Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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Writing Questions for Josh
Aleksandr wrote: "When I was unemployed for 2.5 months, it really almost killed off my writing. I was rarely as unproductive as during that time period."Pressure and stress, especially financial, kill my writing. :(
Charming wrote: "Susinok wrote: "That very vulnerability would make me nervous to be a beta reader. "Yeah. I am getting nervous about my beta reading. I am not really all that tactful or sensitive and I feel pr..."
It's been a while since you read for me, but I don't remember having a big problem with anything you said.
Lou wrote: "My previous books had fairly decent first drafts. Okay, nothing I would even show to my beta--missing scenes, stage directions instead of descriptions and actions, naked dialogs, etc., but it was m..."((((hugs))))
Lou wrote: "My previous books had fairly decent first drafts. Okay, nothing I would even show to my beta--missing scenes, stage directions instead of descriptions and actions, naked dialogs, etc., but it was m..."You can do it, Lou and you'll be happy with the finished story.
Dev wrote: "I don't think I could do a submission ready first draft because the story always shifts on my as I write. I come up with what I think is a great plot and then half-way through and I realize it wasn't..."That usually happens to me too. This time I spent a couple of weeks outlining and that did help. I've managed 17K in my new wip since the beginning of January. This is a personal record for me. Stage Fright took 5 months to write the first draft and another six weeks to rewrite.
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Hm. No. I think it's all pretty much the same for me. Maybe because I'm a straightforward story teller. There's usually a logical progression of plot based on character, and that never changes from genre to genre.
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National Novel Editing Month is in March. There will be articles posted from published authors (yes, including Josh! and JCP!) giving editing advice and forums where you can ask questions from other editors. The site is being rebuilt after some hackers/spammers trashed it last year, and the new site is hopefully going to be live next week. (*crosses fingers*) Until then, you can visit the old site at www.nanoedmo.net. At the top of the page you'll see a note where you can put your name in for a reminder about the event and when the site is back up and running properly.
My name is QueenOfTheUniverse over there, and we're a very small group from around the world, not at all related to NaNoWriMo. Just an FYI. And the goal is to edit fifty hours in one month.
Aside from that, definitely listen to the advice here! All of these people know what they're talking about. Also, if there's still space, Angela James is doing a self-editing course for three weeks next month. I know several MM authors will be there, in the virtual world, including me. Her website is nicemommy-evileditor.com. lol.
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That's the problem my library is having right now, where and how to shelve books. In my building the adult collection is split up into three groups: fiction, non-fic, and romance. In the children's room, there are so many different ways to shelve books, mostly due to what level reading kids are at, never mind the series books and holiday books, etc...
In the teen room, we have things separated out such as mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, urban lit, series, fiction in general, non-fic, LGBTQ(fic/non-fic), test preparation books, and textbooks. Oh, and graphic novels are split up between manga and everything else. The adults just have one tiny graphic novel section where it's all mixed together.
The thing is, we have adults who come up to our room because we have things split like that. If they want to browse sci-fi/fantasy (which are interfiled) they can do that in our room. But they can't in the adult section.
And that's only one building in a very large library system. Each of the 20+ branches does their own thing. lol.
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Depends on why its awkward. If it's awkward because it doesn't make sense becaus..."
I've never liked the random "awkward" comments because I never understand what they're referring to. Is it the sentence structure, or something about the action? Or something else entirely?
When I beta, I always feel like I'm trying to explain my comments too much, but I'd rather have too many explanations than not enough.
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That summarizes every fantasy novel I've ever tried to write. Which is why I'm putting fantasy on a back burner. For some reason I can't explain, it's just not working out. And my "first" (read: likeable/readable) contemporary novel needs to be rewritten from scratch again. This will be the 4th draft, technically. I think. But each time I rewrite it, I know it's getting better, the plot is getting tighter, and I'm liking it that much more.
Here's to the 4th draft being the final draft! I know my beta readers will be thankful. lol.
