L.M. Long's Blog, page 14

5 Editor Tips that Help You Write Like a Pro.

by Michelle Wilson




Most of what I've learned about writing has been self-taught. I've read nearly every how-to book from the library, attended writer's conferences and retreats, read a lot of books, and did my research online.

Over the years I've found some wonderful articles - but my favorite types are the easy-to-read, bottom-line, tips and advice from professionals (which do me more good than "Just follow your dreams")




I came across a great article recently called '5 Editor's Secrets to Help You Write Like a Pro'


The article is great, and I highly recommend you read it, but below is a summary of the 5 secrets:


Sentences can do one thing at a time.Paragraphs can do one thing at a time.Look closely at -ing.Omit unnecessary words.Reframe 90% of the passive voice     Bonus secret: Use spell-check!


There is no 100% formula for successful writing--but there is one for failure: Don't write.
So, if you want to write, do it. Research, read, practice!  Let others read your writing, and be sure to wear you big-girl underwear when they tell you it needs work (if they are good friends, they will!)
Then, re-write, edit, research more and keep writing!
Smile on!

The Ruby Pendant is finally here!

I'm excited to announce that my second book came out last week. It is part two in the Cleopatra's Legacy series and is entitled, The Ruby Pendant. My books are fantasy adventures for ages 8 and up. The best price is at Amazon- http://amzn.to/1pN6a3x . If you purchase a book I will send you a signed name plate for the front! Just drop me an email at authordorine@gmail.com and tell me who to make the inscription to.

About the book- Welcome to New Orleans- home of Mardi Gras, jazz music and voodoo. Eighth grader Melanie Belaforte is home for Spring break and itching for excitement. Late one night she discovers a hidden chamber and a secret journal in her deceased Aunt Florence’s bedroom. The diary contains the writings of a mad woman, along with vague clues to the whereabouts of a ruby necklace that once belonged to Cleopatra. The ruby bestows upon the wearer the power to hear other people’s thoughts- even the thoughts of the dead! And so the hunt begins. Melanie, her best friend Sybil, and a haunting specter unravel clues that take them from crumbling graveyards, to the busy streets of the French Quarter, and then into murky swamps, all to find the prize. But they need to watch out, because a murderous cult is matching them step for step, and they won’t give up, ever.


People often ask me- How do you find time to write when you have six kids? The truth is that it is really hard. My family comes first, so I have tons of places to go and things to take care of. When I do find the time to write it is usually in bursts, for two weeks at a time or so. I rarely write everyday. I find the time either after my pre-schooler heads to school or sometimes at night when everyone is home and occupied. The hardest part is the first draft, because that takes the longest. After that it is mostly edits and rewrites. My poor kids have heard me stay often, "Shhh! Monmmy's writing." But, they now take it in stride. Plus, my older ones can help my younger ones. That help really makes the difference.
I hope you'll take the time to check out my two books, The Emerald Ring and The Ruby Pendant. Both are available as a papercopy and as a Kindle.

What Puts You in Your Happy Place?

Since I'm new to the Mommy Author Blog-- I thought I'd share a little about what makes me tick. I love it when my children get along. I love it most especially when they play board games together and seem to truly enjoy one another's company. I love songs that extol the virtues of being part of a family...songs of men who love their wives and women who love their husbands. 
As a reader, I love stories about strong families, which is probably why as a writer--strong families are a main theme in each of my series. Some songs instantly transport me right smack dab into the middle of my books. I love songs like Dan Seal's: One Friend and Bop. Dan Fogelberg's: Longer, Craig Morgan's: This Ole Boy. I like lots of different kinds of music-- but my overall favorites are Country and Christmas. 
What appeals to me about country music is the plethora of ‘family’ and patriotic songs. What’s not to love about music that treasures home and country? Songs that celebrate hard work, loyalty, service to one another, helping out a friend, being there for another and faith in God? Life is NOT a ‘do-it-yourself’ project, it’s an “I’m-here-to-help-if-I-can” deal.
Helping can be as simple as offering to bring a meal or allowing someone to cry on your shoulder when they are dealt a rough hand. Sometimes it means coordinating the myriad of details when a surgery, illness, death, or accident disrupts family routine: child care, food needs, transportation and the never-ending piles of laundry. Sometimes a smile or a listening ear is all that is needed or required.
Being there for friend or family when they need it can be summed up with words from 2 country songs: "It’s just life." and "It’s what we do."
I am partial to ‘front porch’ songs: I haven’t heard one that I don’t like. My favorite two are Tracy Lawrence’s “If the World had a Front Porch”, a song that extols the virtues of treating people like good neighbors and kin, solving the world’s problems with understanding and enjoying the blessings of a front porch swing.
The front porch swing has set the scene for many a first kiss, a gentle scolding for bad behavior, a quiet moment between two people, rocking in peace and harmony with just crickets and frogs to play background music.
If the world had a front porch like we did back then
We'd still have our problems but we'd all be friends
Treatin' your neighbor like he's your next of kin
Wouldn't be gone with the wind
If the world had a front porch like we did back then

