The fabulous Julie Musil probably doesn't need an introduction, but I'm going to give her one anyway. She's not only a lovely person, but she's made a huge difference to a lot of aspiring authors, including me, with her thoughtful breakdowns of popular books over on her blog, which she does regularly along with some of the most inspirational posts anywhere on the web. Oh, and did I mention she's a writer? : ) Check out her lovely book below!
Creative Stage vs. Analytical Stage by Julie Musil
Has this ever happened to you? You’ve written the story. You’ve edited it. You’ve sent it off to beta readers. You’re prepared to tweak the story using their constructive feedback. You read the suggestions, and...they’re not tweaks. They’re major flaws in the story. You feel like the whole thing is an unredeemable mess.
Can I get an Amen?
If you’ve been there before, or if you’re there now, believe me, I get it. I wrote a story that I absolutely loved, and when I got feedback, I realized I needed to do some serious work before it was ready for other readers. But where to begin? How would I take those helpful comments and put them into practice within the manuscript? The task overwhelmed me.
That’s when my writing buddy, superhero
Leslie Rose, gave me this useful advice:
exit the creative stage, and enter the analytical stage.
Leslie looooves her spreadsheets *shudder*. Leslie advised me to use one of those dreaded thingies to analyze my story. In desperation, I plugged my nose and created columns and rows. And guess what? It worked. I now have a roadmap for fixing weaknesses in my story.
If you’re willing to plug your nose and create one of those dreaded thingies (aka spreadsheet), here are some columns that can help with the analytical stage:
Chapter Number (rows)Self-explanatory, yes?
KeepAfter you’ve skimmed through the chapter, you’ll have an idea of what it’s about. What should you keep? Are there beats or moments that are crucial to the story? World-building that’s necessary for set up? If so, you’ll want to keep those. Write necessary moments and/or emotions in this column.
TossAre there paragraphs in this section that are unnecessary? Blah-blah-blah exposition that can go? Is there a walk-on character that can be deleted? Is there too much information in this scene, which can be threaded in somewhere else in the manuscript to increase tension? Make a note of it in this column.
ObjectiveEach scene should have an objective. Why is this scene here? What does the character hope to accomplish by taking this action in this particular area of the story? If there isn’t a clear objective, now you know what needs to be added.
ObstacleOnce you’ve established the objective of each scene and/or chapter, you can then discern what the character’s obstacles will be. Is the antagonist getting in their way? Is it the weather? An empty gas tank? The character’s own fear? Something or someone should get in the character’s way of reaching their goal. If there are no obstacles in this section, add ideas to your spreadsheet. You can even just remind yourself that you “need obstacles.”
OutcomeWill the character reach her goal within this scene? If so, what will be the new objective and obstacle? If the character does not reach her goal, how does she internalize this? If you don’t like the outcome of this scene, mention why. If you have alternate ideas for the outcome, brainstorm them within your spreadsheet. When it comes time to re-write, you can then choose your new direction.
Spreadsheets are a great tool if you need to set aside the creative stage for a bit and focus on the analytical. You’re still creating, because you’re brainstorming solutions for the problems you’ve found, but you’re now looking at the story with a different side of your brain. You’ve set aside the feel-good-cuz-you’re-a-brilliant-writer mode and entered the cold-calculated-slice-and-dice-master mode.
Yes, it’s time-consuming. Yes, it’s difficult to look at your story objectively. But we want our stories to be the best they can be, even if we must create a dreaded spreadsheet thingie.
Can I get another Amen?
How do you tackle major revisions? Are you as spreadsheet-averse as I am? Do you have other ideas for how to analyze your story from the ground up? Columns we could add to the spreadsheet? Please share!About the Book:
When her protective older brother disappears, sixteen-year-old Melody loses control of her orderly life. Her stuttering flares up, her parents are shrouded in a grief-induced fog, and she clings to the last shreds of her confidence.
The only lead to her brother’s disappearance is a 30-second call from his cell phone to Rex, the leader of a crime ring. Frustrated by a slow investigation with too many obstacles, and desperate to mend her broken family, Melody crosses the line from wallflower to amateur spy. She infiltrates Rex’s group and is partnered with Drew, a handsome pickpocket whose kindness doesn’t fit her perception of a criminal. He doesn’t need to steal her heart—she hands it to him.
