Can Editing Be Fun?

This blog entry has been hard to write because I really think editing is a pain. I honestly don’t like to do it. I love to write stories and just leave them alone. But the truth is I don’t write so perfectly that my work can be submitted without editing. (If there is anyone out there who does, I don’t want to hear about it.)
So the problem is to find a way to talk myself into editing. Aha – I know the answer – make it a game. Here are a few ideas.
• Make award certificates for the most “weasel words” found in the first draft.
• Combine deleted words into silly sentences and try them out on friends.
• Stand on a soapbox and shout out the story to pets in the back yard.
• Insert funny faces next to all those “I can’t believe I actually did that” errors. (Just be sure to correct the errors and take out the funny faces for the final manuscript because an agent or editor might not see the humor.)
I’m open to other ideas to make editing fun.
Seriously, I salute all those who love to edit and I applaud your skill and dedication because editing is a critical skill for all who want to get published. I just wish I enjoyed it as much as I do writing.

Brainstorming as Revision

I'm predating this guest post from ACFW Colorado member Beth Vogt. Actually I posted it a week ago, so it would be up and ready to read last Monday. However, somewhere between the time I posted it on Sunday evening and Monday morning, the post vanished to cyberspace, not to be found again. So . . . here it is. 

Thank you, Beth, for being so patient!

Brainstorming as Revision

Call me crazy, but I love editing and revising.

I sometimes get caught up in the challenge of tightening my sentences, downsizing my word count and selecting just the right word. It’s difficult to write “The End” and hit the send button. (I just decided to rewrite that last sentence before I moved on to the rest of this blog post. Ah, such is the writing life of an editor!)

As writers we often focus on what’s not working when we revise. We look for all the errors: grammar, punctuation, spelling, run-on sentences, and rambling thoughts. I’d like to challenge you to jump outside the revising box and think about what could work.

Huh?

One of the best ways to revise your work in progress (WIP) is to brainstorm the next draft with other writers. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, brainstorming offers an overlooked tool that takes your writing deeper and might guide you in an unexpected new direction.

After you’ve assembled your “dream team”, how do you effectively brainstorm to improve your writing?

1.     Hand out the most recent copy of your WIP. Let the members of your writers group read what you’ve written.

2.     Give your brainstormers some basic information. Tell them what you’re aiming for in the chapter and where you’re struggling. Say something like, “It just drops off at the end. I don’t know how to wrap it up.”

3.     Let individuals ask you questions. When my non-fiction critique group helps me revise, someone else takes notes while we talk and then e-mails me the notes afterward. That way, I have a record of all the innovative thoughts and suggestions.

4.     Be open to any ideas to improve your WIP. You may not implement every idea, but don’t reject any of them outright. Mull over all the suggestions. I’ve heard that Disney Imagineers, who develop all the ground-breaking designs for Walt Disney theme parks, toss a dollar in a bowl if they denigrate another Imagineer’s idea during brainstorming sessions.

When you hit a wall or don’t know what road to take with your writing, unleashing the questions, ideas, and input of brainstorming partners helps you see new possibilities.

Hot links:

Brainstorm: http://www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html

Disney Imagineers: http://corporate.disney.go.com/careers/who_imagineering.html

Beth K. Vogt was happily minding her own business writing non-fiction when she was lured to the Dark Side with an offer of cookies. (Thanks, Evangeline!) She edits Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS International, and is privileged to meet weekly with bestselling author Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark to work on her WIP, Wish You Were Here. Visit her blog www.thewritingroad.com.

 

Colorado Christian Writers Conference May 12–15

Early registration for the upcoming Colorado Christian Writers Conference, May 12–15 is building. I’m really excited at the lineup we have for this year’s CCWC. It is one of the strongest all around writing conferences I’ve seen.


I admit that as Marlene Bagnull's, the director, assistant, I have a bit of vested interest in the conference. But this is a conference I look forward to attending all year. I've made some of my best friends there, and I've gained valuable information about writing, both fiction and nonfiction. And if it weren't for this conference, I wouldn't be published in nonfiction at all. The contacts I've made and the people I've met are truly some of the best in the business.

If you’re thinking about coming, please check out the Web site. However, I’d like to highlight a few clinics and continuing sessions and workshops that have piqued my interest.

Starting with the earlybird workshops on Wednesday, May 12, there’s something in that list for everyone. Already some of these workshops have a healthy count, but a couple need some extra promotion. So . . . If you write for kids, fiction or nonfiction, check out the two workshops Mona Hodgson is leading:

E5 - Story Building Blocks for Children's Writers: This class provides a hands-on exercise in creating characters and story problems that appeal to the intended audience.

E13 - Writing Books for Young Children: Come to this workshop for an overview of how to write and sell board books and picture books.