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Lonestar’s : “My Front Porch Looking In.” is a song about prioritizing family, a song where a man has it all: a music career that provides well for his family, but he doesn’t feel complete until he’s home, looking in through his front door and seeing the important people in his world: his wife and children.
Both songs transport me instantly into the middle of my West books: a series about a family who has known many trials, but who come together and help and strengthen one another rather than divide and fall apart. The "Heart of the Wests" family farm is modeled after one I spent every possible moment I could as a teen ... and recently visited for the first time in 7 years.
I loved the front porch, I loved the swing, and I loved the steps as well. I often sat gazing at a small flock of white ducks playing in the nearby creek, shaded by huge maple trees. The smell of growing alfalfa or corn wafting through in the air. Good times. Moments that made all the difference in a hurried life.
If my house had a front porch, you can bet it would have a swing ... in hopes that many a memory will be forged and shared.

My blessing are in front of me, it’s not about the land.I’ll never beat the view from my front porch looking in.
What real or imagined place makes you happy? And what does it take to get you there? Please let me know, I'd love to hear from you.
Laugh lots ... Love much ... Write on. :)

All about me!

I'm so excited to be a part of Mommy Authors. Since I'm new here,  I thought I'd tell everyone a little bit about myself.

I grew up on a farm in Idaho and loved being a farm girl. My parents were there for all of our activities and supported all five of us. We were taught young to work hard for what we want. Usually it was on the sports field, but it worked into other aspects of life.
Reading and writing have been a huge part of my life since I was little. The schools held Young Author's contests and I was always sad when my story wasn't picked. Instead of making me give up, I was just more determined to get better.
My senior year, I started writing children's stories for fun while I was a library aide. I would pick a name and an animal and start writing. That poured over into my adult life. I can't write outlines for my books!
I met my husband, Steve, at BYU in 1999. I knew the first time we held hands that he was 'the one.' We were married in April 2000. We now have six children ages 12 down to four. They keep us busy with their many sports and church events.
We love to stay adventurous. I don't mean going camping or skydiving (although I love camping). I mean doing things in a big way. In 2009, when a job didn't work out for us to move to New York, I suddenly decided to open a bookstore.  That's the same as moving to New York, right? No? Well, it might not be, but for me, it was a dream come true. 
I had author signings at least once a month, activities for kids, and tons of fun things to buy. It also allowed me plenty of writing time—and even better, reading time. Someone had to know what the books were about for recommendations, right? Unfortunately, the funding we'd received in the beginning wasn't enough to get our store through the slower times and we had to close it. But that didn't stop our adventures.
My husband was offered a position in Australia. I told him to go for it, not thinking it would happen in a million years. After all, the New York job had fallen through. He got the job. We had a month to clean up the store and then suddenly it was time to go. I had eleven days to pack up our house, decide where everything was going, and sell a car before we took off for Australia. That was three years ago this Saturday.
We took twenty-six bags (including backpacks, laptop bag, video camera, suitcases, and 6 fifty pound duffel bags), two carseats, and six kids and headed off the airport. The kids were amazing on the flights — even though my youngest had just gotten antibiotics for an ear infection only three days before.
That was just the beginning of a Chevy Chase/Steve Martinesque adventure. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. It was difficult to find a house, we'd miss buses or have buses purposely not pick us up.  In the four and a half months we were gone, we moved eleven times, flew seven times, and lugged around those twenty six bags and any other items we picked up along the way. On the way home, we did leave out the carseats and downsized as much as possible.
In Fiji we lined to up to check in at the airport and they laughed at our luggage. They told us no one should ever put that much on the plane. We went to talk to another lady and were told the same thing. Using my mama bear skills (aided by the six children standing around), I told them we were moving home, it was everything we owned, and there was nothing we could do about it. They looked at me, at each other, and then told us to check everything.  Feeling much better—and lighter—we climbed on the plane. Standing on American soil was the happiest experience of my life. Even if that was followed by driving from LA to St. George afterward. We had to take two cars just to fit all our stuff.
Fast forward three years, and we continue to be adventurous. We're waiting for a loan to go through on a new home, where we'll get to raise chickens, ducks, turtles, and anything else the kids come up with.
Being the mom of six kids keeps me very busy. Adding writing into that just makes it crazier. Thankfully I can write well when I'm sitting on the couch with my kids surrounding me. Instead of bogging me down, writing has allowed me to release creative energy and keep going. Having the happy, crazy kids I have has given me plenty of writing material.

