I can honestly say if I had begun writing with an outline, this book wouldn’t have gone through so much rewriting.  And the funny (but not-so funny) thing is, outlines aren’t that difficult to do. I just happen to like the surprise element of not having an outline. I like not knowing what’s coming next. This is great, if you’re embarking on a cross-country trip across the U.S. Not so great when you’ve written a 300-page novel and now see where there are major plot holes and where the character arc is lacking.

Outlines also help you to see where you can have reversals and sub-plots work best. And whether or not you need those extra three people who don’t do much for your story. And if the ending works. That’s a really big advantage to an outline!

One of the women in my on-line critique group writes her outline, then has us critique it. What a great way to find out ahead of time if something seems workable.  You know, before you finish 57,000 words only realize it’s not coming together as well as you imagined.

Go ahead, decide whether or not to outline. It’s a personal choice. But I’m voting for outlining. It might save me a lot of trouble on the draft of the next novel I’m working on.

That said, here I will list the top five mistakes beginning writers taking my classes make, and how to avoid them.

1) Describing far too much in the first several pages of the story.

What do I mean? Let’s break this down. Most writers want to explain what the characters look like, their main characters’ backgrounds, what the protagonist thinks about the other people in the story, what’s happened in the past to bring about the situation the characters are in, and several paragraphs of environmental description. All in the first three or four pages. Whew!  That’s a lot to absorb, and we still haven’t gotten to the plot yet. A good rule of thumb is to write whatever you feel you need to in order to get the story straight in your head, then reread it to find  where the main action begins. Edit the rest  of the story out. You will probably find your entire first chapter will be gone. And that’s okay. Just hold onto the information in case it comes into play later in the book.

2) Using cliches and ‘ly’ adverbs instead of using creative word play.

My first drafts are full of cliches and ‘ly’ adverbs. Later, I seek these out and find a more imaginative way to reword portions of my story. Some ‘ly’ adverbs are essential for brevity, so I’m not insisting you take every single one out. But use them sparingly. Saying: “She walked happily down the sidewalk” sounds better as: “She skipped down the sidewalk.” Or be inventive: “She traipsed down the sidewalk, a crazy grin decorating her face.”Just keep in line with the tone of your story. One odd but clever sentence woven through paragraphs of less colorful language will sound awkward. As for cliches…unless a character speaks in cliches, leave them out. Overused phrases have lost their spark. (Yes, That was a cliche! Wanted to see if you were paying attention.) In other, and better, words: Overused phrases are like dull knives: they still do the job, but not as well as something shiny and sharp.

3) Write in the genre you enjoy reading.

This may seem out of place, when all my other advice sounds to technical, but it’s very important.  For one thing, you won’t finish writing that novel or short story you aren’t passionate about. If you love vampire stories…I don’t care how saturated editors say the market is…write about vampires. If you love mysteries, learn how to write them and go for it! Trust me, you will be happier in the long run.

4) Give each character their own personality and voice.

I can not stress this enough. Many years ago, I had an agent critique my manuscript (Mark McVeigh, a wonderful person, I might add).  He read the first ten pages of my middle grade manuscript and pointed out he couldn’t tell the difference between my two female protagonists. To him, they sounded one and the same. But they are very different! I wanted to point out. But I held my tongue because I couldn’t back up the claim. Weeks later, when my bruised ego was ready to pick up the manuscript again, I looked at it with new eyes and had to agree…there wasn’t much to differentiate them. So I got busy developing their personalities, and my novel is so much better for it (Thank you, Mr. McVeigh!).

The last and final problem that occurs with the beginning writers I meet is:

5)  Too much telling!

You will see this over and over again in my posts. Why? Because it is the number one thing you can do to bore your reader. I once gave a workshop presentation teaching people how to engage the reader using the five senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, seeing. With every paragraph you write, make sure there is something there that the reader can identify with. A reader’s eyes will quickly glaze over with the sentence: “He ate the fruit. It tasted delicious. He ate another.” (Yawn.) I’m bored typing it. But what about: “The first bite was an explosion of sweet and sour, the yin and yang of the fruit world. The juices dribbled down his chin, but he couldn’t stop eating. He grabbed the second fruit, its red flesh so sinful he almost felt guilty touching it.”  What sentence tells us more about this character and what he’s doing? I used the senses of touch, taste, and added how he felt. Wham! Instant interest.

So there you have it, the most common mistakes I’ve seen teaching my writing classes. Hopefully you will apply my advice to your own writing, but if not, take a creative writing class.  You, too, can be a teacher’s delight!

