunion, Bethanne cares enough that she doesn't try to talk her out of something she dearly wants, but offers to drive with her. Her daughter, Annie, decides to come with them after her boyfriend, instead of proposing marriage as expected, announces he's going to tour Europe for a year. All three generations of Hamlin women have major issues to deal with and decisions to make. Bethanne's ex-husband wants to reconcile -- should she let him? She definitely needs to get away and have time and distance to figure things out. The people the trio meet along the way and their adventures are fun, heart-warming, and totally believable. You'll be rooting for all three as they make decisions about life and love.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY: The Last Detail, by Lisa Lickel

Today's SPOTLIGHT is on a new book by a fellow ACFW author, and one of the "guilty parties" at the Barn Door blog, featuring viewpoints and thoughts from Midwesterners!

THE LAST DETAIL

Hope, love, and loss meld two polar opposite personalities. How long can they keep passion for their ministry and each other after the wedding? Medical missionary and avowed bachelor Merit Campbell is wounded during a skirmish at his Mideast clinic and sent home to recover. Restlessness propels him to explore the happier moments of his childhood in Illinois where he meets Amalia Kennedy, owner of The Last Detail, who enjoys helping people prepare for their final years. Merit ushers in new life; Amalia ushers it out. Love? Obviously. Marriage? Check. Dealing with the family closet? Step back…


Amalia enjoys her predictable life in a quiet little Illinois town—until long-time intended, Hudson, finally proposes in a way that shows her boring and old are coming way too fast. When a mutual friend introduces Merit and Amalia, the spark of attraction makes Merit reconsider his bachelorhood. When he can’t return to the mission, he accepts a call as pastor to Amalia’s church. As the two grow closer they weather constant interruptions from ministry, business, and family, even at their wedding and beyond. When tragedy strikes, they must learn to rely on each other in ways they couldn’t have prepared for.

From Prism Books: http://www.prismbookgroup.com/TheLastDetail.html

Purchase links: Amazon: http://amzn.to/1a0BapxBarnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1cKdDcK Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/390240All Romance ebooks: http://bit.ly/1hDtSNhhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20525663-the-last-detail
Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives in a hundred and sixty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain. A multi-published, best-selling and award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories and radio theater, is an avid book reviewer, blogger, a freelance editor, and magazine editor. Visit www.LisaLickel.com

Letters to Kel: ON MY E-BOOKSHELF

This week, I'm listing the books on my electronic bookshelf that discuss elements of writing. These are the books I have read, and do not include the books still waiting in my Kindle, iBooks, and Nook for me to get to them and learn.

Writing Conversations -- Miller
How I are Becomed a Very Much Gooder Author -- Winters
So You want to Write a Novel ... -- Kurzitza
Rivet Your Readers With Deep Point of View -- Nelson
Secrets of Successful Writers -- Pitt, editor
Telling Details -- Duncan
Firsts in Fiction -- Gansky
The Nasty Little Writing Book -- Rovenhauer
Meet a Jerk, Get to Work -- Gardner
Writing Fiction For All You're Worth -- Bell
Point of View and Creating Extraordinary Characters -- Hunt
The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction -- Masih, editor
Inspired Creative Writing -- Smith
Scriptwriting Tricks for Authors -- Sokoloff
Hooked -- Edgerton
Write Good or Die -- Nicholson, editor
Nail Your Novel -- Morris
The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction -- Gerke
Platform -- Hyatt
Crafting Novels & Short Stories -- Writers Digest editors

Next week, some of the fun, odd and ridiculously obvious books I keep on my shelves for reference.

Off the Bookshelf: THANKLESS IN DEATH by JD Robb

There are some authors for whom I break my vow not to buy new books until I reduce my to-be-read bookshelf/pile to a semi-manageable level. JD Robb with her In Death series is one of them.

THANKLESS IN DEATH takes place in a very short time period leading up to Thanksgiving. But that's not the reason for the title. This time, the villain's face and name and thoughts are displayed for readers to follow along and pass their own judgment. Not even a quarter of the way through the book, you'll be rooting for Eve Dallas and her team to catch up with the ungrateful, self-righteous, egotistical, sociopath snot and make him face justice for what he's done. Harsh judgment? Hey, the jerk killed his own parents because he wasn't getting his way and they were tired of him freeloading on them and were about to give him a deadline to get a job and get out of the house. And that was just the start. The sad thing is knowing some people with the same mind-set, who believe the universe revolves around them, and they are justified in punishing anyone who doesn't conform to their will. Kind of frightening, to wonder what little disappointment would send them down the same bloody trail, all the while believing themselves justified.

