Beth Revis's Blog, page 68

Setting Thesaurus

Angela at the Bookshelf Muse is the genius behind the Setting Thesaurus and let me do a post on setting in science fiction--specifically, a cryogenics lab. If you've never checked the Thesauri Angela runs, you should!



(Also: the comment function debate continues. Several people have recommended Disqus to me--if you'd like to check it out and compare it to Intense Debate, please do so! I won't do anything until after the blog tour.)

New Commenting System After Blog Tour

So I was lamenting the poor commenting system Blogger uses on Twitter tonight, and a couple of people recommended I try Intense Debate.



Basically, I wanted something similar to LiveJounral and WordPress for commenting--the ability to reply to comments easily. I'd also like something that was easy for non-Blogger people to use.



I'm not going to risk disrupting the Across the World tour, but I did install Intense Debate on my test site. If you'd like to check it out, click here:



http://bethrevis-test.blogspot.com/2009/05/testing.html



And please let me know what you think! I *want* to comment on everyone's comments and make a true discussion, but I have such a hard time keeping up with comments with Blogger's current system.

Across the World Tour & Contest!

I am pleased (thrilled, excited, beyond-normally-ecstatic) to announce that next week starts off the Across the World Book Tour for Across the Universe!





So, here's the deal. By now, you've probably found the Super-Secret-Hidden-Link. It's up there, in the telescope. Go ahead, try it! (And by the way, you're going to have to look for that secret link in the telescope.)



Ah, noticed the password-protection, huh?



*evil cackles*



Behind that password protected page, there's some awesome stuff:



The secret origin of the good ship Godspeed, setting for Across the Universe
The origin of my characters' names
The story of the fish that inspired a whole new character
Hidden Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book
Oh, yeah, and...



The contest entry form for the November Giveaway!



Prizes, you ask?





A signed, personalized, doodled copy of Across the Universe ARC



A limited edition collection of three pin-buttons featuring Across the Universe

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A collection of star-related swag that I'll be giving away at my launch in January.This does include a star-shaped lollipop.Awesome, I know.

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A mystery gift! It's so mysterious, even I don't know what it is.I mean, sort of. I'm trying to get my hands on something AWESOME.But if I can't, I do have an awesome back-up plan.Either way, we're both going to be surprised come giveaway day!



So, how do you get all these awesome prizes?

For the next two week, I've got bloggers all around the blogosphere lined up to tell YOU about their most amazing awesomest adventures from all over the world.  At the end of each post is a link--the link will take you to a letter--gather all the letters together and unscramble them to find the password. Once you break into the password-protected page, the first thing you'll see is the entry form to be entered into the drawing for the prize pack!



A few rules and addendums:



Yes, this is open internationally
The only thing you have to do is solve the password and fill out the entry form
You must fill out the entry form by November 20th
Winner will be announced November 22nd
Any question? Please feel free to ask in the comment section. And if you've not read it yet, be sure to check out the clues I gave on Thursday!

Creative Contest at Flipping Pages

In case you've not seen it, Sherry at Flipping Pages for All Ages is holding a creative contest for and ARC of AtU--write a haiku (that rhymes!). Personally, I'm loving all the entries--they look amazing.

A Clue to the Secret Link

If you're having trouble finding the secret link, here's a clue for you to LOOK through at:

A Day in My Writing Life

I'm being featured over on the Elevensies blog--check it out if you want to see what my writing desk looks like!

Calling All Code-Breakers, Super-Sleuths, & Tricksters!

Guys.



GUYS.



I am. SO. Excited.



Tomorrow, I'm opening up the November Giveaway Contest. I'm excited about the prizes, which include an ARC and a one-of-a-kind special thing. But I'm more excited about the quest I'm sending you on to get the prizes.



See, in order to win, you've got to break the password on the secret page of this here website.



What, haven't you noticed the password protected page yet? You will have to look for it above...



But there is still a matter of that password.



Don't worry--over the next two weeks I'll be giving you a letter at a time (including an awesome series of adventures from people all across the world). Unscramble the letters, find the password. Find the password, find the entry form. Find the entry form, win the awesomest prize pack I've made so far.



CluesThe password is made up of a three word phrase (no spaces)
It is a very simple phrase (nothing foreign or outlandish or random)
The phrase is made up of real words--no numbers or anything tricky
The password is relevant, but not directly related to, Across the Universe
Two letters are repeated three times
If you DO figure out the password, don't tell! That gives YOU a greater chance to win!


Go ahead and try some guesses now! But don't worry--if you can't guess the password yet, you're going to get all the letters to unscramble over the course of the next two weeks.

The Line-Up:





Side note: I am so scared that you guys are going to think this is lame. Please tell me what you think of this game/contest! Personally, I think reading the adventures of everyone will be lots of fun...I hope you do, too!

Revision FAQ: How do you find readers?

The second most common question I ask doesn't apply strictly to revision, but in general, how does one find reliable critique partners?