When you write an introductory sentence for a picture book story, keep in mind a few things. First of all (and every editor, agent and author stressed this at the conference), voice is paramount! Before you even place one word on the paper, know her your protagonist is, inside and out. This will help create a unique voice that belongs to your character alone.

My example: a five year old boy. Likes spiders and frogs. Dark hair and eyes. Has a habit of rubbing his nose with the back of his hand instead of using a tissue during allergy season. Finds things amusing and funny, even when an adult doesn’t, such as another person tripping over his feet. Or missing his mouth when eating, the food therefore landing in the person’s lap. He has an older brother who is good at sports. My character is not good at sports. In fact, he’s the worst batter on his T-ball team. But he finds it more amusing to watch other players mess up anyway. His name is Gordon.

There’s a lot I can do with this. But most of it won’t be in the story at all. However, I know Gordon pretty well, I believe. And I’m confident I know him well enough to understand how he’ll talk, react to situations, and feel about things. In essence, I believe when I write about him, I’ll be able to capture his voice.

Returning to the introductory sentence…I can do one of two things: Introduce the character through action, or  narration.  You see narration all the time. “I am Gordon. I am on the Red Glory Hawks T-Ball team, and I’m really, really good. Except, of course, at hitting or catching. No, I’m actually much better at watching the game.”

What’s the problem with this sentence? Anyone want to take a guess? Okay, there are several. First of all, it’s much too long. I’ve already used up 33 of my 650 words, and I haven’t said much at all! Second, although it hints at a problem, we aren’t sure if there really is a problem because Gordon doesn’t seem to mind not being good at hitting or catching.

So I need a beginning sentence that shows character and delivers a unique voice, is short in text, and gives us the character’s problem.

Easy, right?

Gordon gripped the bat. The pitcher threw the ball and Gordon swung. And missed. “Strike three!” the umpired called. Gordon burst into tears.

Okay. What’s wrong here? I’ve introduced a character, a problem, and his reaction. But do I need so much text? Nope. The illustrator will show Gordon gripping the bat. I can leave that sentence out. And Gordon bursting into tears is a bit too much. First of all, the reader isn’t likely to identify with him. We don’t understand why he’s crying, since we don’t know enough about him yet. (Did he always miss the ball? Was the team depending on him? Did a bee sting him at the last second?) Second, remember my character description? He finds things amusing, right? This doesn’t come across in his tear-soaked emotional display.

Picture book writing is about defining character through action and reaction. It also means leaving much of the description up to the illustrator and knowing your character well enough to have him make natural reactions that are organic to character and plot. The plot must not be forced. Children are smart. They know if something sounds fishy.

Last but not least, there must be a sub-text to the story. A message that isn’t “in your face.” What has the character learned? How has he or she grown?

Picture book writing is, in my opinion, some of the most difficult writing there is. (Besides poetry. But that’s a post for a different day.) If you intend to do it right, study other authors. Look for sites like Sudipta’s to gain an understanding from people who know the genre well. Attend conferences and workshops so you can study the craft. Then write, write, write. Edit and trim, and write some more.

Picture book writing is at the core of storytelling.  By writing picture books you learn how to craft a story start to finish in the most direct way possible. And I admire writers like Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen who do it successfully.

I found that so interesting, and tried to think back on the last few YA books I’d read. True enough, no flowing blond ringlets like a halo around a heart-shaped face. No freckles across a narrow nose. No bright green eyes framed by long, black lashes. I’d made up what the character looked like based on the character’s personality. And yes, perhaps the character did resembled myself a little.

He also stressed that mentioning, for example, that the surrounding lockers are orange, bogs the story down. How important is it for those lockers to be orange? And, I might add, how important is it to know the character’s locker is the third one down from room 123? Yet these appear in first drafts of stories over and over again. Because that’s how we, as writers, see it.  And we want to reader to imagine it exactly as we do,to experience it the way we are experiencing it.

I once read an article where two fictional men are discussing this very topic. One reads the other the beginning of a scene, giving only a small amount of detail, and even simplifying the action. He then asks the other man to relay what he’s read, describing the details his imagination has filled in.The second man does so, and adds what was never actually written into the scene, because his imagination has done all the work. The writer has merely made suggestions.

Try this: cut out a room from a department store’s advertisement. Now write about a character who enters the room, rushing to pack a suitcase before her abusive husband comes home drunk from his friend’s house. Do this now before you read on. Go on, I’ll wait.