While I love seeing self-centered snots get their justified punishment, the best part of the In Death books is watching Dallas and Roarke, Peabody, Dr. Mira, and the rest of the wide cast of regulars interact, work together, tease and gripe and care for each other. I loved the ongoing feud within the detective bullpen over psychedelic ties wild enough to make your eyes bleed. There's a new hardback in the series coming out soon, but I'm going to be good and clear off my reading pile and wait until it comes out in paperback. But it'll be hard!

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY: Grace's Pictures, by Cindy Thomson

Today's SPOTLIGHT is focused on another historical novel by fellow ACFW Ohio member, Cindy Thomson: GRACE'S PICTURES.


Grace McCaffery hopes that the bustling streets of New York hold all the promise that the lush hills of Ireland did not. As her efforts to earn enough money to bring her mother to America fail, she wonders if her new Brownie camera could be the answer. But a casual stroll through a beautiful New York City park turns into a hostile run-in with local gangsters, who are convinced her camera holds the first and only photos of their elusive leader. 

A policeman with a personal commitment to help those less fortunate finds Grace attractive and longs to help her, but Grace believes such men cannot be trusted. Spread thin between her quest to rescue her mother, do well in a new nanny job, and avoid the gang intent on intimidating her, Grace must put her faith in unlikely sources to learn the true meaning of courage and forgiveness.
Cindy Thomson is a writer and an avid genealogy enthusiast. Her love of history and her Scots-Irish heritage have inspired much of her writing, including her new Ellis Island series. Cindy is also the author of Brigid of Ireland and Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland. She combined her love of history and baseball to co-author the biography Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research's Larry Ritter Book Award. In addition to books, Cindy has written on a regular basis for numerous online and print publications and is a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Historical Novel Society. Cindy and her husband have three grown sons and live in central Ohio. Visit her online at www.cindyswriting.com.

Letters to Kel: ON MY BOOKSHELF

Resources are wonderful -- books and online sites that provide information you need for authenticity, such as the species of birds in that particular geography, what time sunrise arrives in March as opposed to August, fashions in the big city in 1840 vs. the country, on and on.

But there are other resources that have nothing to do with the details of your books -- the ones that guide you in creating your style and voice and your approach to writing. I'm talking about the books that TEACH you how to write. Here is a short list of the books that are on my physical bookshelf.

The following are a set of books put together by Writer's Digest, "The Elements of Fiction Writing." My copies are old enough to be hardbacks and all white. The more recent editions are paperbacks.
Scene & Structure -- Bickham
Plot -- Dibell
Manuscript Submission -- Edelstein
Dialogue -- Turco
Characters & Viewpoint -- Card
Setting -- Bickham
Voice & Style -- Payne
Description -- Wood
Conflict, Action & Suspense -- Noble
Theme & Strategy -- Tobias
Beginnings, Middles & Ends -- Kress
Revision -- Reed

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And how to avoid them) -- Bickham
The 28 Biggest Writing Blunders (And how to avoid them) -- Noble
GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict -- Dixon
Writing the Fiction Synopsis -- McCutcheon
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers -- Browne & King
20 Master Plots (And how to build them) -- Tobias
The Idiots Guide to Writing Christian Fiction -- Benrey
Save the Cat! and Save the Cat! Strikes Back! -- Snyder
The Complete Book of Screenwriting -- Straczynski
On Writing -- King
Writing for the Soul -- Jenkins
Wild Mind and Writing Down the Bones -- Goldberg
Bird by Bird -- Lamott
How I Write -- Evanovich
Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life --  Conrad and Schultz
The Artist's Way -- Cameron
The Writer's Journey -- Vogler

These are just my paper-printed books, the ones I have held on through the years. Believe me, I've bought other books, the "You absolutely have GOT to read this, at least once a year for the rest of your career, if you want to be a selling writer," type books everybody was pushing. And then went silent on a year later. I got rid of those. While I love books, if I'm not going to re-read it in a few years, if I'm not going to refer back to it, I take it to the used bookstore so someone else can get some benefit from it.

Next week, my electronic bookshelf of writing books. Maybe the week after that, my reference books, like the Cartoon Guide to Genetics. Yes, it's a real book!