No, Really Officer, It's for Research!

By Julie Wright

I watched a program on Google searches and what they indicate about the people doing the searches. One woman interviewed said, "People confess their darkest secrets to Google as they run searches for sexually transmitted diseases or porn, or ways to kill their neighbor's cat. They confess thoughts, addictions, and medical conditions that they wouldn't tell a random stranger, yet they are willing to confess it to a computer."

It got me thinking . . . what would my Google searches say about me?

Especially when I've searched for not just one sexually transmitted disease, but have Googled pretty much all of them, or when in my recent searches, I've Googled the words, "What does a meth overdose look like?"

This current book I'm writing has a respectable body count. People are dying in all sorts of diverse ways, but I swear I am not on drugs, an axe murderer, or a sociopath. My Google searches would lead people to believe otherwise.

At a writer's conference I spoke at a few weeks ago, I sat in on one of my friend's classes. She was talking about world building, and how even if you are setting your story in the world that we live in, you still need to world build. You still need to know if the spotted fawn is indigenous to upstate New York if you're planning on using them in your book in that location. She made the point that writing fiction doesn't mean you get to make EVERYTHING up. You do have to know certain things. You do have to do your research and get it right because someone in the world *will* know if the spotted fawn is indigenous to New York, and they will publicly denounce you if you get it wrong. The devil is in the details and as authors it means we must try to get every devilish detail right, even if it means my Google searches make me look like a psychopath.

If the police start thumping on my door, will they believe me when I tell them the search for how quickly various poisons kill a grown man was really just research?

You believe me, don't you?

My Current Method of Outlining

By  Josi S. Kilpack

I am a sloppy writer. I write, cut, paste, cut some more, go off on tangents, cut again, add characters, take out characters, add characters back in and then change my mind. At any given time my current WIP is an absolute mess. Unlike a lot of writers, I also edit as I go. If I know a plot element has changed it it like a rock in my shoe to keep writing without fixing it. I know many writers say that you can't edit and write at the same time. Not so for me, I can't write without editing and even though my WIP is a mess, and I know it's a mess, if there are specific elements screaming at me I go back and fix them, adjust the story from that point forward and eventually get back to writing new stuff. Now, I'm not recommending you do something like that--it's really quite neurotic--but the point is that it works for me. And I hope this post will be taken in that spirit--this is what is working for me right now in regard to outlining. Maybe it will work for you, or maybe parts of it will work. I will admit that I borrow this heavily from Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake method. If you're unfamiliar with the method of organizing, I suggest you read up on it in detail. It's very easy to follow and by far the best method I have ever used.

For my outline I start a new document with the title of my book abbreviated and the word snowflake. So, my current outline is BC snowflake.doc Which is then kept in my Blackberry Crumble folder in Word along with BC cuts.doc,  Blackberry Crumble book.doc, BC notes.doc etc. Once I'm staring at this blank page I do the following:

Step 1)  Summarize your book into one sentence (get ideas at the NY Times bestsellers list)  **This is a great way to remind yourself about the book. Instead of it being about "A seventeen year old girl who discovers a secret passageway to an unknown world full of dark creatures determined to take over satellite TV, hypnotize the world and cause them to kill one another after they steal all natural resources from the earth." You say "A teenage girl must protect earth's natural resources and in the process save the world."  That's probably not the best way to say it, but you get the idea. One sentence.

Step 2)  Expand your single sentence to a paragraph that explains story set up, main conflicts, and end. This will sound similar to a back cover but will probably give more details than a typical backcover would since it's purpose is not to market the book.

Step 3) Write out your character's stories (and I borrow these 100% from Randy Ingermanson). I'm a big believer in the fact that characterization makes up most of your plot--how people react and what they will do to protect those things or people most important to them is what drives a story forward. Therefore, knowing THEIR stories will help the plot fall into place. I have the following details I fill out for each of my important characters:

• The character's name
• A one-sentence summary of the character's storyline
• The character's motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
• The character's goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
• The character's conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
• The character's epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?
• A one-paragraph summary of the character's storyline

This is as far as I've gotten in the Snowflake Method because by the time I have written out my characters stories, I pretty much know what the overall story is. I might come back to this and adjust it later, or I might never look at it again because the story is rolling and I don't need this anymore. For me, this has become a good generator for ideas and plot. There's a chance that half way through the book I might scrap everything I've determined and take a whole new direction, but that's a good thing and I can still thank this process for having gotten me going in the first place.