If you’ve ever struggled with Microsoft Office (and who hasn’t?), David Rhoades is doing a workshop to help us less computer savvy people learn to use these programs effectively with less frustration.

Or if you need help brainstorming possible article ideas, join Julie Dearyan to gain some help and walk away with more ideas you can work up into that next best-selling article.

As I look at the preliminary counts for the workshops, I’m noticing an interesting trend. Interest seems high in the A – F workshops, but when it comes to the specialty/niche workshops, there’s a drastic drop. I’ve found that these markets can be very lucrative and rewarding because few people want to commit time to something that may not be a high profile as fiction writing or the latest trend in article topics. Don’t ignore these special markets, and definitely pray about your choices as you make decisions. Remember that you are not locked into your preliminary choices. So even if you’ve made your choices, you can change your mind and explore what the Lord may have for you in these specialty markets.

The continuing sessions are always a highlight of CCWC for me. These sessions focus on specific areas of the writing experience. And they are always chock-full of great information. Do consider each session before making a decision. Again, if you get to the class and feel that it isn’t for you, you are not locked into that class. And you can change your mind beforehand, too.

Right now, the numbers for a couple of the continuing sessions has me a little surprised. Ted Baehr’s Breakthrough Scriptwriting class got rave reviews at Philly last year. For the fiction writer, studying the craft of scriptwriting is a must in learning story structure. And Ted is an excellent teacher, someone who knows his craft well and can communicate that knowledge to others.

Another continuing session that has caught my attention is new this year: The Lightbox Method. Have you ever struggled with including a spiritual thread in your fiction? Or in nonfiction? How much does our spiritual walk with the Lord have to do with our writing? Well, lots, actually. If you have ever struggled with this, check out this continuing session. I’m hoping to have some time to slip into a couple of the sessions and glean what I can.




Here are some quotes from people who have attended John Wiuff's Lightbox Method retreats:

I've been involved in the writing community and conferences for the last twenty years and I can honestly say this method is different than anything else out there and is one of the best tools I've discovered in writing either fiction or nonfiction.
Sandy Cathcart (who has taken John's classes in the past and is co-teaching with him at CCWC)

With fingers poised above the keyboard and my mind frozen, my characters remained equally frozen. Two characters existed in a setting and one expressed meaningful inner thoughts, but both existed as cardboard cutouts, neither moving nor interacting. Then I attended a Lightbox Retreat and experienced three days of aha-moments. When I applied The Lightbox Method frame by frame (segments within a scene), both women came to life. I saw each frame clearly and applied meaning to what I saw. I highly recommend The Lightbox Method to any writer who desires to create plots with reader-grabbing clarity and intriguing characters with depth.
Lynn Leissler, March 2010

If you are looking to deepen your writing and find the meaning and truth behind your words then this workshop is for you. The tools John presents are designed to allow each individual to discover for themselves how to take their stories to a heart level and how to bring their readers along on the journey. I came to Lightbox expecting a miracle. I was not disappointed.
Eddie Janisch
Medford, Oregon 
March 2010

Please prayerfully consider taking this continuing session. It will not be recorded, so the only way you're going to get something from these sessions is to attend the conference.
 
Finally, I would encourage you to consider applying for a clinic. We have a wonderful lineup of clinics again this year. Two specifically for fiction writers, the clinic with Jim and Tracie Peterson for beginning novelists, and one for advanced novelists with Bob Liparulo.

Jim and Tracie Peterson are not new to CCWC, and I’ve taken a couple of clinics over the last few years with them. In fact, the very first clinic I took at CCWC was their clinic for the beginning novelist. Both Jim and Tracie have a heart for writers, especially in encouraging and building up new writers. I’ve gone away from those clinics totally excited about the projects I’m working on. Their combined knowledge of the Christian publishing world is wonderful, and they create an atmosphere that puts to rest the anxieties we all have when starting out in this “new world.” I can't emphasize enough how important it is to get feedback from professionals in the industry on your own writing. And you won't find more empathetic clinic leaders than Jim and Tracie. While you will turn in a few pages of your wip for them to critique and help you with, there won't be any extra homework while you're at the conference.




I'm also excited about the clinic for advanced novelists with Bob Liparulo, author of several adult thrillers and a series for YA, The Dreamhouse Kings, series. This is a very intensive clinic, with lots of homework during the conference. So only apply if you are truly serious about getting yourself to the next step on the publishing ladder.


For any of the clinics, you must apply by April 10 for the right to submit and attend. These are not open to just anyone like the workshops, continuing sessions, and general sessions.
 
I highly recommend both of these clinics. And the entire conference. Not enough can be said about the spiritual impact of the general sessions and the overall atmosphere of the conference. So if you’re still wavering on whether this is the year to attend, do check out the Web site for all the details and latest information on the conference.

I hope to see you there!