Now that the scene is written, take a look. How much room description did you use? How about her actions? Did you detail everything she did, from opening the suitcase to pulling out articles of clothing? Did you use internal dialogue? Does she think a lot about what she’s doing?

Okay. Now, keeping the scene for the most part intact, take out half the words. Get rid of what the bed or rug looks like, if you’ve added it. Keep her thoughts sparse. Use short, clipped sentences for her inner dialogue. Only use necessary action.

Does the second scene have more immediacy to it? Does the tension feel stronger? It should. And guess what? Your reader will have filled in what the room looks like, how she moves from dresser to suitcase, and the fear that presses against her heart…all on his/her own! Isn’t that amazing?

Now, that’s not to mean you shouldn’t describe anything in your novel. The reader can also benefit from scene descriptions and character descriptions. But keep these observations from your character’s point of view. Do we really walk into a party and describe to ourselves what kind of light is being emitted from the wall sconces? Or do we note the activity going on instead? Maybe your character is an interior designer, and she/he’s drawn to wall sconces. If so, then describing them may make sense. But if not, leave out those details.

After all, do you want to spend your time reading ten pages about locks of gold ringlets and long dark eyelashes?

I didn’t think so.

The reason I recommend attending a conference such as this is that you’ll learn up-to-date firsthand information about the marketplace, what editors and agents are currently looking for, writing advice, and sometimes for an extra nominal fee you can have a portion of your manuscript critiqued by a professional in the industry.

Published authors as well as people new to the craft of writing (and in this case, illustrating) attend these conferences. And it’s a great place to pitch your book to an agent or editor you’ve admired for awhile.

When I come back from the conference, I’ll outline some things I’ve learned.

Friends and family do not count as good critiquers. For one thing, they’ll read your work out of obligation (or not read it and pretend they did), then not be completely honest for fear of hurting your feelings. Or they might be too blunt, thereby leaving you frustrated and too angry to write again. Not to mention, if they aren’t writers, they don’t understand the craft enough to care to help you make your work better. You need other writers–people you’ve never met before. Although acquaintances will do in a pinch.

Finding a critique group isn’t easy. They’re often “underground” ventures. Sometimes they’re offshoots from writers conventions, or a one-time posting at the local library.

Check with local bookstores. Some of them host writing groups. But if you can’t find one it’s  time to take matters into your own hands and start one.

See if your local coffee shop, library, or book store will allow you to use their facility to have a writers group. Most will be thrilled for the extra business, and you can see if they’ll even fork over the money for an ad in the paper specifying where and when your group will meet and what your group is all about. Once or twice a month is good for busy people. Very dedicated writers may want to meet every week on the same night.

At the first meeting, decide with the other members how everyone wants the group to work. It’s best to get feedback at this stage because when other members weigh in, you end up with a tighter group that tends to stay together.  Ask if they want to split off into smaller groups for critiquing based on genre. Or have everyone take turns critiquing all members work each week. (This works better in small groups.) Should people bring copies of the work they want critiqued so everyone can read it on their own? Or would they rather read it aloud to the group? Or should people send their work via email first? How many pages should people critique at a time? 5? 15? (Critiquing by page works better than by chapter because some people write very long chapters while others write short chapters, and it won’t be fair for everyone.)

Then you must lay ground rules:

1) No one is allowed to be cruel-everything must be put in a kind way.

2) If you have a problem with something in the story, you must be able to explain why you feel that way. “I don’t like it,” is not good feedback. “I feel the character isn’t sympathetic enough because she shrugs his problem off,” is good feedback.

3) The recipient of the feedback should remain silent and listen, even if if they don’t agree. Arguing wastes time. If you don’t believe someone is right in their feedback, then don’t make the change. But disagreeing is often counterproductive. The only time a recipient should explain themselves is when they need clarification on a point, or want to see how they can make their point more clear to the reader. Have this be agreed upon by other members, or you’ll find arguing will chew up precious minutes of time.

4) If someone does not care for someone’s choice of writing style or genre, they are allowed to be silent and not participate. Forcing people to share feedback never works.

And most important:

5) Everyone who critiques the work must share what they feel has been done well  in the story. Writers need to know what is working as well as what’s not working.

That’s it in a nutshell. Good luck, and have fun with your group!

The writing was good. The story idea seemed interesting. But I couldn’t stop wondering how self-absorbed these characters were to allow a person to lie rotting as they pondered about their lives. In fact, not one seemed alarmed, disgusted, sad, or had any natural response at all. Not to mention the corpse didn’t give off any foul odors.

Credibility aside, the author didn’t have a grasp on basic human psychology.  If you’re going to write…going to create believable, interesting characters for your stories…you need to understand what makes people tick, and your characters in specific.