With each law Melody breaks, details of her brother’s secret life emerge until she’s on the cusp of finding him. But at what point does truth justify the crime?
Amazon |
Barnes and Noble |
GoodreadsAbout the Author:
Julie Musil writes from her rural home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and three sons. She’s an obsessive reader who loves stories that grab the heart and won’t let go. Her YA novels
The Summer of Crossing Lines and
The Boy Who Loved Fire are available now. For more information, or to stop by and say Hi, please visit Julie on her
blog, on
Twitter, and on
Facebook.
Website |
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Tell Me What You Think!
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Barbara Watson asked: "Who do trust with writing advice when your CPs views differ greatly?"
I thought it would be a good idea to go to my own CPs for this one to see what they do in this situation. So I'd like you to welcome my guests, Leslie Rose and Julie Musil.
Julie's answer:Great question, Barbara! If Lisa and Leslie's views differ greatly, I first say this, "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war." Whoever is the victor, that's whose opinion wins. Great, right?
Just kidding. If only it were that easy.
My advice would be to trust yourself, because reading and writing tastes are totally subjective. I might read a paragraph and love it, and someone else might read it and crinkle their nose. When I'm reading my CP's manuscripts, I just try to let them know what was in my head when I read it. If our other partner disagrees, I totally respect that. It's then up to the author to decide how to handle it. She can go with my opinion, the other partner's, or she can leave it alone. Same when they read my work...I weigh the comments from both partners carefully, and then go with my gut. When we critique our partners' work, all we can do is be kind, fair, and honest, and then let the author decide how to process that information.
Leslie's answer:When I get differing opinions I use a four prong approach. First, I will try out both suggestions in a revision and see which one hits closer to the target I originally intended. Second, I may just side with the person whose comment is closer to my gut instinct. Third, I will seek a new opinion and see where it falls. Fourth, I will scrap the portion in question completely, go a whole new way with it and send it back to my CPs. Bottom line: I trust my partners deeply so if something popped out enough for one of them to comment on it then I know I need to address it.
Well there you have it! I love my CPs. Any other opinions out there? Share with each other in the comments. Personally, I like the thumb war... KIDDING!
I've asked my good friend and fabulous writer, Julie Musil here today to answer one of your excellent questions! If you haven't visited Julie yet - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU???? Um, I mean, you should.
In the comments of Lisa's "How?" post, Meredith asked, "How do you skate that fine line between having a strong character with many, many flaws and having a character who's unlikeable?"
When Lisa asked me to tackle this subject, I wrote, "LOL! I'm the last person who should write this post, since I've done it all wrong!" But Lisa knew I'd struggled with this, and when we struggle, we're forced to study and learn. So I'll happily share my observations using some of my favorite examples.
Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games"
(stubborn, rebellious, manipulative)
Katniss wasn't a whiner, even though her circumstances were dire. Early on we were shown her struggle to survive, and the importance of the people she loved. The scene where she volunteered to take her sister's place in the Games endeared readers to Katniss. We rooted for her as her life became a complicated, dangerous mess. When she used her supposed negative qualities against evil, they became her saving grace.
Mr. Darcy from "Pride and Prejudice"
(prideful, arrogant, selfish)
In this post, I broke down why Mr. Darcy was the ultimate likable unlikable character. He was misunderstood, and Austen did a wonderful job of showing this throughout the story. In the opening, he was horrible to Elizabeth Bennet. As the story unfolded, we witnessed kindness and vulnerability behind the veneer, and we loved him even more. Austen accomplished this through subtle "Save the Cat" moments. Nick Levil from "Hate List"
(lonely, angry, bitter)
In this post I shared how impressed I was by how the author created a sympathetic villain in Nick. He killed fellow students. He was a monster. He should be hated. But t
Boy do I have a post foryou! See, my writing compadres, Julie Musil and Leslie Rose, and I have allfinished reading BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray. This book is too amazing to becontained in a single post, so the three of us have come together this week tobring you an uber-awesome BEAUTY QUEENS Blog Extravaganza complete with our ownbeauty contestant profiles and a contest too fun to believe. So make yourselvescomfortable for part one, right here, right now.
And with me to review thebook I have none other than a beauty contestant, Miss Writer’s Block!
Me: So what did you think of the book?
MWB: It was pretty. *Smiles*
Me: *Cringes away from blinding reflection off teeth* How did the story makeyou feel?