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Heck, I've been working one one novel for ... *squeeks* three years? OMG. That's just too long. *sigh*
Jordan wrote: "I'm a very slow writer myself. Right now, I'm pushing myself to write 5 pages a day so I can have most of my current WIP finished by the time that self-editing class comes around next month. I've b..."Last year around June, I decided to just get over myself already and write 1k a day. I've been doing pretty good, though with some days and weeks that I don't reach that (especially when I first started out). Now, about half a year later, I'm finally settling into this rhythm so that if I don't write my 1k, I feel...weird. I take it a day at a time, though. If I think about all the days ahead, I get deer-in-the-headlights, so I just think about today's word count goal. (Likewise, if I look back at all the days in a row I managed to write my word goal, I kind of mentally lose my footing.)
But yeah. I used to be super slow. I think writing is partly a habit? And maybe it also partly has to do with getting a momentum going?
Anywho, good luck! :)
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When I attempted NaNoWriMo in November 2010 I told myself to sit for an hour minimum and work on my story. IT worked for 16,000 words. Then I hit a wall and didn't know what went next in the story. I'm still very proud of that 16,000 words, even if it never goes anywhere, they are down on the page! Most of any one project I've ever written.Now I have that book set up in Scrivener, and I read over a lot of it over the weekend with a bit of an idea where to go next. Maybe I'm back in business?
I have a contemporary that may be short story or short novella length. It's very bare right now, but I'm liking my messenger guy in his tight biker shorts.
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btw, the book I'm currently using to help me with my plot and figuring out my characters is Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence. It's also been a great help to my other two WIPs, showing me the very huge and very stupid things I didn't even think about, or realize I needed. *smacks forehead*
My current WIP is something of a mystery (in spite of the fact that I keep trying to steer it away from that...), but the MCs don't really solve the crime, and the police work is mostly in the background. Neither of them are actually threatened, not personally. So . . . huh. I'm not even sure what I'm asking. I guess I want to know if people think this is okay.
Anne wrote: "My current WIP is something of a mystery (in spite of the fact that I keep trying to steer it away from that...), but the MCs don't really solve the crime, and the police work is mostly in the back..."I think so, as long as it isn't listed as a mystery anywhere. Then you would certainly get a bunch of comments about how the mystery is too off-stage and not solved by the protagonists.
Charming wrote: "Anne wrote: "My current WIP is something of a mystery (in spite of the fact that I keep trying to steer it away from that...), but the MCs don't really solve the crime, and the police work is mostl..."Excellent point! It shouldn't be listed as one, and I can't see Riptide deciding to call it that so on that count I think I'm safe. Thank you!
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My current WIP is something a little similar, except one of the MCs is threatened, but doesn't tell the others. There's police drama, but not a whole lot. only one cop is well known by the MCs. I'm enjoying writing something where the MC isn't in the military or a police officer. It's rather refreshing.
Anne wrote: "Charming wrote: "Anne wrote: "My current WIP is something of a mystery (in spite of the fact that I keep trying to steer it away from that...), but the MCs don't really solve the crime, and the pol..."As long as the main story line keeps me interested/entertained, it works for my reading style. If my attention starts to drift or the pacing lags, then I start asking q's of the mystery element and start chewing on it. Now, I become a frustrated reader, because what I am finding interesting doesn't have enough info to quench my curiosity.
I have read LOTS of stories where a "mystery" was a background element and will read lots more. Looking forward to yours. 8)
Thank you so much! It helped and I feel like I have a better handle on what's going on. I won't be surprised if I cut out stuff in edits to help the story move along, but I finally feel like I have a solid handle on this story. :-P
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YAY!!
Hi all!I'm curious about everyone's experience with the amount of time it takes to edit their work. I have a piece that is around 50,000 words and I feel like it's taking me forever to make my way through the editing process. I'm just wondering if I'm going at a typical pace or if I really am as slow as I feel. :-)
Well, how long is it taking you? For me, each work is different. Sometimes I get through edits quickly and sometimes it takes forever (i.e., longer than it took to write the original story). Also, are you talking only about self-edits or editor-prompted edits? If I added all the edits together (including edits after comments from my critiquers), I'd guess I spend more time on edits than the original work.
Depends. When I'm going slow (1-1.5K/day), I warm up an hour in two in revision every day before I get started on fresh pages. Then, I stop at the halfway point and revise some more. By the time, I get to the end, the first part is pretty solid. At that point, I'm doing general sweep for pacing, character arc, whatever, and cleaning up craft in the last half. That goes on until I run out of time if I'm on a deadline or I'm satisfied, if I haven't signed it yet.Magic happens in revision land, dude. MAGIC.