Perspective

I recently attended the annual American Night Writer's Association Writer's Conference.  As expected, I had a great time, met some awesome people and learned more than I can write about in one sitting.    One of the concepts that I carried away from all of the excellent presenters is that of perspective.
  As writers we talk about, read about and analyze point of view continuously- because it is not just an important aspect of the story, it is the essence of the story.  It is the who through whose eyes we see the world we create and how they see it and why.  It illustrates or introduces the other all important element- voice.  
Everyone has a story.  Everyone has a voice.  Like the cliche snowflake, none of them are exactly alike. Voice is the personality of your characters coming out in  their words, and the way they do things- how you portray them. It is what bonds your readers to your characters.  
 We all share certain human experiences, however each of us have individual life experiences.  If, as Shrek says, ogres are like onions- they have layers, then people of all ages are like ogres. To write effectively, meaningfully we need to know this and  a few other things.  
We need to know the audience we are writing to.  While there are things that are universal about being a human, a ten- year old is not going to get into a story that describes the frustrations and joys of being a thirty- year old mother any more than a thirty-year old mother will want to read about child super heroes who wear underwear on their heads. 
 If you are a thirty-year old or older, can you remember being ten?  Do you know any ten-year olds?  If you want them to like your story, you need to get to know them. Bring out that inner child and remember what it was like to feel like you were grown up yet the world continued to see you as a little kid.  Do you remember what you worried about?  Do you know what the children (women, men, teens) worry about today?  What do they love, hate, want, wish?  How do they talk?  What have they experienced?  It is amazing how much one can experience in ten years of life, not to mention thirty.  
One of the things that comes out when you delve into this, is that people are not always what they seem on the surface.  Buford from Phineas and Ferb comes to mind. He's a bully that speaks fluent French, knows Latin, sobs about his missing goldfish and wants his friends to think he is nice. Layers. Outside of it being funny, why is he like that? Were you ever bullied?  Did you ever know a bully? What do you think of them as an adult?  Yes, even bad guys have layers.
You need to know your characters.  Yes, you are creating them and yes they exist for as long as the paper their lives are printed on does, or the computer they are stored on is accessible.  Do you really know who you have created?  They are fictional, but to be believable, they have to have some meat on their bones- figuratively speaking.  They need the same kind of wants, wishes, loves, hates, faults and good points- layers your readers have to be important enough to read about.  The mean girl is not just a mean girl, she is someone's daughter or sister or girlfriend or all of the above or maybe she wants to be one or all of them. Why is she like that? 
 We want to see ourselves in the stories we read.  We want to hear our voice, our hurts, joys. fears and feelings expressed by the characters in the stories we read because it is a safer place than our real lives to deal with them.  Maybe it is even a safer place to deal with them as the writer. 
You need to know that you are a writer and that what you have to say matters.  You need to see what you do as important.  Even if it is only important to you or your family, it is important.  The things you put down in words have great potential to do good but only if you put them down.  
How do you see yourself?  It will make a big difference in how you choose to spend your time and whether or not you give up on your writing.  It is not easy to be a writer especially if you have a family or a job or a dog, but if you have to write, you are a writer and accepting it and moving forward will ultimately be worth it.  The voices in your head, the histories and romances that have never really been are not going to just go away without a fight, so join them.  Give them life and maybe the way you see things, your voice, your perspective will influence someone else for the better.                        

Another blogger to add to our group....

We are sad that Luisa Perkins had to bow out of our group but we wish her well.  She is an excellent writer and will go far....
Now for our new gal-- Jaclyn Weist who has a following of her own.... Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve at BYU and they have six happy, crazy children that encourage her writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next.