I also find this type of exercise very helpful when I'm stuck on my story. I can spend my writing time developing my characters and their stories in hopes of getting an idea for my overall plot.

Happy Writing!

Why 50 Pages?

by Annette Lyon

"I want PEG to edit my entire novel."

When we hear that, of course we're excited. We love what we do, and we love helping writers. But instead of telling the client to send the whole puppy over, we usually request the first 50 pages, or sometimes only 30.

Clients' natural reaction is, "Um, why?"

After all, they're planning on using our services for the entire manuscript; why not send the whole thing at once?

For that matter, some people have even wondered if we're nuts based on a pure business perspective: Why in the world wouldn't we willingly take on 350 pages to edit (and charge for) and instead settle for 50?

So here's the scoop . . . and why it's in everyone's best interest that we generally function this way.

Case in point:

(This really happened recently, but it's also happened more times than I can count.)

PEG often gives free 10-page edits so the client can get an idea of whether we're a good fit. I did one such 10-page edit for a client, who then wanted their entire book edited.

GREAT! Right?

The client was instructed to send the next 50 pages. The client was confused. "I said I wanted you to edit the entire book."

The client pushed the issue, but Heather, our fantastic manager, held her ground and had me work on the next 50 pages.

I can honestly say those pages had some great potential. The writer had talent. But yes, it did need a pretty solid edit. There were several sections that needed smoothing out, clarifying, more showing details, and the like, but overall I thought it had some serious promise.

On the other hand, if I'd worked on the whole thing up front, all I would have done is repeat the same commentary and suggestions over and over again.

Almost like, "See the notes on pages 12, 29, 42, and 83. You're doing it again." That kind of redundant advice gets meaningless and wastes everyone's time.

Instead, we aim for the writer to learn how to write better by getting mini lessons through an edit of the first part of their work. Then they can learn how to fix many of the problems throughout the rest.

In the case above, I returned the 50 pages. The client soon e-mailed me back saying that a light bulb had basically gone off. They'd learned so much from the edit on those first pages that now they knew how to write better.

"I'm going to revise the rest before sending it back to you for editing."

Bingo.

That's exactly why we work this way.

If a writer can be taught how to make their work better simply by getting a detailed, 50-page edit, then they should have that opportunity. We'd hate to have them paying six times the amount to learn the lessons they could have figured out by page 38 of an edit.

After all, the very same beginner mistakes will almost certainly be made throughout the rest of the book. Why pay an editor to fix the same things over and over and over when you now have the ability to do it yourself?

Not only that, but when you're dealing with content edits, if the plot or other major elements have serious issues, there's really no point in editing too far: so much of the book will need to be rewritten that any edits on page 234 won't be relevant anymore.

It's not at all unusual for a writer to get their 50 pages done, go back to revisions, then send the full, revised version. Always, it's a step (or two or three) up from where it would have been had they sent the whole thing in first.

Here's another editing secret:

A single edit can take a book up one level, but it can't take coal and turn it into a diamond. The better a piece is before it reaches an editor's hands, the higher level it'll end up on the other side of the edit.

When an author in this situation rewrites and then sends in the rest of the book for editing, they've brought it to a higher level on their own. That then helps the editor to take the polished version and push it one step above that.

It's amazing to me how well writers learn from getting those initial 50 pages back. It's as if their writer toolbox is suddenly filled up with shiny, new tools. They're able to both see the flaws in their work more easily and know what to do about them.

In the end, not only does the writer get a much bigger bang for their buck this way, but their skill level for future writing goes up right along with the quality of the one piece they had edited.

Everyone wins.

Monday Mania--Query Letter

One of our readers submitted a query letter for critique. Feel free to make comments, but please keep them constructive.

Critique Archive 0038:

Dear Ms. ______________________

He’s not in heaven, she’s no angel . . . and he’s her punishment.

Where Paradise Lies, a 98,000-word paranormal adventure, tells the story of two brothers: selfish and charismatic David Jenner, and good-hearted but easily manipulated Will Jenner. While being robbed, one is killed and the other mortally wounded. The surviving Jenner wakes on an uninhabited island with no idea how he got there or who he is. Unable to escape, Jenner’s prayers seem answered when a beautiful woman washes ashore. Then she says she knows him and he’s evil. She explains that they’re both in comas and the island is Purgatory. Fears, prejudices and growing attraction surface as they search for the purpose of their conjoined asylum. Then Jenner wakes up in his body. His memory is back and that makes all the difference. The clock is ticking. A comatose woman lies waiting. And drastic measures must be taken. The worst part is—the happily-ever-after involves dying.