Also agree with Lou. I go through all my manuscripts on my ereader and through every round of edits once I get to the production stage. It helps to see errors when the pages look different, but I used to get the same effect by changing to landscape, setting to 2 columns, single-space, changing the font and printing the lot. Basically, I was making my own print ARCs, but the point is, just change how it looks. (Except save trees -- don't print. LOL)
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But as for editing time wise, it does depend. Sometimes I'm really slow. My first WIP that I felt was really worth putting the time in has been rewritten 3 times and will get a 4th before this year is out. After that, the 4th draft will have to get edited by me, critiquers and then the editing staff when I send it out to be pubbed.
I think it really depends on the work, and how much needs fixing. Unfortunately, my first WIP needs a lot of work, but each time I rewrite it, it becomes more solid, more tight, and that's what I want. I'm cutting out the excess fat, or extra stories that got mixed up in it, each draft cuts out some huge storyline that I didn't realize doesn't need to be there. So, yeah, that one has taken a very long time. Of course, there have been many, many months with no activity on it too.
My current WIP, shouldn't take quite so long. Maybe a few months at the most. Eh, one can dream anyway.
Edits always take longer than the original work for me but how much longer depends on the work. Sometimes the story behaves and sometimes I have to dismantle it entirely before I can get it to cooperate.I read it in ebook and on paper - paper's magic as far as I can tell
I did paper until my 3rd book and then my poor greenie heart just couldn't take it anymore. Putting out 3-4 works/yr...Even recycling office paper, I couldn't stand the guilt so I taught myself other tricks to revising/editing.
Thanks for the responses! After reading them I've decided that my problem is more impatience than slowness. :-DI love hearing about other writer's work habits for some reason. I'm fascinated by the whole process even when it's not my own.
Aprilrain wrote: "Thanks for the responses! After reading them I've decided that my problem is more impatience than slowness. :-DI love hearing about other writer's work habits for some reason. I'm fascinated by t..."
lol, I know I'm definitely fascinated in other writer's work habits. ^.^
At first, when I started snooping into how other writers did their business (er, writing business), I thought it was to pick up on good habits and get an idea of how the process of writing went...but the more I learn about other writers...and the more I write...the more I realize that everyone approaches writing very differently. Personally, I write SLOWLY, unless I'm writing a "crap draft," in which case I can write at a moderate speed (a little faster than my hair grows), but then I spend considerable amounts of time rewriting afterward. My crit partner can bang out 5k a day of good material, but then she just...goes months without writing.
I am working on the rewrite of a 55k story I wrote last September in one month (sort of an early NaNo). It's taking me three months, and counting, to rewrite. Then I will get to the actual edits. Yeesh. (But in the meantime, I'm working on a couple of other rough drafts, so... *shrugs*)
But yeah, even knowing that my process is going to be different from everyone else's...I'm still always interested in learning how other writers write! ;D
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I try and write a little every single day, even if it's one of those days (like yesterday) where I was in and out all day long. It helps you not lose your place in the story, and it helps keep the writing muscles warmed up and ready to go.
Plus all those little two hundred words here and three hundred words there do ultimately pay off. Even though at the time it seems like you barely wrote anything, it all adds up.
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I think it's fine so long as you don't use the words mystery, crime or thriller in the marketing info.
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My current WIP is something a little similar, except one of the MCs is threatened, but doesn't tell the others. There's police drama, but not a whole lot. only one co..."
To be honest, most of the stuff labeled as "mystery" in this genre doesn't really qualify as a mystery. Romantic suspense would be the correct label.
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I'm curious about everyone's experience with the amount of time it takes to edit their work. I have a piece that is around 50,000 words and I feel like it's taking me forever to make my wa..."
I think it's going to depend on a couple of factors, including how experienced you are and how much time you can let the story sit before you go back and try and edit.
I think if you can really let the story sit for a while it speeds up the editing process because you can see eveyrthing so much more clearly.
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I think this is common. Or at least, I do it too.
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I used to print everything out. Well, in fact, I used to write in long hand. Then I graduated to just doing edits in long hand, and then eventually I got past using paper at all. I don't even print notes or the finished manuscript anymore.