Marjorie Vawter serves as the ACFW Colorado Area Coordinator, and is the director's assistant for both the Colorado and Greater Philadephia Christian Writers conferences. She lives in Westminster with her husband, adult son, and a four-month old kitten named Sinatra.

Hearing Voices

There are seven diagnosed reasons why one hears voices:

1. Psychiatric disorders
2. Psychological disorders
3. Psychosis
4. Psychotic depression
5. Schizophrenia
6. Hallucinations
7. Falling asleep

Let me add one more:

8. Being a writer

Granted, writers are known for “hearing” those character voices that propel them into their story. But the voice I’m talking about right now is the one that says, “Delete! Delete!”

I’m an excellent inner editor. I have spell check, grammar check, and a bazillion books in my writing library that tell me everything I’ve done wrong with my work-in-progress from point of view errors to miswriting dialogue to not hooking the reader to totally massacring those critical first five pages. In fact, my inner editor is so good it’s a rare day I get past those first five pages.

So what should I do?

I have been offered a myriad of suggestions ranging from “turn *it* off” (*it* being my inner editor) to “buy an AlphaSmart” to “just get it down.” I’ve even read Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird, cover-to-cover more times than I’m willing to admit. Unfortunately, if there’s a way to backspace, whether it be in my mind or on a keyboard, there’s a way for me to figure out how to “adjust” what I just wrote.

Praise God that I have a wonderful group of women that keep gently prodding me forward to write that…*shiver*…really bad draft. I’m not quite there yet, but I know with the Lord’s help, and theirs, I’ll get it down one day. In the meantime, every time I hear that inner editor shout “Delete! Delete!” I plan to remind myself that the only thing that needs deleting at this point in the game, is “Delete!” itself.

Donita K. Paul on Edits and Revisions

I don’t know much about editing despite having once considered it for a career. And so, instead of restating what you’ve already heard, read, or learned by osmosis, I thought I’d interview an expert. It helps that said expert lives downstairs, just completed edits on her 15th book, leads three critique groups, and is my mom!

So, here you go: Donita K. Paul’s thoughts on editing and revisions.


ED: Hi, Mom. Thanks for being willing to answer my questions and for not giving me a hard time about that overly-spicy Tilapia I cooked last night.

DKP: What she didn’t say is that I’m not allowed to see my grandsons until I do this little questionnaire. That is diabolical persuasion.

ED: Diabolical--and effective. First question. Can you tell us a little bit about your methods of self-editing?

DKP: I always read what I wrote the day before to get into the flow of the story. I also pick up little typos and minor problems as I do this read-through. I have a blog now for when I am writing that shares editing things I run across during my writing time. These are short, short tips. http://awriterwritessometimes.blogspot.com/

ED: Obviously, you’re pro-critique groups. How do you assimilate all the comments you get and how do they shape your writing process?

DKP: When I go through the pages we’ve shared, I look at each comment seriously. I change things that I agree with and sometimes I am so very, very grateful to my crit partners for catching things that would embarrass me if an editor had sent me a note.
If two people note the same thing, I change it.

ED: Let’s talk about getting notes back from your editor. Have you developed a system for tackling that sometimes tricky process?

DKP: ACK! Do I have to talk about this? This is such a humbling experience. The author learns exactly how proud, stubborn, and uncooperative she can be. The editor learns the writer has werewolf genes and snarls when moonlight is shone upon her work. It is something you have to deal with. Eight times out of ten, I’m grateful for the insight of another person, who is geared toward improving my work. The other two times, I wonder if this editor-person is even from our planet. My advice: express all that sarcastic frustration to an empty room, then write a tactful response covering the difference of opinion. Or have your daughter review your comments to the editor’s comments and have her tell you the places where you have become too snarky.

ED: Just for fun, do any of your books stand out in your memory as the hardest to edit/revise?

DKP: The first of the Dragon Keeper Chronicles, of course. I had to cut 20,000 words. I’d never done that before. It was over the Christmas season, so no one was in the publishing office for days on end. My editor had a death in the family and went missing. I didn’t know she was attending a funeral, and I felt abandoned. And I was resentful that this edit was infringing on my enjoyment of the season. In other words, I regressed to pouting thirteen-year-old.

ED: Newbie authors like me are told to polish, polish, polish our manuscripts before sending them to an editor or agent. What are some signs that indicate we’re ready to send that puppy out?

DKP: When you can quote whole pages of dialogue. When you call your husband by your hero’s name. When you put things on your to-do list that belong to your heroine. My advice really: to put it in a drawer for two weeks and the read it through cold. If you are not changing things on every page at this point, it is probably ready to go.

ED: Thanks for sharing your wisdom on editing and revisions. Now I’m supposed to tell you that your grandsons want you to get off your computer so they can play Fishdom.

DKP: Send them down.



Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books which are under contract with Waterbrook Press. Evangeline is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, serving as chapter secretary.