There's no right or wrong way--and often times a fair amount of luck goes into finding a good partnership. But here's what's helped me, if you're on the hunt:





Get involved with the writing community
Every single one of my critique partners was found by my involvement in the writing community. Every. Single. One. 
Forums
My first critique group came from finding people with similar writing interests as mine on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award forum. None of us won the competition, but we did find a hugely beneficial critique group.
Other popular forums include Verla Kay and Absolute Write
Warning: Don't just jump at every Joe Schmoe out there asking for a partner. Take time to make sure you are at similar levels, similar writing tastes, etc.
SCBWI
My state has an active ListServ; I found one critique group after there was an call for new members on the ListServ. 
Advantage: people on the ListServ are (probably) more dedicated to writing as they're members of SCBWI
Disadvantage: There are many more picture book writers than anything else in SCBWI (at least in my area) which means if you write MG/YA, you might have trouble finding someone in your genre.
Blogging
When you blog, you show people your writing style. People with similar writing styles and interests will read your blog. Participate in the comments (something I'm struggling to do more of) and find people who are like you, writing-wise.
Reach out--ask
Don't be afraid to approach a fellow writer. I'm not saying that JK Rowling is looking for a critique partner. But if there's a blogger who has a project that interests you, shoot her an email and offer a swap. 
Keep in mind:
Be polite. Be willing to accept if the person you ask says "no."
Offer something in return. Don't expect them to critique your work without offering to critique theirs in return.
Leave yourself a way out. I recommend not starting with a full manuscript swap (more on that below).
Use writing samples and trial periods
No matter how similar you think you are to the potential critique partner, there's a chance that it just won't work out. In order to avoid bad break-ups, try this:
Request a sample first
Pretend like you're both agents--ask for a query and three sample chapters. If the writing is something you can work with in that sample, good chances are you can take on a whole manuscript swap. But if you hate the sample (for whatever reason--it's not your style, you dislike the genre, the work is too bad OR too good), then mutually agree to move on from there.
It's much better to waste a couple of hours on a sample project than days or weeks on a longer one.
Create (and stick to) a schedule
It sucks when you swap pages and you finish the project in a week, but it takes the partner a month. Or if you know you have a time conflict and need longer, but the partner's pestering you for speed. Agree ahead of time on a schedule, and stick to it.
Figure out what critique style works best for you
Critique groups/alpha readers
These groups take small samples of work (i.e. a set number of chapters) and swap them at regularly scheduled meeting (i.e. bi-monthly).
If you need to finish the first draft and need direction as you write, use these people
Advantages:
Helps you finish the first draft
Keeps you on schedule
Helps you create a more polished draft as you write
Gives you direction as you go
Disadvantages:
Slower pace--it may take a year or more to finish if you only swap a few chapters at a time, making this less appropriate if you've already got a finished manuscript, or are a quick writer.
Because they're not seeing the manuscript as a whole, some overall themes/motifs, etc., may be ignored or lost in critique
Greater chance for members to slack on schedule
I have never had a critique group where every member was as active and participated on the same level. I have always had at least one member who wouldn't provide samples frequently enough, or who slacked on critiques.
Beta Readers
These readers read a rough draft of the manuscript, reading the whole book at one go. 
If you have a finished manuscript you want to take to the next level, use these people.
Advantages
You get a great sense of how your manuscript stands overall.
There's less focus on the minutia an more focus on the actual story--which is more important.
Disadvantages
Whole manuscript reads take time--sometimes more time than you want to spend. Agree on a schedule before you sign up.
If this is your first time working with someone, then you might not find out until the whole critique is over whether or not the person is helpful to your writing.
Gamma Readers
These are your final readers, the ones who let you know that it's done and ready to be submitted.
If you have already revised one manuscript (either through crit groups or Beta Readers) and just want to know if you've fixed it correctly and the manuscript is ready, these readers are for you.
Advantages:
Confidence boost--they tell you to get the manuscript out the door
Ask them to look for faults you tried to fix previously, so you know if you have actually fixed them.
Disadvantages:
They may say it's not ready--so you're going back to the drawing board.
Avoid using previous readers on this--get a fresh set of eyes, or the readers may be blinded by past version of the manuscript
Don't be afraid to "break up"
I have been in several crit groups before that just, for some reason or another, didn't work
You don't want to be rude, but you don't want to waste your professional time
Treat critique group as professional partnerships--if it doesn't work, move on
Don't be rude--explain why the group isn't working, then firmly back away
Maintain ties with people in the group who did work for you.
I was in a critique group once that I hated. One member in particular ruined it for me. She was rude, never took direction, and we clashed terribly. But there was one person in the group in particular whose writing style was good and who meshed well with me. I left the group, but kept the person as a friend and a beta reader.

PS: One signed arc a week!

PenguinTeen is giving away one signed ARC a week from now until release! All you have to do to enter is sign up for the Facebook Fan Page.



(Yes, really. One a week. When I was in NYC, I signed quite a bit of stock.)

Revision FAQ: How did you get so organized?

I've been getting a couple of the same questions over and over since I posted about revision (some from last year, and some since yesterday), and I thought--hey, I should do a couple of blog posts on that!



So, here's the first and most frequent FAQ:



How did you get so organized?

I have a theory: whether you're a pantser or a plotter, you've got to have at least one stage of your writing that is terribly organized.



Plotters make organized outlines (hence why they are plotters). They have lovely index cards with themes and characters and whatever, or they use Post-Its to plot the novel, or they just have a lengthy outline that they can use as a map for when they write. Whatever. They have something.



But I'm a perennial pantser. When I write, I've got nothing except whatever ideas are floating in my head. I'm the most unorganized first drafter ever. I throw together words all willy-nilly on the screen. I start one thread, get bored or forget about it, and start another thread. There's a whole subplot in my current rough draft that I just dropped about halfway through the book.



But since I'm so unorganized in drafting, I become ridiculously organized in revising. Writing is a two-step process: writing and revising. I think every writer needs organization in at least one of these steps--either you have an organized way of writing and then you have a fairly simpler revision process, or you have an unplanned writing style that must then be organized in revision.



What do you think? Is writing a two-step process that requires one step (at least) to be organized? If so, where are you organized--in writing or in revising?