Why A Selfish and Proud Person Like Me Doesn't Enjoy Writing in First Person

I'm currently struggling over whether to change my middle grade fantasy from 3rd Person to 1st. Two in my critique group are voting 1st and the other three are voting a kind of mix of 1st and 3rd. As one put it, "Just write in first person to really get inside Peter's head, then go back and adjust it to third, so you pull back a little, but not much."
I started out wanting to try third person omniscient because I was just proud enough to think maybe I was writing epic fantasy. Hah! Anyway, I'd pulled back to third person limited, but then I went to the ANWA Conference and pitched to Taylor Martindale with Full Circle Literary. She seemed interested but only asked me to send the regular submission--a query plus 10 pages--AFTER my final revision. I'd also attended her first class on "Writing and Selling Successful Children's Books." She emphasized voice, particularly first person, so I presented my quandary to her after my pitch. Her recommendation? Write a chapter both ways and judge for myself which seemed to speak more loudly to me.
Hence, my experiment with my critique group.
I still haven't made up my mind, but I realized some things about myself in the process.
1. I'm selfish. 
Yes, I knew that before about myself, but I'd never realized it entered into my reading too. I knew it entered into my writing because I have no problem shutting the door on my family when I'm in the writing groove. But this question of which point of view to use made me realize that I want to know everything possible about a story, both as a reader and a writer. I don't want to be limited to one person's point of view.
2. I'm proud.
Again, no news to me, but the fact that it affects my preference of POV was news. First person is so common in middle grade and YA fiction because children and youth find it easier to put themselves into the story that way. Would my deigning to write in first person mean I was acting less adult? Of course not, but it prickled my pride anyway. Somehow, I always saw first person as the easy way to go. It's not, by the way. It comes naturally to some authors and for others, like me, it's a forced process.
Do I enjoy coming up against my selfishness and pride in my fiction writing? No, I don't. But the truth of the story is what counts most, and if that means first person or really deep third person, then that's the way I'll go. 
I'll let you know next month the course I chose.

I've Changed

Me at my first Ladies' Night Out, American Fork Deseret Book
April 2003Back when I was first published (yes, check out the picture of me ... little baby author Tristi) I had one main goal.

You see, when I got my contract, a friend of my mother's said to me, "I hope you don't change now that you're going to be published. An author lives in our ward, and as soon as she got published, she became totally different. She won't give us the time of day anymore."

Other people said pretty much the same thing. "I hope that when you're rich and famous, you'll still have time for us."  "Well, it was nice knowing you." "You'll be different now, I guess."

These comments all really bothered me. Why would getting a publishing contract mean that I would change? Why couldn't I be a published author and still be myself - wasn't there a way to be both? And so I set a goal, the main goal I mentioned in the first paragraph: I was not going to change. I would always be me.

My plan seemed to work. No matter how many book signings I did or classes I presented or book clubs I did, I was careful that I was always myself. I never put on any airs or acted stuck up or pretended to know stuff I didn't know. I didn't name-drop ... even though I actually know some really amazing, highly famous people ... and I tried to stay pretty low-key about some of the awesome experiences I had. I didn't want people to look at me and say, "She's changed. She got published and now she's a totally different person." I was going to fight that tooth and nail.

But then I realized something. I had changed.

I was more confident.

I was more educated.

I was more outgoing.

I was finding new talents to share.

I was becoming an expert in my field.

I was funnier.

I was more popular.

I was learning how to respect myself more.

I was making money.  (Not a lot, but some. Still working on that.)

I was sought after.

I was viewed as a mentor.

I was stronger mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Oh, no. I broke my promise ... I had promised not to change, and then I went and did it.

Almost ten years later, Storymakers Conference
2012. Photo credit Erin Summerill.When I look at who I was back then and who I am today, I can't say that I regret breaking that promise. The fundamentals of who I am have not changed. I'm still friendly and approachable and helpful and as cute as a button, but I'm also wiser and stronger and more able to hold my own. I have learned so much, and everything I've learned has shaped me. I'm a far, far better person than I was ten years ago.

And have I lost friends along the way? I'm sorry to say that I have. Some didn't realize that I wasn't going to dump them and they dumped me first, thinking they'd take it upon themselves. And some, even though I rarely even mentioned my writing, felt that I talked about it too much and thought I was bragging. What I've come to realize is this -the people who said "Don't change" were really saying "Don't leave us behind. Um, no, we aren't going to pursue our own dreams - that's too hard - so you stay back here with us so we can be more comfortable."

I don't like to think about the relationships that were left behind - it makes me sad. But a real friendship, a real relationship, doesn't punish you for growing as a person, and I learned that the hard way.

Being an author does change you, whether you want it to or not. Every experience you have in life should change you - that's what life is for. If your life isn't changing you, you aren't living it right. We should not leave this planet the same people we were as when we stepped on it. We should be stronger. We should be smarter. We should be more compassionate, more aware, more giving.

I like who I am now. I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea - a little Tristi goes a long way - but I'm proud of the progress I've made. I still have a lot to do - weaknesses I want to turn into strengths, character flaws I'm not too crazy about - and, unfortunately, I know that growth will hurt. That's just part of it. But what it all boils down to is this - I've changed. I've changed for the better, for the smarter, for the wiser, and no one should ask you to stay the same either.

Experiences that don't change you aren't worth having.

Feeding the Positive

by Michelle Wilson



Recently I decided to dust off an old manuscript and shine it up enough to pitch it at my next writer's conference. I started at it for days. It edited and rewrote the first page a kabillion times until I was simply disgusted with the entire project. The book seemed to blend into one big pile of rubbish, and I pushed it aside.
I think sometimes we can be too close to something to see it as it really is--our own stories, our family, our children, even ourselves.  Sometimes it's great, and necessary, to step away from the close inspection and take a breather. Of course I'm not saying abandon your treasured manuscript or leave your precious family!  But, there is great merit in stepping away from the focus on the negative and to look at only the positive.
I heard a person say recently that when you are redoing or revising a book, rather than go through and mark down everything you don't like or wish to change, it would be time better spent reading through it and noting all of the things you did like, and all the things that did work. That way, when you are finished reading through it, you not only DON'T feel like chucking the whole think into the fire, but you will most likely feel really good about your WIP and have a great idea about its strengths and what works. Then you can focus on enhancing those strengths, working off of them, and expanding on them.
That was a new concept for me--opposite of what I'd been taught. But, it sounds much more enjoyable that what I've been doing in my writing. But, this concept doesn't apply to just writing. I can apply it to my personal life as well.
Sometimes I get caught up in focusing on the things that I don't like. Whether it's someone else's quirks, habit, my own weaknesses and faults, life in general, or the stated of my microwave--if I try hard I could focus forever on the things I don't like. But that doesn't make me feel good.
So, I start anew today, with an eye single to the beauty of the things I like--in and out of print. I'll expand on the good things I see, work off of them, and enhance them as much as I can. And, hopefully, I'll get the best out of it all--my book, my family, life, and myself.
One of my favorite quotes is "What you fee grows." I plan on feeding that positive and see what will come of it.
I know it'll be good, because that's all I see.

Is marriage easy?

I recently clicked on an article that someone shared on Facebook. It was written by a woman who believed that the only true accomplishments a woman can have is if she is not married and does not have kids. In fact, she stated that getting married is easy, so why do people think it is an accomplishment. I disagreed with the entire article, but her statement about marriage is what clung with me. Is getting married easy? Yes. But, that is not what the accomplishment is about. It is about staying married. There is the real trial and prize.

Many people get married everyday, and in today's world it is an easy task. Getting a divorce is almost just as easy. What the lady was not looking at was the work that goes into a successful marriage, one that lasts. I love this quote, and I don't know who to attribute it to, but it goes like this, "A perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other." 
I have been married for twenty years, an it has not been easy. So many problems come up, from finances to personal behavior, and continuing on together is a struggle. But, my husband and I are committed to staying together and making our marriage work. The fact that I can tell people I've been married for twenty years feels like a real accomplishment. I believe the greatest and hardest accomplishment that a woman can claim is having a working marriage after many years. It doesn't matter if she works, worked, or had a lot of kids. The keeping it together over the years is the most important thing. I also love the quote from David O McKay, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” It takes two, it can't just be the woman. So, the success is in working together as a couple despite the hard times.
The photo taken above was over twenty years ago while my husband and I were dating at college. We we're so young (and skinny!). My marriage and my children are the greatest accomplishments of my life, and nothing outside can compete. Even fulfilling my life long dream of being a published author.