MWB: Confused and awed. Imean, I can’t even finish my book, let alone come up with yummy stories thatwork together so well and actually mean something. That’s why I went for theTitle. *fingers ribbon*
Me: Thank you, Miss Writer’sBlock.
My opinion? Oh come on. Youguys know Libba Bray is my favorite author. I may or may not have blackmailedher into taking this picture with me at the SCBWI conference. Either way, thisbook did NOT disappoint. I’d say lots of good stuff about the genius of it, butlet’s leave it at: If you want to be my friend you should read this book.
Now to my fun facts pagebased off the novel:
24 Comments on Beauty Queens Extravaganza and Contest!, last added: 10/20/2011
Julie Musil, today's guest, is a children's author, wife, and mother. She lives in a rural California town amid hiking trails and dirt bikes, and married my high school sweetheart. They have three sons, two cute little doggies, and two leopard geckos, which gives Julie fodder for her YA books. She's been a writer since she was 10 years old, when her Christmas poem was published in her hometown newspaper. Catch her on
her website,
her blog, or on
Twitter.
The Power of “Going for It”
by Julie Musil
Wanna know a secret? When Martina and Marissa asked me to guest post, I panicked. Their blog is amazing, and what in the world could I say that fits in this wonderful place? After all, I’m simply a stay-at-home mother of three with a passion for writing. And then I realized that’s what I loved so much about blogging. It’s regular people, like you, like me, connecting and sharing what we know and what we’ve learned.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to just go for it. That’s a big step for me, because I’m not outgoing. Sure, when I’m with family and friends I’m confident, and sometimes even witty. But put me in a room with strangers or industry pros and I freeze up, lurking behind the courageous people.
But “going for it” helped me write three books and secure representation from a wonderful agent. I’ll tell a brief version of my writing story, hoping it’ll inspire someone else who’s holding back.
I wrote several magazine articles for kids, and had some successes in that field. A major accomplishment for me. And then I wondered if I had it in me to write a novel. I thought why not? Go for it. I finished a middle grade novel, had it critiqued, prepared the query, and sent it to many agents. I received only one full request, which ended in a rejection.
After considerable thought, I wondered if I had it in me to complete a YA novel. Then I thought why not? Go for it. And I’m glad I did. I found that this is where I belonged. I was comfortable in this writing place, with telling a longer story about wonderful teens with heart. Sure, it was an over-written story in desperate need of revision, but I had finished a story I loved and felt passionate about.
While letting book #2 cool, I plotted book #3. An idea came to me, a vehicle for telling this story, that was out of my genre. Did I have it in me to write in a genre I’m not familiar with? I thought why not? Go for it. I wrote the story and fell in love all over again. My heart was in this story. Yes, this one needed a lot of work also, but I’d accomplished something I never thought I’d do.
While revising book #2, I saw an open submission call from a major publisher who normally only accepted agented manuscripts. They were seeking stories about main characters who perfectly matched my MC in book #3. But book #3 wasn’t ready. I hadn’t touched it since writing those final words, and the submission call ended in 30 days. I wondered if I could clean it up in time, and then I thought why not? Go for it.
For 29 days I spent every available moment revising that manuscript. I sent it out to my wonderful beta readers, Lisa Green and Leslie Rose. They read it promptly and sent it back with valuable comments. I revised again, and again, and again. One day before the deadline, I submitted my manuscript.
This publisher ended up rejecting my story, but the silver lining was I had a polished manuscript. I had already prepared my synopsis and query, so I was ready to submit book #3 to agents. I was ready to go for it once again.
I prepared a list of agents, and selec
We have been blogging for two months today! Wow. The time has flown, and we have learned a lot. We've also 'met' some amazing writers, and feel incredibly privileged to have been able to share our thoughts and our journey with you all. We wanted to say thank you. So. YAY! Thanks VERY much for all you help and support!!!!!! Second, we wanted to do something to mark the anniversary. We were going to do a contest, and I posted a poll last week to help us choose the prize. Then we started the
Underappreciated YA Book Nomination Giveaway, and doing another contest lost its appeal.
We decided to give away the prize chosen in the poll to our top commenter instead. Then we had two commentors who were running neck and neck. So, we have to do two giveaways. And we decided to add a twist. You all picked the knowledge-packed
The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman, and we'll give that away along with
The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children by Nancy Lamb.
We're going to ask you to help spread the knowledge. We hope our winners will read the books they receive and do a giveaway on their own blogs to pass them along again. Or we will be happy to have them back here to host the giveaway on our blog. We just want the chain to continue.
The winners and top two commenters are:
Ann Marie Wraight
Julie Musil
Thank you so much, ladies! We will sign these books and get them out to you. Read them, sign them, and pass them on to reward the other writers you know who support each other and work on the craft.
Thanks to you ALL for being awesome and giving us so much love,
Martina and Marissa
P.S. -- Julie and Ann Marie, send us your mailing address by email or twitter; first response gets first pick.
Great post! I had the unfortunate experience of having 2 CPs agree but my agent come down on the opposite side! In that case, agent won. But when 2 CPs disagree ... I guess I do go with my instincts, but I always question whether I'm letting myself off too easy.
I have had beta readers say or recommend something that was off the point of what I wanted my manuscript to develop into. I picked apart points that stayed in line with what I the author wanted to write and let the other comments be set aside. I expect the same when I comment on others work. As a critique partner I know I can only give my opinion. But as an author I want to see the various interpretations of my work. It gives you an idea of the odds. If most of your critique partners/beta readers agree then that's a good sampling of the populations of readers.
Both pieces of advice are great! It's such a balance--finding what works. I like the idea of trusting yourself and your story balanced with reworking and seeing where it leads.
PS: Kinda freaky seeing that large photo of myself pop up on your blog today, Lisa. :-D
I'm not surprised these ladies have great advice! I like both sets of advice!
Practical solutions to a very common problem! Thanks, this is so helpful. :)
I vote for the thumb war, too! If that's not scientific enough, though, there's always Rock, Paper, Scissors. :-)
That said, great advice from all three of you! I especially love the idea of going with the idea that's closest to your gut instinct and, if that doesn't work, scrapping the whole section and starting over. It's wonderful that you've found critique partners you have so much trust in!
Great question and great advice, because in my experience, no one ever totally agrees! It's all so subjective, even when agreeing there is a problem.
I recently received feedback on a manuscript where I knew I had a problem, and various people had said what they thought it was, no one agreeing with anyone else. Finally, one person nailed it, and once she did, all the other critiques made sense. They'd all been skirting it, but just not a bulls-eye.
-- Susan
Lisa, thanks so much for hosting us today! Barbara, it was such a great question and it was fun to compare answers with Leslie. Trust and respect are totally key. And of course, the thumb war :)
Super question, Barbara. I change my response - thumb war all the way.:)
It is so hard when you get different opinions from writers you trust. I often take both into consideration and by the time I've filtered those comments through my brain I might have written something totally different. My theory is if there's a spot where I get comments--even diverse ones--there's something that has to be done. What, is the biggest question.
I appreciate your bringing up a sensitive issue we've all experienced at one time or another. Great advice all the way around. Now, excuse me while I go do my thumb-strengthening exercises. ;-)
Sounds like a great critique threesome. Thanks, ladies!
I will sit and think about it for a while and see if it aligns with my vision for my story. I love my betas and always take their observations seriously!
In such a situation, I go with my instincts keeping my audience in mind.
I love my crit buddies and really take to heart what they say... after I let it sit for a day or so. That way I have time to come back to the work objectively and see whose input feels right for the story.
I sit on the notes for a few days and then use the suggestions that truly fit the manuscript. Most of them are used, but others don't fit my vision.
Amazingly different attitudes you have about it. Once again proving that it's all subjective including reviews.
I haven't written anything to need a cp so I can't really join in this conversation!
Heather
This is a fantastic post and something I've dealt with, too! I always try to have both critters and betas--I define that as critters = fellow writers with whom I swap critiques; betas = average readers who aren't writers, but who I know love books. I have about three of the former and four of the latter, and I tell you, it makes a HUGE difference getting both sides of the coin.
Ultimately, though, I think Julie & Leslie said it best. Go w/your gut. Thanks, LG! <3
How lucky to have such talented women critiquing for each other. Brilliant minds, indeed!
You have to go with your gut. And I think it's also important to understand who your CP is. Since writing is so subjective and personal tastes differ, you really have to stick to your guns. Just cuz one of my CPs doesn't like a scene or a character, doesnt mean I cut it. I understand that it's the personal taste of that CP. But I've also found that great CPs add their reason and that it's a matter of personal taste. ;)
Great post and awesome advice!