Let me demonstrate another example. Many times in the writing classes I teach, people have a “bad guy.” Someone they consider to be the main antagonist. Often times this “bad guy” does horrible, nasty things to other hapless souls in the story. Maybe he attacks someone with a knife. Or starts saying horrible things to someone while at work. At any rate, he’s a big meanie, and everyone around is horrified.

“Why does he kill her?” I might ask my student.

“Because he’s a bad guy. He doesn’t like blonds.”

“Why doesn’t he like blonds?” I ask.

(Eyes rolling as if I just don’t get it.) “Because he’s a bad guy.”

That’s not enough. Even the nastiest of jerks have a reason for doing what they do. People don’t wake up in the morning, have a great breakfast, kiss their wife or husband good-bye as they leave for work and then say to themselves, “Hm. Today I guess I’ll be cruel and kick small puppies.”

In fact, most “bad guys” don’t think they’re bad at all. Even Hitler felt he was doing good in the world. I doubt if you’d asked him why he committed genocide he’d say, “Because I’m a bad guy.”

Motivation is the key to character. What makes your “bad guy” do what he does? What brought him to this point? Who was he when he was young? What good things happened to him? What terrible things? What is he afraid of? What is he confident about? (I’m using he for simplification purposes, but there are plenty of wonderful “bad” female characters out there as well.)

Likewise, why does your antagonist do what he does? How does he respond when he walks into a room with a dead body? Why does he respond that way? What goes through his mind. And please don’t tell me he sets his drink on the stomach and walks to a mirror to check if there’s spinach between his teeth. Because I won’t buy it. Unless it’s a parody or farce and meant to be ridiculous. And even then I might not find it funny.

When you write about your character, think about his psychology. If he’s the squeamish type who avoids anything unpleasant, he might turn around and leave a room that holds a rotting corpse. If he’s an entomologist, he might check the body for bugs. If the body is a dear old aunt, he’ll probably go into shock and become inconsolable. Who is your character? How do you think he’d behave. Then ask yourself, “Why?”

If you don’t know why, then you don’t know who you’re dealing with, and neither will your reader.

Going to School Around the World (Meet Our New Student), Meet Our New Student from South Africa, and The Fall of Apartheid in South Africa (Monumental Milestones: Great Events of Modern Times).

A very gifted writer, Melissa is thorough in her research and dedicated to her craft. If you get a chance, check these titles out.

First of all…writing a book is not something one can do on a whim. It takes years of study, many failed attempts, and thousands of hours of editing and revision. Second of all, there is no such thing as getting published quickly. Even after a publishing house has accepted your work there are further edits, cover designs, marketing…a book doesn’t even make it onto the shelf for another two years. Perhaps longer if it’s a picture book. Third…very few people make much money writing books. If you add up all the time spent writing a novel and editing it, the hourly rate would be in the negatives (unless your name is Stephen King, for example).

But my friend is not alone in thinking she can pump out a book and sell it quicker than the time it would take to plan the book signing party. I come across people all the time who tell me, “I have a ton of books. They’re all in my head. As soon as I have the time, I’m going to write them and get them published.”

Really?

I wish time was the only obstacle.

The point is, having an idea is great. Wonderful, really. But without acquiring skill and hands-on practice, the book won’t amount to much more than a bunch of wrinkled paper in a drawer. You must have training.

Would you expect to pick up a guitar and strum out “Hard Day’s Night” without learning how to play it? Do you think you could do the Tango without lessons? Why would you expect to be able to write without studying the craft? There is such thing as innate talent, yes, but then that talent must be honed.

Don’t expect to write a story with little effort involved and see it on the bookshelf within the month. It won’t pay your alimony. It won’t solve your problems. But if you stick with it and work hard, your reward will be the chance to create, to invent, to become good at something that matters to you.

Excellent question. As someone on my third rewrite of the same novel…a novel I’ve spent over 300 hours  on editing alone…the only answer I have is you’d better really like your characters. I know I’m with mine more often than I am with my own friends. Which may be why I know them better than I know my own friends.

But I digress.

Here is what I do in order to plod on, despite the fact my eyes have glazed over and drool has dripped off my chin. I take one scene…just one itty-bitty scene, and plump it up. I increase the tension. I create a bigger reaction from a character. Or maybe make a reaction smaller, more subtle. I fool with it, sometimes for days, almost as if it was its own story. By taking off small bites, I can eat the whole enchilada. And sometimes give it extra spice to boot.