Timely blog, Angela. I've bought the author life planner to help me with 2017 - I did have a great plan for 2016 but it decided to mess up big time, so will be taking forward what I had planned. I also use a half year planner and a self publishing timetable where I put deadlines for all the key parts of producing a book, from macro edit to publication. It's a kind of belts and braces type of thing. I did try having some digital planning but I tend to ignore the reminders more easily than I do when they're written in red ink! Good luck with your plans...

I've been trying for a while now to clearly voice the inner & outer conflicts for my character, but never truly managed. It always felt like they were right in front of me but I just couldn't put my finger on them... The above questions really helped to spell them out, so thank you for that! Now I guess I'll have to go back to some of the scenes that I am not happy about and see if I can improve them by playing on the conflict between the 'need' and the 'want'!

I read a good YA romance recently where the "want" was for a happy romantic relationship, and the "need" was for the MC to be accepted by themselves, their family, and their friends if they came out. Obviously, the want vs. the need created a lot of conflict.

I think romances are good for spotting and learning about this, because the "want" is always the same (happy relationship). And I'm kind of terrible about this because I tend to get bogged down in the details, so I need it spelled out for me very clearly and obviously. :/ "She wants a good relationship; she needs independence." "He wants this thing with the 'rebound guy' to work out; he needs closure." etc.

I'm so glad! This is exactly why I come at these topics from multiple angles--often all it takes is hearing a concept explained in a slightly different way for someone to finally get it. It happens to me all the time. Glad this one worked for you.

What a great conflict. You can instantly see all the inherent problems there.

I agree--romances are so clean that way. The goals are always clear. Mucking it up so it's interesting is the hard part (grin).

Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for all the wonderful, helpful posts this year.

Thanks for all you've done for us in 2016 - Merry Christmas and Happy 2017.

When are you coming to Chicago?!

Got all excited when I saw the subject of your email - thinking might be online workshops. Lucky Florida!

Soon as someone invites me out to a conference there :)

One day, one day. That's been on the To-Do List for a while now. Maybe 2017 will be the year!

Great stuff! Not only do I find it rewarding to talk to my readers, helping them overcome writing challenges is a great way of giving back.

School visits is an area I've been interested in but haven't really understood the best route to make one happen. The tips shared here provide very helpful direction in getting started. Thank you!!

Great information, Jana! I'm passing it along to someone I know who is having to 'start over'.

Glad to know the info was of value. Starting over is way hard, but doable. It just takes as much persistence as when you first launched as an author. As usual, nothing comes easily.

Very timely post for me, Jana--not that I'm starting over, but am taking a few weeks to step back and re-assess the various aspects of my indie author efforts. I like that you can compare the results of your efforts as a "newbie" with those as an established author. All that effort and money to get just 35 or so readers in 90 days perfectly illustrates the problem with the current system. Looking forward to next week's post.

Thanks, Meg. Yeah, there are days where I wonder if I'm wasting my time, which is what all authors feel at some point or another no matter if they're indie or traditionally published.

Finally an article on this process that might help. I'm glad you're finding it difficult as the newbie. Not because i wish you to fail, but because your struggle is my struggle, and i want to see how you succeed. And I'm going to copy your success. Copying's cool right. So I need you to succeed. Merry Christmas to you and to all writers and I hope santa brings us all lots of sales. I do believe and if I can stop eating the pies and drinking the beer, i might leave a snack out for him and his beasts on Christmas Eve. Carrots for the reindeers, right?.

Carrots for the reindeer, some fine ale for Santa, maybe. I'll be posting how this quest goes. One thing for sure, it won't be boring. Happy Holidays!

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Why don't the images in this article link to your books (and spreadsheet). You tickled my curiosity, so I wanted to read one of your books. But now I have to go look for them on my own. As an average midly curious reader I wouldn't bother anymore.

I didn't consider linking them, to be honest, because underneath my bio you'll find links to each of the online bookshops where all my books are listed. Once I locate the spreadsheet on Dropbox, I'll drop it in a blog post on JanaOliver.com so folks can snipe the template if they wish.

This is so spot on! As I started writing my first novel a year ago I was audacious enough to select 15th century Portugal and the associated journeys of discovery as a decor. I found Henry the navigator an intriguing man, little did i know that i would end up studying the war of the roses, the Bourgondian-French conflicts and the Portuguese internal struggles. I too started looking for all kinds of sites. As you say, next came the non fiction books that were written on that age. Many of them were from the 19th century, giving a very coloured interpretation of the era, which gave me much to think about, until I finally found one modern academic book that met my needs. I think I used only 10% from what i learned as I started to focus more on a sailor than the Prince. For that part I indeed have talked to countless friends with true experience of navigation at sea. And yes, I definitely did the abandon-what-is-not-worth it too (I really felt bad about that, glad I'm not alone) and you know what? Even if my novel never gets published, I learnt so much about the time period, about the structure of Europe, the alliances and so on (not to mention English, which is not my mother tongue) that already feels like a success to me! Plus there is that universal part on emotions and relationships which I guess you do know, even if some of the 'background' is unfamiliar...

This is an amazing post! Like Natalie said, even if I step away, I have trouble being objective about my writing (one problem of having a photographic memory). :) So I like these cues I can use to look for specific issues.

Natalie, thanks! It's the years and years of studying and talking about writing that's done it. Some days I think my brain is clogged with it all :)

Tracy, glad it helps. It worked out to be a nice roundup.

Jami, I can't always be objective either, though I do try. I think that's normal :) I use my own lists, too. Handy to have as reminders.

Oooh, I'm revising right now, so I'll keep this page up. Thanks, Janice, as always!

Such excellent advice. I will pass this post to my other writer friends. I need to reexamine my pacing and conflict as I revise.

Whoa! I am overwhelmed by all this awesome information. I'm gonna have to book mark this and keep coming back to it!
And I love that it is a "small sampling."

Wow, these are some hard-hitting questions. This is great timing for me, as I'm about to dive into revising/rewriting. Definitely going to be using this blog post as I go over my manuscript!

Excellent post and advice, and really timely for me as I'm revising. I realized I need higher stakes and tension! Argh! But good to realize it at this point rather than later.

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Goodness - this post really covers it all. Thanks for the comprehensive list! I think tension and stakes in every scene that actually works is the most difficult.

When revising or critiquing, I look for tension. I think it is one of the hardest to nail. I also look for internalization. I struggle to get enough in there, and I can see when it would strengthen and really change a story. Now just to get internalization in there the first time myself or even the second or third. Growth. All about the growth.

Julie, glad to be of service :) Good luck with those revisions!

LinWash, thanks so much!

Emily, thanks! I do like to do sampling posts (love that phrase) from time to time. There's so much on the blog to sift through, and having a few posts that hit the major points are like cheat sheets :)

Nilah, hope it helps, and best of luck with the rewrite!

Carol, totally. Though sometimes you spot things after the first draft that make it easier to up the stakes and the tension. It's usually easier to make something worse that figure out something from whole cloth.

Rubianna, I'd probably agree with the tension and stakes. Even when we KNOW why they matter, getting that across to the reader doesn't always work. And low stakes is a very common problem. Growth indeed :) Have you tried revising (or even writing) in layers? For example, I put very little description in on a first draft (just don't like it) so I always have to go back and add that. I'll read through a chapter specifically for that. I'll also do passes for stakes, tension, goals, internalization, etc. I've found it makes it a little easier to focus on one or two things at a time. Eventually you start doing adding all that in from the start since you're ore used to it now.

These are wonderful questions. I do believe that no matter how hard you try to be your own editor, there is a part of you that has a huge investment in the book. I have read many self published books and most of them would have benefited from the outside critical editorial POV.
The books I loved both had hired editors.

Susan, I agree. I know how valuable my crit partners are, and my editor is wonderful. I couldn't imagine not having those outside eyes looking at my work. We can't catch everything.

I agree with Susan and Janice on the benefit and necessity of outside eyes and input.

That said, I still feel for authors who felt they HAD to forego the traditional route and self-publish, but couldn't AFFORD a freelance editor, and in order to break into the eBook-only market, you often have to write MORE than ONE book, and given how extensive editing can be, regardless if it's your first book or you hundredth, the cost of hiring editors adds up fast.

I often wonder the validity of publishing ebooks at such a fast clip.

When all of those ebooks need editing and covers, and covers by themselves can rival home mortgage payments, and I fear this alienates writers with limited incomes who can't even spend thousands on a HOUSE, never mind a cover for ONE book of many that writer can and wants to write.

I wish there were more cost-effective ways to edit and revise since as Janice said, we can't catch everything, no matter how self-reliant and detached from our writing we are.

While I'm not denying the quality of ebooks (or self-published books, in general) can be very dicey at best, I still wish more lay readers who don't write would just try to understand that most writers go this route for many complex reasons, only ONE of them being creative control.

I'm not saying we should make excuses, but just TRY to understand it from the writer's perspective, too.

Even if you wouldn't make the same choice as some writers, it doesn't mean you have to treat them like second-class losers, and I'm saying this in a GENERAL sense, not picking on anyone or even myself, in particular. Okay?

Janice, when is "Good enough" REALLY good enough? After all, we want people to read the STORY, not stress over errors the do the story an injustice for the reader.

How much can writers REALLY recapture the lay reader's experience.

I just feel like I'm not the same reader I was since making the decision to write myself.

Janice, while you expressed to me (In private) you don't have this problem, can you at least understand those of that do are not whiny brats for feeling torn on this issue?

Taurean, right now, there are multiple options for writers to choose to publish their work. More than ever. No one HAS to forgo anything, it's a choice. (Even if it might not feel that way sometimes) Self publishing has the most respect and acceptance its ever had. It's a legitimate route now. There's still stigmas, but the more quality work gets self pub'd the more that will fade.

I don't know of any writer who wants to publish just one book, so no matter what route you choose, you'll be publishing more than one book. The frequency is up to you. Just because the current thought is "get as many out there as you can" is the most popular, it doesn't mean that's the only way to go.

If someone is a fast writer and can produce quality books quickly, good for them and they publish at the rate that makes them happy.

If someone is a slow writer and wants to put out a book every few years, good for them and they should do that.

IGNORE THE HYPE. Just because technology exists to do something doesn't mean everyone should do it that way.

You can design covers for minimal amounts. I'm a professional designer in my day job, so I know this. All it takes is legwork to find someone within your budget.

Critique partners are a free way to catch what you can't. There are editors out there who work within budgets. You just have to find them.

Good enough is when you decide it is. Others will also decide that, so if a reader expects more and an author didn't provide it, it won't be good enough for them. But that's true of every book.

Readers are less picky than other writers. If the story rocks, they overlook errors. But errors DO stand out to readers as well as writers. Would you buy a CD that skipped words or had bad sound? Would you continue to buy that artist if they continually put out a shoddy product?

Readers are under no obligation to understand what a writer goes through to produce a book. They're buying a product for their own personal use. If you buy a product at the store and are unhappy about it, you don't say "well, the manufacturer must have had a bad day, and he had so much going on, so I guess I'll cut him some slack." Writing might be an art, but books are products.

If someone wants to SELL BOOKS they have to treat them as a product that's competing in a crowded market. If all a writer cares about it putting their work out there and whoever reads it reads it, they can do whatever they want. That's a viable option as well.

I'm not sure writers can ever capture the lay reader's experience, but they can try. I known I don't. I might have been able to at one time, but certainly not after four years of doing this blog. What I can do, however, is look at my work as objectively as possible. And reading other books vs your own is a different thing.

I don't think anyone who is torn about this issue is a whiny brat. (after all this time I thought you knew me better than that) There's a lot for writers to understand and consider these days. I write this blog and offer this advice exactly for those who are torn in an effort to help them figure it all out.

A writer needs to pick the best route and options for them. If one doesn't work, try another. Keep trying until one does work. That could take weeks or years or even decades in some cases. Frustrations are normal and I have the same ones as everyone else, but if a writer lets it stop them, their odds of succeeding drop. If all a writer ever does is complain about it being too hard, then they'll never get anywhere.

Okay, I really didn't make things as clear as I thought-

Janice, you said-

"I don't think anyone who is torn about this issue is a whiny brat. (after all this time I thought you knew me better than that) There's a lot for writers to understand and consider these days. I write this blog and offer this advice exactly for those who are torn in an effort to help them figure it all out."

I do know YOU better than that, Janice, I wasn't singling YOU out specifically, really....

I'm sorry if it read that way, but I was speaking in general terms, and I do feel there's more to this than simply

Also, I was just letting off some steam with my current WIP being a real witch right now. I know lots of authors make a fuss over how much we can self-edit our writing, and I feel (Your blog being the exception) we overestimate how much we can put ourselves in the reader's shoes.

As someone who's no stranger to revision, I just feel some writers Who frankly are more pragmatic than me) are deaf to the reality that we can only "Be our own best editor" to a certain point.

Especially with the changes that have transpired in publishing in the last decade, I feel some authors take their exceptional ability to self-edit themselves that for granted.

Even if it's not any easier for them than newbies like me, they at times project themselves as more snobbish than they might really be, in the best case scenario.

Yes, I know there are plenty of authors who only publish a book every few years, but semantics aside, there's a difference between CHOOSING to do that as a process and your unique journey "forced" that to be the case.

That's the point I was trying to make, but I guess that came off mean and spiteful, and I'm sorry for that. Sometimes I come off more harsh than I mean to because my efforts to be neutral sound like I'm wishy washy about what I really mean.

Even if modern readers love vague endings in novels and stories, they don't them in plain speaking, by which I mean taking a more neutral approach often gets read the opposite of what it intends, hence your reply to my initial reply to this blog post.

Taurean, I did see that it was mostly a general sense, just that one bit felt personal since you addressed me by name.

And we *can* only be our best editors to a certain point. That's why most advice says to find editors and crit partners. But there are ways to make the most of your own editing skills. You do what you can.

Everything has to be taken with a grain of salt. No post or article or talk can address all the variances of a situation. Advice is usually general.

You should never feel forced into anything. It's your work, do what you want. It's normal to feel *pressured* to do more, but try your best to take a step back and re-evaluate. There's nothing wrong with saying "I can't do that, but I can do this."

Unless you're given a contract to publish quickly (and even then you have the right to say no or negotiate the time frame) no one is forcing you to publish quickly.

Finally, I get what you're saying here-

"Readers are under no obligation to understand what a writer goes through to produce a book. They're buying a product for their own personal use. If you buy a product at the store and are unhappy about it, you don't say "well, the manufacturer must have had a bad day, and he had so much going on, so I guess I'll cut him some slack." Writing might be an art, but books are products.

If someone wants to SELL BOOKS they have to treat them as a product that's competing in a crowded market. If all a writer cares about it putting their work out there and whoever reads it reads it, they can do whatever they want. That's a viable option as well. "

I think that's just as narrow minded as I get accused of about certain aspects of writing.

But I just don't see books as a product the way CDs and toothpaste are. I just don't.

But hear me out, I'm also NOT saying "Books aren't products."

They're just NOT products the way toothpaste or makeup are, badly written books can't get people sick or cause fatal allergic reactions like makeup or hair care products can, is that so hard to understand, Janice?

All I'm saying is that books are different from products we eat, clean, and sleep with. Okay? (Sigh...)

Do you think I would've battled countless bouts of doubt, frustration, sleepless nights and tears if I didn't take my craft seriously? NO!

But remember, I also said-

"I'm not saying we should make excuses, but just TRY to understand it from the writer's perspective, too."

You don't have to "Compromise" you ideas about either the business of publishing or the quality of storytelling/writing to see things from both sides.

For example, I respect authors like Ellen Hopkins wo can write about things I'm not able or WANT to write myself, okay?

I even respect books that while I may not personally like, technical issues or not, they get kids and teens reading who otherwise might not at all. So I do get that more than I admittedly come off at times.

That's not me saying the opposite extreme you seem to feel I'm saying.

Taurean, yes, we should all try to understand where a writer comes from.

I guess the main thing I wanted to ask you specifically was-

"Is there not a limit to being your own best editor?"

You obviously agreed with me there. I've had so many experiences on my journey as a writer where I felt the odd one out in terms of how much I could edit my own work.

I also know many writers who are more skilled in some ways than I am are grappling with this discprency between their ability to revise on their own versus help from those more skilled than they are.

It's true that beta-readers are helpful, but I guess I've been reading so much about how beta-readers who aren't published authors themselves yet or work/worked in publishing can only help so much.

I'm sorry if some aspects of what I said were overly harsh, but the fact is a lot of the major voices in the industry (From authors to agents, and certainly editors) do often state some variant of-

"At a certain point, you need critiques that lay readers and writers who aren't published can't give."

I think there is some truth to that. Otherwise, for lots of writers, beta-readers would be enough until we get further along in the process.

Again, sorry for getting a bit too intense again, I'm certainly not depressed or anything, and I honestly believe I earned the strides I made, selling my first MG novel being only ONE of those strides.

But as I work on my new novel, I've just had certain concerns about where the industry's going, beyond where I personally am as a writer.


After all, if I didn't care, I wouldn't comment here or on other blogs, but you're right that writers can get in the habit of being overly pessimistic, and I'm the first to admit I've gone there at times. But I don't stay there.

Some of us just recover faster than others.

Sometimes when you care about something so much, you let your opinions get too far out of hand, and I do apologize if got too far in self-pity mode.

But this time I really was just musing this from both sides, which is why I didn't comment right when this was first posted, I gave myself time to form my comment, which would've been more harsh than I think was today.

"At a certain point, you need critiques that lay readers and writers who aren't published can't give."

Yes, I'd have to agree with that to a point. I don't think being published is a requirement if the person critiquing you is knowledgeable. I have several crit partners who are fantastic and unpublished.

But I also have published friends who have one reader look at their stuff before it goes to their editor, so it does vary.

In general, I think finding folks you trust to help you make the work the best it can be is the best a writer can do. But it's just one opinion. That's why writing is so frustrating. For every "fact" and "rule" there are dozens of exceptions.

Can't get enough help on revisions. Thanks for another winner.

You have a "day job"!!!!! I've always wondered how you do all you do already (bows deeply).

Thanks Janice for putting all this information in one post.

Most welcome!

I work way too much :)

Hey, I know this is an old post now, but I wanted to tell you I ordered your book. Well, all of them except the workbook. I particularly like this article because it's probably the most "obvious" of tell not shows. It's been extremely helpful. Thank you!

Thanks so much! And most welcome :) Hope you enjoy them.

I love this and will use it as a guide when I revise my opening chapter (yet again). Such a clear, concise explanation of conflict-thanks so much!

I liked this until ...I already paid my time. The beginning was engaging. I think if you expanded your one-liners to three sentences, you'd be able to add more elements to clarify the situation your character is in now. Like Janice suggested, allowing Melissa to figure out the present. Keep plugging away!

Agreed, but I think "already paid my time" might be the start of the most promising thread in it.

Janice talks about internal vs external conflict and how all Melissa wants is to get out. This idea of paying her time (and is it actually payment in this world, a bit different from "serving" it in our own sense?) hints at extra layers of what's in her head. She's just said she didn't do anything, but now this could be her admitting she had and she only thinks she's been here too long. So that hints at her feeling guilty (good contrast with just wanting out, and it leads on to her "accepting" or at least saying she does) and says what's wrong isn't the prison but something about how long they're keeping her. So that's a promising, layered situation, with hopefully more layers about the different conflicting feelings she has about it.

I think you're trying to build a thread like that with the pieces Melissa tells us. So the challenge would be being clearer how much adds to the picture at what point, and keeping it in sync with the physical details so we can understand What she's in and find out Why and What It Means at just the right pace.

I agree with everything said by Janice, Ken, and Lori. Just wanted to add that I hope you will submit again because it sounds interesting - and all those questions that accumulated are still kinda gnawing at my brain! Flip-flops?

I concur with all above. At some point trying to create mystery goes too far and becomes the coy withholding of information. Mystery pulls people in. Coyness pushes them away. Even so, there are flashes of intrigue. Don't be afraid to reveal more. Some of the problem, too, are the vague allusions that create confusion instead of mystery. Show the internal conflict instead of naming it.

There are issues with word choice here, as has already been mentioned. The pit and canyon discussion, for instance. Even the flip-flops. Perhaps it varies from person to person, but flip-flops to me are the comics of footwear and when the word came up I grinned, which I'm sure was the wrong reaction. Can flip-flops be menacing? Probably. Anything can be with the right setup, but it takes time.

This has promise. The scene could grab the reader and pull them into the story, but some changes are needed. Good luck.

Thank you all for the feedback! I have lots of work to do, but it very rewarding to read that some points are interesting and intriguing. I'm not writing in English, but I'll surely send another scene for Janice, this is a great help and it is something lacking in Brazil.

Obs: Flip-flops are fairly common in Brazil, so I wasn't expecting it getting attention, LOL. We have a brand, HAVAIANAS, which everyone has at least one and it does a lot of noise in closed rooms.

Thanks!!

Aside from critters and maybe a beta reader or two, my "must do" steps include a round of searching for junk words and repeated phrases with the aid of software, and a round of reading my draft aloud, highlighter in hand.

These are all great tips. Sometimes I do a revision focusing on one main weakness, like character count. Or cutting out unnecessary words using your list of words to avoid (though you can't always not use them). And I'm being committed to not being afraid to cut unnecessary scenes. I think fear of doing that resulted in more revisions than necessary of my first (learning) manuscript.

I'm revising right now (actually just finishing up). And I know there will be a couple more drafts to go, but all of this is good!
Great post!

Great easy points to follow. Thanks Janice. My question is when to get beta readers in? When the whole thing's finished? I've heard some author's shooting off chapters to read as they are written? I wouldn't feel confident doing that until I am 100% sure how the plot's playing. Are readers just for micro-criticisms? And a critique group for macro? Joe, Natalie, Susan have you had your WIP out to betas already even as you are revising?

Rewrites and revisions are like setting a broken leg - absolutely necessary and yet so very painful. Unfortunately they last much longer...so much longer. :P

Elizabeth, in my mind, Critters are people who read my manuscripts in small bursts and give me detailed feedback on issues from small to big, and Beta Readers are people who get the whole manuscript once it's complete, read it from beginning to end, and give me thoughts on "big picture" issues. But I'm sure that's not universal or anything. Critters can help me spot when I've run off course, but I don't like to give the same material to the same person to read more than once, because they can't then come to it with a fresh mind--they can't "unknow" things I may have revealed in an earlier draft. So that's why I think it's worthwhile to have people who can read at both stages of the process.

Joe, I have a few friends who read aloud, and they say it's very helpful. I might have to try it myself.

Natalie, I love revision focus. I've found that very helpful myself. It's too easy to get caught up in something else and miss stuff. Grats on cutting those scenes!

Susan, thanks! Good luck :)

Elizabeth, it's really up to you and what you want. Some writers don't want any feedback until they work it all out themselves, others like input from the start. I have two groups I work with. One is an in-progress group that helps with macro issues and brainstorming as I write that first draft, the other is a finished and polished group that tears into the whole piece at macro and micro levels once it's as good as I cam make it. I have a nice mix of betas that look at a wide variety of issues. If you know what type of feedback you want, you can find folks to offer that.

Amelia, they can be. I do enjoy them, but I know so many who don't. And then there are those books that you want to set fire to, even if you DO like revisions. (I'm look at you Blue Fire)

I'm revising now - my focus - cutting unnecessary words, using specific verbs, adding emotions and description to scenes. I've switched some scenes around and have cut some. One thing that makes cutting easier is the word document that I keep called "Cut scenes." I cut and past what I want to remove and keep it there. That way, if I want to restore a scene or use it elsewhere, I haven't lost my hard work.

Have a blessed day.

Wow, this is great! I'm saving this post for when I get to revisions, which will be pretty soon. :) I also love revising and editing. It's terribly hard for me to read anything without tweaking it.

Thanks Joe and Janice for the info. Like the idea of the Critters!

Heather, the cut scene file is a lifesaver. I do that myself. Makes it a lot easier to cut.

Kaitlin, same here :)

Elizabeth D, most welcome! Critters was very helpful to me when I first started putting my work out there.

While editing the latest draft of my WIP, I cut a whole subplot that wasn't working out, about 10,000 words in total. I really liked those scenes, and I think it would have been harder to delete them if I hadn't put the manuscript aside for a couple of months before editing it. I think creating that distance helped me approach the story with a fresh eye.

Wendy, setting a book aside between drafts is so helpful for exactly those reasons. Crit groups are good for that, since they take the book away from you for a while. Grats on cutting that subplot!

Janice, thanks for another great article! Every time I read your posts I come away with something I can use in my own work. Thank you!

Concerning your question, one of the things I've found works for me--and this is perhaps similar to your #2 point--is ... how to put this. I try not to backtrack.

It used to be I'd go through my manuscript, notice something needed fixing and right then I'd go fix it. That's fine, but it made me lose the flow of the piece. It was harder to keep the entire story in my head and I'd wonder--oh, was that the version before I changed things or ...

Anyhow, I've adopted the rule-of-thumb: NO BACKTRACKING! I go through my manuscript and note the changes that need to be made and then, after I've gone through the entire thing, I'll then dig in and make the changes.

Cheers! :)

Hi Janice. One of my achilles heels (aside from using cliches like that!) is over-using phrases such as "he gulped/swallowed/cringed/winced/exhaled heavily/shuddered/tensed/raised his eyebrows..." And I have hearts pounding/pummelling/racing all over the place. But I struggle to find good alternative ways of describing characters' reactions. How do you deal with this? What's the alternative? Thanks, Bron

Karen, aw, thanks! I feel the same way about your blog. I'm with you on the no backtracking. I ignored that rule on my last novel and regretted it. I never got anywhere (except frustrated) Great tip!

Bron, I ignore then on a first draft and use them as placeholder words. They're good to let me put down whatever emotion or reaction I need, then later I can search for them and take the time to revise.

For example, "he gulped" is probably there to show fear or nervousness, so I think about other way I can show that. Maybe a little internalization will work, or another physical tick. If gulped is the perfect word, I'll leave it.

This is the second time in a week I've gotten this question, so I think a blog post to go into it more is a good idea. :) Thanks for giving me Friday's post!

That would be fab, Janice. I write romantic suspense so I struggle to come up with 1001 ways to describe fear and attraction.

I'm finding that I have to do two deletion runs before I start revising. I'm a pantser, so junk gets into the story, and sometimes it gets in the way of the revision. The first pass to get rid of scenes that were a good idea at the time, but don't really fit. The second pass is to get rid of what I call "flotsam" -- bits and pieces that come into the story everywhere but doesn't add anything but clutter. When I took Holly Lisle HTRYN course, I thought I had all frankenscenes, and I was pulling out my hair because it was sooo bad. Then I discovered it was flotsam and just needed to be deleted. The course is actually one of the reasons I do the edits first. It was very hard sorting out the story with all the clutter.

Linda, I love that. Not only the flotsam, but the "good idea at the time" scenes. That's such a great idea to separate them like that. Good scenes that don't work with the story are probably some of the hardest to cut, because they often work on they own, but not in the bigger story.

Thanks for re-posting this. Very timely for me, Janice. I just finished reading my ms (on paper--first time in awhile) and couldn't believe how many times I used the word "just" and told right after I showed something. Hoping to cut down a major amount of words.

I'm getting ready to begin to commence to think about revisions now, so this post is timely.
After revising and before sending to bata readers or editors, I do a read through. I have found reading my mss out loud difficult because I keep stopping to change things. I use a tip I read a while back. I print out a hard copy, get my red gel pen, then open the mss on my computer and have the computer read it to me. Apple's "Alex" does a good job (though he doesn't pause enough between paragraphs). It works out well to listen as I follow along on the hard copy.