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It's just the opposite for me. The first draft is slow motion drudgery. The edits fly. I think because at that point I know exactly where I'm going. It's like filling in the pieces of the puzzle. Almost a game.
But this is the opposite from when I first started writing. I do miss those days of pouring out thousands and thousands of words. But I also think it's a natural evolution. You can't anticipate how much your writing and your thought processes will be changed after a couple of decades in publishing.
I mean, I began my professional writing career when I was sixteen. I've been over twenty years in the business. I was trying to figure out the other day how many editors I've worked with. In mainstream publishing alone, I had twelve different editors over the years. That's a lot of training and a lot of help at an impressionable age. I say "impressionable age," but I was also very resistant and stubborn to a lot of the advice I was given early on.
In fact, looking back, I spent about five years arguing with editors about formula and reader expectation before the lights finally went on. It's very funny to me now.
Josh wrote: "Dev wrote: "Edits always take longer than the original work for me but how much longer depends on the work. Sometimes the story behaves and sometimes I have to dismantle it entirely before I can ge..."Josh, what was the first book you had published?
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..."
I think it's helpful if only to reassure you that there is no one single right way to write a book. :-)
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First book was a romance novel under a different pen name. The first anything I had published was poetry. In fact, for many years, I thought I was going to be a poet. ;-D
Josh wrote: "Aprilrain wrote: "Josh wrote: "Dev wrote: "Edits always take longer than the original work for me but how much longer depends on the work. Sometimes the story behaves and sometimes I have to disman..."That's so interesting and also explains the lovely and vivid way you describe scenes and emotions in your books.
Josh wrote: "First book was a romance novel under a different pen name. The first anything I had published was poetry. In fact, for many years, I thought I was going to be a poet. ;-D ..."That explains Come Unto These Yellow Sands. I have GOT to re-read that soon.
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That ex..."
Was listening yesterday to the first 15 minutes of the audio book.
This is where being a control freak is such a liability.
Josh wrote: "I think it's helpful if only to reassure you that there is no one single right way to write a book. :-) "YES.
#iamnotcrazy
Christine wrote: "YES.#iamnotcrazy"
Where's the fun in that? ;-p
Josh wrote: "First book was a romance novel under a different pen name."Reflecting on pen names...[and I won't even try to pretend I'm not frothing at the mouth to read some of your other work, but I'm trying to be good and not mention it, but--D'OH!]...I wonder if it is harder to maintain more than one pen name nowadays. There seems to be so much emphasis placed on the importance of maintaining an online presence. That takes effort.
For a short time, I tried keeping up with two blogs and two Twitter accounts...but forget it. One of each is almost more than I can handle. And I gave up trying to keep up a fictitious persona. I put enough effort into the made-up people in my stories. Being a made-up author is kind of depressing and lonely (and writing is pretty lonely as it is).
Any thought of having to keep up another online presence is enough to keep me on track and focused on strengthening one "brand" instead of scattering off in five different literary directions with a small flock of pen names. Which, I'd otherwise be tempted to do... (I have so many writerly interests!)
I do see that some authors deal with this multiple-pen-name-identity-crisis by linking their pseudonyms, making it clear they are the same person and underscoring what makes the work under each pseudonym unique. Robin Hobb comes to mind. But if you don't want your pen names to be linked, that's not really a solution.
Anyway. Just thinking aloud. Or on the computer screen. What have you.
Aprilrain wrote: "Josh wrote: "Aprilrain wrote: "Josh wrote: "Dev wrote: "Edits always take longer than the original work for me but how much longer depends on the work. Sometimes the story behaves and sometimes I h..."Oh yes, definitely this.
Josh wrote: "... eventually I got past using paper at all. I don't even print notes or the finished manuscript anymore. "You did carefully consider the question of regular backups, didn't you? ;-))
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Doing props is the thing.
When you're subbing a prop, you're sending a minimum of 3 chapters (I don't pitch a prop until I'm at the halfway point so I usually send more) and a synopsis of what that story will be. Those chapters need to shine and the story you turn in had better be the one you pitched in the synopsis too. Doing props taught me to make all the puzzle pieces fit together early and to make earlier chapters submission-ready before later chapters are even roughed out.