Write Your Heart Out

Helena Kingsley. Author ~ Critique Reader ~ Sarcasm Enthusiasts

[helkingsley]

Absence Apology

When life comes at you, it comes hard. I gotta apology to everyone I associate with through this blog, my work life and personal life decided to combust and blow up suddenly in my face. It was like watching a car wreck if im honest and I’ve had a hell of a time getting back on track.

So for the rest of this week and next, I’ll probably just be reblogging things. BUT come April, I’ll be back on with our regularly scheduled programming of posts, master lists, book reviews and such for all my followers, fellow writers and lurkers.

If you’re new around here, feel free to stop by and said hi or chat with me about WIPS, character, ideas the whole shebang C:

XO & Happy Writing

[kiramartinauthor]

[butchamy]

Story idea when you try to actually write it:

[calamitycons]

Story idea when you first rewrite it:

Getting closer to what you saw in your head, eh? Keep at it!

[snurtle]

Your story when somebody else sees it:

[starspangledscarf]

hhhhhHHHHHHH

[thatincompetentperson]

(⚪д⚪)

[servicek9s-deactivated20180617]

This is a lovely post. It goes to show that when we percieve our own work, most of us have some type of insecurities about our own talents. 

[prettyarb]

Also possibly relevant is that probably when Van Gogh finished Starry Night, he jumped up and down in frustration for a while because it didn’t look as good as it had in his head.

Tolkien used to complain that he could never write anything as well as he could imagine it.  So you know, ‘good enough’ is definitely a thing.

[wordsnstuff]

How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story

– One thing I think a lot of writers, especially those who haven’t discovered their own process for building their own stories, have a lot of trouble figuring out where to take their idea once it’s in the palm of their hand. Especially when it comes to fiction, figuring out where to start with the plot, characters, themes, etc., can be very confusing. There are a lot of blog posts and answered questions when it comes to starting a story, but I’ve found that in most cases, a very crucial stage in the writing process is overlooked. So now we’re here, and hopefully this post will help you all take your ideas, pick them apart, and turn them into potential. Enjoy!

Find The Value In Your Idea

You may have a perfectly good idea, full of potential to be the next big hit, but one thing that can really kill the growth of a story is when the writer neglects to decide what they want their story to be about. Not as in plot, but in theme and the overall message.

You cannot begin to write a story without figuring out what you’re trying to get across and expect it to be good. A lot of the time, this isn’t mentioned when giving advice because for most seasoned writers and authors, this is pretty commonly understood and after a certain amount of time, you don’t really need to think hard about what you’re trying to convey to the reader. This is because, as you grow and become more experienced in writing stories, the focus shifts from making a technically good story to a meaningful one. This is simply a symptom of growing more skilled as a technical writer and therefore not having to put as much energy and intention into something you know how to do regardless. 

There are multiple ways to do this, as there are multiple ways for an idea to be born. Maybe you start with an idea for a plot and then move on to finding the message you can assign to it, or you start with an issue you’re really passionate about and develop a plot you feel will raise awareness of it in a narrative manner that people will connect with, or even starting with an experience in your own life and deciding to expand on it in a narrative that will share your own personal growth with the reader. There are so many ways you can go with this, but no matter how your idea is sprouted, you need to find and outline the overall message before you focus on anything else. 

The themes of your story are supposed to shine through your characters and your world and your plot, so you have to figure out what the message is first so you can effectively entwine it into the various elements of your story. What do you want to teach the reader? What unique perspective are you offering? How will the plot and the context of this story convey your message to the reader in a way they can connect to?

Figure Out What Will Push Your Story

In most cases, there are about four different things that can drive your story. They all have a place in your story, whether they’re what really pushes the plot and keeps the story interesting, but for most stories, there’s one that is at the tippy top of that pyramid. 

Characters

Conflict

World

Symbolism/Representation

These four factors are all what make up a story, but it’s very difficult to completely explore every single aspect in one story. Yes, you have to touch on all four in order to have a developed story, but it’s practically impossible to have a fully-developed complex world with totally transparent character development as well as a colorful conflict that explores many themes and represents many different issues. Even in a series of books, each book usually focuses on developing one or two aspects at a time. 

Once you’ve decided which one or two will actually push your story along, then you can begin the planning.

Develop Your Idea

As mentioned before, you do have to spend some time on each of the 4 aspects, which means research and experimentation. These two things will really bring your vision into the story and help you explore all of your options.

Research

This is where you explore all of the things you are considering your story. If you’re thinking of making it a period piece, this is where you’d research the logistics of that being possible. If your idea is one for a fantasy/science fiction story, then you might research ancient mythology or astronomy or theories, etc.

Experimentation

This is where you do some experimental writing to see if you have enough information or development in order to start writing your story. If you find you keep running into plot holes or find you don’t have information you need, then you go back to the research phase.

Now That You’ve Done Your Research…

It’s time to get writing! Your idea will only become a story if you actually write it. You’ve got the kinks worked out and the background researched and your idea developed (except for that little bit that can only come with writing). Now, you can start writing. 

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[letswritesomenovels]

How to Return to your Manuscript

Every writer knows what it’s like to set a manuscript down for an evening and just… not pick it up again.

Usually when this happens, we have every intention of returning to it the next day, but for some reason or another, we don’t. 

One day turns into a week. Which turns into a month. Maybe two. 

The longer the manuscript’s been set aside, the harder it becomes to pick up again. It turns into this dark, hulking presence lurking at the edge of your consciousness, like something in a horror movie, eating away at that piece of your identity labeled “writer.” 

The reasons for not picking it up may change, but there’s always one.

You may not know where to start again, or doubt that your abilities are up to the standard its plot or characters require. You may not know where to find the time to write anymore. You may have even sat down to write just a few minutes ago, and ended up here on Tumblr instead, unable to bring yourself to open the manuscript file. 

If you’re reading this post and feel personally attacked…

Don’t fret. 

I have a writing exercise for you. 

Set aside ten minutes of your day to look at your manuscript. 

I recommend reading the last scene you completed, but this is your manuscript and your time. You can look at the first page. Or that one scene in the middle that you actually kind of like. Just don’t look at a blank page. Blank pages are scary and this is all about eliminating writing anxiety. 

Personally, I make this the last thing I do in the day, so I go to sleep with my manuscript in my head. Sometimes it helps to let my unconscious mind have a go at sorting through what I’ve read. However, I think it’s helpful to do this before any long period of time when you can let your mind wander. You may find writing more helpful before work/school or during lunch. Before a commute. Whatever works best for you. 

But don’t write and don’t look for more than ten minutes. 

You’re not allowed to change a single thing in the document. Not a comma. Not a misspelled word. 

When the ten minutes are up, simply close the document and go on with your day/night. 

There will probably be some things that you do want to change in the manuscript. They may be very simple, sentence-level fixes, but they may be as big as an idea for continuing the scene or the start of the next chapter. Let those thoughts sit with you, instead of all of the manuscript doubt and anxiety that were sitting with you before.

And yes, keeping your time down to ten minutes is important. You want a focus on a bite-sized portion of the manuscript. If you read too much, you’ll give yourself too much to consider for the next day, you’ll find too much to change, and you’ll run the risk of making your work as anxiety-inducing as ever. 

The next day, sit down with your document for another ten minutes. 

Allow yourself to make the changes you didn’t make the first day, or ones you’ve come up with since. This may mean adding a few commas and removing a few ‘that’s. This may mean continuing with the scene. Ten minutes is the perfect amount of time to set down a good paragraph. Try that. 

Again, force yourself to stop after ten minutes, even if you’re on a roll now. The stopping means that you have to keep all of those changes that you’re excited to make inside your head. It means that your thoughts about your manuscript are good and productive. It’ll keep you looking forward to your next writing session. Key advice: at the end of every writing session, always leave an edit in your head. It’ll be that small, tangible thing you can start with in your next session. 

Rinse, repeat, and develop a routine. 

Sit down for at least ten minutes every day. Make it a routine. Once the manuscript is open, do whatever feels comfortable to you: whether that means reading a chapter, editing something old, or writing something new. 

If you’re coming up with edits and scenes that simply require more than ten minutes, start amping up your writing time. Write for an hour. Write for two or three. 

Have a super busy day and know you can’t write for an hour? Those ten minutes are still fine. They’re still enough. Never feel like having spent three hours writing yesterday means you have to spend three hours writing today. Never feel like a failure for not spending X hours a day writing. That will only lead to not writing at all. 

What if you get stuck again? Go back to a shorter writing time, go back to reading and not writing. Reduce the pressure you’ve put on yourself and relax your expectations. The most important thing is simply returning to your manuscript every day whether you have something good to set on the page or not. 

Never got un-stuck in the first place? That’s still okay! Keep spending your ten minutes with your manuscript. Write or just read. Keep it in your thoughts. Make it a defined, real, thing instead of that monster lurking in your head. It may take time, but eventually, something will click, and by that point, opening that file and getting started will be a piece of cake.

If you are able to write for an hour or two each day, you may find it useful to continue setting aside ten minutes each evening to read that day’s work–read but not edit–and keep a few edits in your head for the next day’s session. 

By the end of a week, whether you’ve written a hundred new pages or fixed a lot of bad grammar, you’ll at least be in a place where you’re once again thinking about your manuscript in tangible terms, as a thing made up of words and paragraphs instead of anxiety and blank pages. 

Maybe in the end, you’ll decide that you simply need to abandon this story and pick up a new one. If this happens, you’ll be in a great place to start, with a writing routine already in place. 

More likely than not, just spending time with your story will fan up your love for it again. And once more, your manuscript will be the annoying, stubborn, untameable child you adore instead of a lurking horror. 

For more advice on working through writer’s block, check out another post of mine: What to Do When You Can’t Write

[oliviapaigewrites-deactivated20]

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE! Don’t ignore this in your writing!

[coinner]

hey y’all! i’m JJ, a budding writeblr, looking for more people to follow! so please like this post/reblog this post if you post: 

writing related things (masterposts, personal writing struggles, ect) 

bullet journal related things 

aesthetics (because my blog also loves that) 

[shuuririn]

Looking for writeblrs to follow!

Hi there, I’m Sho (pronounced like “sure”) and I’m 16 years old. I don’t think I technically count as a writeblr right now because I don’t plan to write any novels at this point; I’m more of a webcomic artist than novel writer. 

However, if there are any writeblrs out there reading this please like/reblog so I can follow you! Feel free to talk about your WIPs in tags or even start up conversation with me; I love hearing about other people’s story ideas. 

I’m more on the art side of tumblr, so I’ll be reblogging a lot of pretty art (and posting some of my own not-so-pretty sketches). That said, I will also reblog some writing tips, but they’ll be more geared towards character development and worldbuilding rather than stuff like how to write prose and publishing. 

Anyway, it’s lovely to meet you all and hear about your writing! <3

[helkingsley]

Heya! Welcome!!  Also I totally see webcomics/comics art and writing ( together or seperately) fitting in the writerblr community! C:

[helkingsley]

Update March & beyond

It's now March. We are three months into 2018 and life is crazy. I've missed all my writing goals for Feb ( not for lack of trying on my part).

I couldn't quite put my finger on why I was so...distatified with my WIP. Why It felt so inauthentic to what I wanted. So I scrapped it. All of it. Sure I plan to keep some bare bones, but for the most part, starting from the ground up. I normally don't talk about this openly ( except with my best friend and biggest supporter) but it caused a lot of doubt and anxiety to bubble up. I wont give up too many details because again I don't talk about these things freely, but I came to one solid conclusion. It will be worth it. I know this whole crazy dream of mine is going to take a lot of busting my ass,  learning things to get out of my comfort zone, nights that are already so long will get longer, saying no to invites to go out when I should be writing, locking myself in my room just to focus. But I can't see myself doing anything else. And that makes the doubt, the major anxiety, the uncertainty and drowning feeling worth it.

To anyone who might be facing such things in their own journey to their dream, bear with it. Keep going and move forward. The only way you fail is to give up. Every step you take be it researching, reading up on blogs for help, character sketches, typing words or a chapter, revising for the 50th time or the 1st time. It is all paving the way to getting the goal. You can do, and if you need a reminder I'd be glad to lend some encouraging words.

With a new month comes new smaller more manageable goals. 1) post something original content Fridays. 2) finish this new draft of my WIP 3) be more active on other social platforms--even though i pretty much suck at them all. So here’s to a new and improved March.

In other news, I have plans to finish the things I was tagged in hopefully by Friday and will be onto another post to help all my writerblrs out.

Annnnd I've finally posted a short story up on Wattpad [ you can find it on my works page here ] which is a lot for me to face fears. This story isn't something I'm majorly invested in, I figured that would have been a great way to test the water see how I like the platform and how I feel about sharing more intimate works. 

So, I might not have been productive to my standards but I wasn’t idle. Take away: keep at it guys. Writing is hella hard but oddly rewarding when the pay off happens.

[writerswritecompany]

[helkingsley]

7-7-7 Tag

The rules are that you go to the 7th page of your WIP, go to the 7th line, and give us 7 sentences. I was tagged by @writingguardian, thank you so much for the tag!

Seeing as I’m not scrapping 90% of this WIP, Untitled for now ( cause titles are effing hard) this is dated...

The seconds ticked by and there was no movement nor response to her summons. Her fist tightening at her side, gearing up for the fight her body demanded. But then, she had known that was what the goddess had wanted. She enjoyed toying with Kaia’s fraying self-control. It was a sport, had been since long before Kaia understood the rules.  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.  Good. