How to Make a Manuscript (More) Perfect: Guest Post by Katie Clark

About Katie:


KATIE CLARK started reading fantastical stories in grade school and her love for books never died. Today she reads in all genres; her only requirement is an awesome story! She writes inspirational romance for adults as well as young adult speculative fiction, including her YA supernatural novel, Shadowed Eden, and The Enslaved Series. You can connect with her at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

How to Make a Manuscript (More) Perfect

Guest Post by Katie Clark

@KatieClarkBooks

Here’s an honest to goodness truth. The first novels I wrote were in high school. I think I wrote a total of…four? Maybe five. I never expected anyone to read them (and no one ever did read them!). I was writing only for my own pleasure.


Skip forward a few years, and I wrote a novel that I decided I wanted to share with the world. Only, I had a problem. I had no idea what to do with it once I’d written it. How could I make it better? How could I make it professional? I didn't know how to edit. Seriously. I tried and failed miserably.


I needed help! After asking around I received a few book recommendations on editing. I did some reading and figured out a better way to do things. Everyone has to find the process that works for them, but hopefully these tips can put you on the right path!

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1. I write first, edit later (after my manuscript is completed). 


But sometimes as I’m writing I know that something is going to have to be changed. How do I know it? Because I might think of something I want to add, or take away, or I might come up with an idea I like better. Instead of scrapping everything I’ve already done, I make notes to myself and keep moving forward with my manuscript.


For instance, if I mention on page one that the main character graduated from the University of Alabama, but later I realize she needs to have attended college in Texas, I make a note right in the manuscript. I use a Word program so I can add “notes,” but whatever method you develop for yourself will work just as well.


Then, when I'm ready to begin editing, the first thing I do is go through and make all the big changes I've reminded myself to make in my notes. This works for big plot issues (foreshadowing the bad guy’s identity?) as well as smaller detail issues (like the color of your hero’s eyes). Warning—this process can take a while! Sometimes it will require some major rewriting, but you must be willing to do the hard stuff.


2. I go chapter by chapter. 


When my big plot issues and small detail issues have been fixed, I start at chapter one. I go through it two or three (or ten) times, smoothing out each sentence and making sure I've said exactly what I want to say, at exactly the right time. Sometimes this has to do with rearranging paragraphs to make sure I’ve given proper details at the proper times (for instance, it’s a good practice to give a few brief details of new characters or settings when they’re first introduced…instead of three pages in when the readers have already had time to develop their own opinions on what someone looks like!). Other times it has to do with using exactly the right words to convey a specific feeling. When I'm pleased I move on to the next chapter.


3. I work on the beginning and the ending. 


Once I've gotten my chapters in shape, I work on fine tuning my opening and ending to make sure they hook and then satisfy the reader as best as they can.


4. A final read through. 



During this read through, I do two things. First, I check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors—this is very important if you want to look professional and be taken seriously! Second, I focus on making sure each word choice shines.


For instance, in one manuscript my main character owned a bakery, so I went through the manuscript and made a few changes to bring out her “baker’s” voice—I made changes like turning “I was so sad” into "I was so depressed I raided the baker's chocolate!” It really helped the writing pop.

What about you? Do you have anything special you do when it comes to your editing process? I'd love for you to share!

*What were those editing books recommended to Katie? 

•  Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
• Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas

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How to Make a Manuscript (More) Perfect @KatieClarkBooks http://bit.ly/2r0G4Db #amediting #amwriting

Common Writing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them P.2 - Guest Post by SM Ford

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TO RECAP:

Annually, I’m one of the judges for a teen novel writing contest. These teens have had good instruction and have spent nine months to a year writing their novels. They do amazing work—better than some adults—but still there are patterns of errors I see that you can learn from.

** {If you missed Part 1 of this series, written by SM Ford, please be sure to check it out here.} **

Common Writing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them - P.2 

Not So Great Word Choices

         Adverbs

If the verb is strong enough, an adverb isn’t needed.  In dialogue, the words (and accompanying actions) should be clear enough that the reader “gets” what the adverb is indicating about the dialogue, making the adverb unnecessary. e.g. “You make me so mad!” Stacie slammed the door. We don’t need, “she said angrily.”

        

         Weak Adjectives

They tell us what we already know, instead of what we don’t know. For example, we all know grass is supposed to be green, which means green grass doesn’t tell us a lot. Dry grass, freshly mown grass, sparse grass—each gives us a different picture.

        

Overuse of “as”

“As” is a word we often use to show things happening simultaneously.  Yes, in real life they do often happen at once.  However, in writing it’s easier to just think of things happening one at a time.  Sometimes you can take “as” out and break the sentence into two sentences.  Other times you might want to use another preposition, e.g. when, while, or reorder the sentence so it isn’t necessary.  You can’t “not” use it, you just don’t want to overuse it.

        

Weedy or Weasel Words

about

actually

almost

appears

approximately

basically

even

finally

just

really

seems

somehow

somewhat

suddenly

that

very

well

Danglers aka Misplaced Modifying Clauses

Clauses not being next to what they are modifying.  e.g. He clenched his fists watching their bus back to Manchester speeding away.  His fists aren’t watching, he is.  This would be clearer:  Watching their bus speeding back to Manchester, he clenched his fists. 

Passive Verbs

·      Begins/began, starts/started, verbs ending in “ing” – e.g. was walking.

·      Verbs that distance the reader from the action.  e.g. “let herself drop” instead of “dropped,” “attempted to reach” instead of “reached.”

         The FIX:

·      Use stronger verbs instead of weak verbs and an adverb.

·      Use well-chosen adjectives that create a specific picture.

·      Search and destroy overused words!

·      Check that your modifying clauses are close to the subject that is being modified.

·      Turn passive verbs into active ones.

Only Using a Few of the Five Senses

            Seeing and Hearing are easiest.

         The FIX:

·      Don’t forget Smell, Taste, Touch and the sixth sense, Temperature!

·      Aim for 3 sensory details per scene.

Overwriting

·      Intricate details of clothing probably don’t add much, unless it relates to the plot in a specific way. Use a few when necessary to establish a time period or character.

·      Taking forever to get to the point of a scene. Make sure you’re sharing what the reader cares about.

·      Burying action with description. We read for what is happening!

·      Overdone dialogue tags/attributions.

·      Too many characters.

         The FIX:

·      Tighten sentences. Remove excess words and descriptions.

·      Write a one sentence summary of a scene and make sure everything in the scene contributes to that point.

·      Interweave action and description together.

·      Don’t replace “said” or “asked” with a bunch of different creative words or add adverbs.

·      You don’t have to put a “said” or “asked” or some such attribution with every line of dialogue.  It’s often much stronger to use an action instead. This is part of showing. 

·      Is every secondary/tertiary character necessary?  Or can you combine a couple into one person?

You work on all six of these concepts mentioned in Parts 1 and 2, and your writing will improve greatly!

~ ~ ~


Which writing mistake is the hardest for you to overcome? Be sure to join the convo in the comments!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

SM Ford writes inspirational fiction for adults, although teens may find the stories of interest, too.

When she was thirteen, she got hooked on Mary Stewart's romantic suspense books, although she has been a reader as long as she can remember, and is an eclectic reader. Inspirational authors she enjoys include: Francine Rivers, Bodie Thoene, Dee Henderson, Jan Karon, and many more.

SM Ford is a Pacific Northwest gal, but has also lived in the midwest (Colorado and Kansas) and on the east coast (New Jersey). She and her husband have two daughters and two sons-in-law and three grandsons. She can't figure out how she got to be old enough for all that, however.

She also loves assisting other writers on their journeys.

Social Media:

Website: www.smfordbooks.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SMFordwriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMFordBooks

ALONE is an inspirational romantic suspense novel. It released from Clean Reads in June 2016 as an ebook. 

Ready for adventure in the snowy Colorado mountains, Cecelia Gage is thrilled to be employed as the live-in housekeeper for her favorite bestselling author. The twenty-five-year old doesn’t count on Mark Andrews being so prickly, nor becoming part of the small town gossip centering on the celebrity. Neither does she expect to become involved in Andrews family drama and a relationship with Simon Lindley, Mark’s oh so good-looking best friend. And certainly, Cecelia has no idea she’ll be mixed up in a murder investigation because of this job.

Will Cecelia’s faith in God get her through all the trouble that lies ahead?

BUY:

This ebook is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes.

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Common Writing Contest Mistakes & How to Avoid Them P.2 - Guest Post by SM Ford http://bit.ly/2bcTWSG #amwriting #nanowrimo @SMFordwriter

Avoid These Common Writing Mistakes

Head over to AlmostAnAuthor.com for my latest post on the top 5 common mistakes that teen writers make. Hope to see you there!