Being a perfectionist can get you in trouble.
People may think you’re just “too picky.”
Spouses in particular may be stressed, thinking you’re too unreasonable in your requests.
But, being a perfectionist can be a good quality in certain situations and especially in specific professions.
As an author, it seems like it takes me forever to write a book because I write and rewrite so many times.
What about you? Are you a perfectionist? Does it help or hinder your work… your relationships?
“Where do you get your book ideas?” people always ask me.
They don’t seem to believe me when I say, “They just pop into my head.”
But that is the truth.
Authors get their ideas many different places. There may be a news story that sparks a plot. It might be a place they vacation. Perhaps it’s a dinner companion that announces, “Hey, I’ve got a great story for you.”
Several years ago, as a Hospice Volunteer, I was sitting with a patient who had her walls literally covered with photos of herself and her husband. They had been in a troupe of dancers in the early days of their marriage. Story idea?
Once I was reading a children’s picture book to my granddaughter and it became a catalyst for an intense drama—nothing like the children’s story, but there must have been a thread there…
One of my books was sparked by a recurring dream.
Book ideas can come from anywhere. But if you’re in the middle of writing something else, do what I do. Jot the idea in depth in your idea notebook for later on down the road.
Authors, where have you gotten your book ideas?
Readers, do you have ideas you think would give rise to the next bestseller?
Care to share?
I feel like I am the bearer of bad news, but here is what I have found, my fellow authors:
Although it is tempting to substitute descriptive words in place of the word “said”, seasoned writers are now telling us not to use them in our attributions.
They say it pulls the reader’s attention away from the dialogue. Also, using them tells the reader how the character feels, rather than by showing them with actions.
Also, help your reader out by using the same attributions for each character throughout. For example, avoid using “policeman”, “captain”, “officer”, “Tony” all as attributions for the same character within the same scene because these changes only serve to confuse readers.
Many authors advise that “smiled, frowned, laughed, grinned, and smirked” should not be used as attributions—EVER—because they describe expressions, not speech.
Finally, in two-person conversations, where lines alternate, only tag a line occasionally—IF the conversation is very long. Readers realize that people speak back and forth.
RULE: Clarify without overshadowing your dialogue.
It’s the ten year anniversary of the publishing of my first book, Runaways: The Long Journey Home. Curious to see if I had improved as a writer over the last ten years—and eleven books later—I decided to begin rereading all of my books in the order in which I wrote them.
So far, I see my biggest growth over time has been in the technical aspects, in sentence structure, vocabulary, and point of view.
Runaways is filled with flawed characters who face the challenges of life—and I have continued on that path for the rest of my books. My message of hope and forgiveness has run throughout the last ten years. I suspect future books will also proclaim the same central theme because if there’s anything the world needs right now, it’s hope and forgiveness.
I am enjoying the process of reading my own work after such a long period of time. I think it would prove to be a good exercise for any author wanting to improve their craft.
If you’re a writer, share your thoughts on this process and what you’d like to discover about yourself.
For the last few weeks, I have been blogging about dreams. When and how to use them in our writing.
Today, I’m asking a simple question: What are your dreams? Where do you see yourself going as a writer? Do you want your books to entertain, inform, bring your readers to some kind of action?
As a Christian author, my dream/goal has always been to share God’s love and truth with a hurting world.
I concluded that using the medium of fiction would be the best avenue to take… that nonfiction was too “in your face” for a lot of people… that seeing a fictitious character’s life change by coming to know God would be the best approach.
In the years since I began writing, I’ve occasionally heard from readers that my books have been a blessing to them and to friends/family members with whom they have shared them.
And that’s what keeps me writing.
How about you?
Continuing our discussion about writing dream sequences…
I’ve read countless articles about using dreams in fiction. Here are a few “take-aways.”
3) Use of metaphors or symbolism may help readers realize the scene is a dream.
4) A change in narrative style may also indicate a dream. (For instance, if you write in the third person, try writing a dream in the first person.)
5) If you want to be obvious about it, print the entire dream sequence in italics.
6) To transition into a dream sequence, try using a signal, such as rain falling at the beginning of a dream and ceasing at the end, or falling asleep and waking up, can be helpful.
**Twilight and Stuart Little are among the many books inspired by actual dreams.
When reading fiction novels, the reader often encounters dreams.
Authors like to include them for several different reasons:
5) Dreams can be magical. They can provide moments of clarity so that they influence the outcome of the story.
Readers: Enjoy dream sequences. They may help you focus and predict where the story is “going”—and why.
Friday was WORLD BOOK DAY. It is celebrated on April 23 each year to promote the love for reading and writing. Also called Copyright Day, it promotes the importance of protecting intellectual property via copyright laws.
This year’s theme for WORLD BOOK DAY emphasized how literature inspires awareness of global issues such as poverty, inequality, hunger, and so on.
Next week is Teacher Awareness Week, recognizing the role of teachers in developing skills, such as reading, in our schools.
As they say, “If you can read this, thank a teacher!”
That’s a good question.
From my perspective the answer is: yes—and no.
Critique groups are invaluable. They travel along the writing journey with you. They encourage, proofread, help with story, characterization, and so on.
When your book is completed, they give advice on titles, covers, marketing, and more.
Your manuscript should look clean and polished, so that you may be tempted to save time—and money—by circumventing the editing process and going forward with gusto toward publishing.
This may be a mistake because nothing is so helpful at this point as a “fresh pair of eyes.”
This is especially true in the area of “content” and story flow— delving into whether or not the story makes sense, doesn’t have parts that are contradictory, important points omitted.
Your critique group reads small chunks of your writing as you go along, but an editor reads from beginning to end, offering a totally new perspective. A good editor will map out the entire story and look for unintentional mistakes in areas your critique group just cannot see.
I’m convinced I shouldn’t bypass the editing process.
What about you? I love to hear your take on this subject.
Are you considering editing/proofreading manuscripts for fellow authors?
Last week’s post focused on certifications/requirements for book editors. This week, we focus on salaries.
My research says the average salary for book editors ranges from $45k to $85k, depending on the amount of time spent, the type of editing one does, and total business garnered.
The hourly rate in the US is $30.
I don’t know about you, but a large percentage of authors never make that kind of money!
So, if finding and correcting other authors’ mistakes is “enjoyable,” you may want to consider becoming a BOOK EDITOR.
Want the best of both worlds? Why not consider doing both??
brenda poulos 