I have two published novels, am a member of the League of Utah Writers, and have led a critique group since 1999. I am also a professional artist and have spent the last eleven years drawing portraits of deceased people in the arms of Jesus. I’ve interacted with the dying and bereaved, and see their innate cravings for peace. I’ve heard more than a few tragic stories, some with miraculous bitter-sweet endings. After years of reflection on the questions of life and death, the result is Where Paradise Lies.

May I send sample chapters and a synopsis, or the full manuscript? Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

AUTHOR

Encl.: SASE

Teen Writers Conference

THE TEEN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Pass on the information to teens in your area who are interested in becoming published authors.

Precision Editing Group is a sponsor of the annual Teen Writers Conference. Registration Deadline is May 25, 2010. This year, space is limited, so please register asap.

For more details and registration information, visit the website HERE.

Guest presenters Janette Rallison, Dan Wells, and Lisa Mangum, as well as many other published authors.

Saturday June 5, 2010

Weber State University in Ogden, Utah

Classes on everything from writing a first novel to finding the right publisher for your book.

The popular Writing Contest is back!

The T Word (Taxes)

By Josi S. Kilpack

I am convinced that every blessing comes with a counterweight--some necessary evil you have to accept in order to have the good of that blessing. Kids = whining,  spouse = sharing the TV, losing weight = less pop tarts--you get the idea.

There are several counterweights to writing, and one of them is the taxes. When you publish a book you get paid directly, without taxes being withheld but you still have to pay them. You have to determine for yourself the best way to handle that, but I've recently been looking into this and thought I would share what I've learned.  I am not in any way or on any planet any kind of experet and I strongly suggest sitting down with an accountant and discussing this. I had read a lot of things, talked to a lot of people but it took a 10 minute conversation with a CPA who does this all time time for me to 'get it' and not feel overwhelmed. You know that they say, if you don't have time to do it right the first time, how will you have time to do it again.

1) Entity. One option is opening up a 'business' of some kind and running all your income and expenses through it. Many authors do this and have their royalties paid to the entity rather than themselves. For instance, I could open up an LLC (limited liability company) or an S-corp (some kind of corporation) in the name of Josi Kilpack INC. or Josi Kilpack Enterprises. This requires filing paperwork with the state, getting a business license and filing business taxes. Some people already own a business and can run expenses and taxes through that company and the company bank account--be sure that the perimeters of that business allow something like books to be sold. The perk I can see is that having an entity keeps it all very 'contained' and it has a professional look. However, it's not necessarily necessary.

2) Schedule E. A schedule E is attached to your personal tax return and is specifically for rental property income and royalties. Both are considered 'passive' income, meaning you don't get paid directly for labor, but you get paid 'passivly' due to ownership of some kind. Royalties are not taxed as untaxed income or self-employment income--which is nice. You also have a list of things you can expense (more on that later). You don't need an entity to use a Schedule E, basically royalties are treated like additional income. This, in my opinion, is a simpler option and it's what I do, it's prepared as part of my household tax filing.

3) Expenses. Regardless of which method you choose to account for your income, you also get to account for expenses that are 'ordinary and necessary' for your career as a writer. Ordinary and Necessary is determined by basically asking if the majority of other writers would have these same expenses. For instance, the majority of other writers buy ink and paper, have computer upgrades, incure postage expenses and buy books for research. Since most writers have those expenses, they are considered ordinary and necessary to your job as a writer. On the other hand, I might have my hair highlighted for an event, or buy thank you gifts for my beta-readers, these expenses are based on my preference, not on ordinary and necessary business practices, thus they are not expensible. You need to keep track of your expense receipts and you need to come up with some kind of report or spreadsheet that 'proves' these expenses. You only need the receipts if you get an audit, but you'll want them if that happens. I find the easiest way for me to keep this information organized is to get an expandable file with the months of the year. I stuff receipts into each month and then figure it out a the end of the year. Heather Moore gave me the idea of making notes on the receipts so I know what they are for. She also helped me realize that you can deduct half of a meal if you have it for business reasons such as traveling for an event or discussing book related issues with a colleague. I'm sure there are lots of rules I don't know; look into it, but keep track so you can minus those expenses from your royalties. I have only just started doing this and am kicking myself or the thousands of dollars I could have saved by simply keeping track. Grrrr.

4) Bank account. Regardless of how to handle the entity or no entity question, it's a very good idea to have a separate account for your writing income and expenses. It will make it much easier to track and prove if needed. This was my accountants very first question when I sat down with him. When I told him I did have a separate account he smiled and said, "You're off to the right start then."

5) Sales Tax. If you sell books you need to pay sales tax. It sounds overwhelming, doesn't it? But it's the law and it's not as hard as it seems. You don't have to have an entity to get a sales tax number, just go to your local tax office or google your state and 'sales tax number' for online instructions. It's a relatively simple process to get the number and then you'll pay your tax every quarter (usually, check the rules of your state). You'll need to keep track of the books you sell, of course, but once you start it's not that hard to do.

I'm sure I missed several things, so if you're aware of something please leave it in the comment section. The business side is not my favorite part of this career, but with a little education and organization it provides priceless peace of mind.

More on Emotions

By Julie Wright

As I promised Curtis last week, I am going to cite a few examples of emotionally potent writing. As Curtis suggested, all opinions are subjective, but some opinions are more universally agreed upon than others.

My first example of good emotional writing is from Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The scene where Katniss is awaiting the results of the reaping is a perfect example for emotions and for showing not telling. Katniss has done everything in her power to keep her sister Prim out of the games. Prim has only one entry, whereas Katniss has a whole bunch. So she experiences a visceral shock when she hears Prim's name called out. The chapter ends with Katniss hearing Prim's name. And the next chapter begins with Katniss's reaction. But it doesn't say anything abstract like shocked, stunned or surprised. It goes into a little backstory of the time Katniss fell ten feet out of a tree and her physical reaction to that fall, where her body went into a state of shock. She described how her body felt, from the muscles to her legs, to her stomach, to her mind. She used many of the five senses to describe that fall.

THEN she likened all that feeling to the feeling she now had with Prim's name and watching her sister step up, confused and frightened to take her place in the games that would surely kill her.

While reading that scene, the reader FEELS the same shock that Katniss feels. We are part of that story in every way. We are watching our little sisters (even those of us who don't have little sisters) walk to their deaths. We want to scream, we want to cry, we want to do exactly as Katniss did and yell out, "Take me instead!"

That is emotionally powerful writing. That is showing not telling. That is making the reader participate in the story, rather than merely observe the story.

Last week, a commenter made the observation that writers (especially new writers) assume that writing from the heart and infusing emotion means to say she was sad, he was angry and other abstract things like that. The commenter is absolutely right. Abstract emotion doesn't make the reader feel anything. There are ways to show emotion without resorting to telling, or worse, getting drippy with sentimentality.

It's hard to put everything there is to know about writing emotions in a blog but real fast a major thing to avoid is:

THE CLICHE:
She sat on pins and needles waiting for the mail to come.

This is an attempt at showing she's nervous or anxious, but it fails. It's a cliche that is as abstract as saying she was nervous. Avoid cliches. Avoid the phrases like she loved him more than life itself or anything that even hints at dripping in sentimentality. That makes readers roll eyes and does not encourage them to keep reading to the next page.

Another example of good emotional writing is from Janette Rallison's How to Take the Ex Out of Ex Boyfriend. She opens the book talking about the social rankings in Cinderella's world and how even though Cinderella was with the prince, it doesn't mean that the courtiers and other ladies are glad to have her there. She isn't like them. She's a commoner and doesn't deserve to be with them. Then it gets brought back to the main character and how her dating this amazing guy and having him accept her doesn't mean his friends and their girlfriends will accept her.

The reason why this is good emotional writing is because everyone at some point or another feels like they don't fit in. The audience can relate to the situation of being out of their element and they immediately sympathize with the main character. You want your readers to feel the main character's emotion. In order to do that you need to:

*Create an experience that is relatable to the human condition.
*Maintain a character's motivation so the reader understands WHY the character makes the choices they make.
*Use the five senses.
*Be concrete; avoid the abstract.
*Include internal thoughts. I personally think this is important in helping readers understand and get inside the main character's head. Consider a time when you were having a conversation. Yes your dialogue reveals a lot of what you're feeling, but it can't reveal all. Because sometimes we don't say what we mean. And sometimes we feel things that we aren't willing to say out loud. How am I supposed to know if your character is furious at her boss, when her entire conversation shows me otherwise?

There is a lot more, but alas, I need to get back to my own writing. I wish you all great success with yours.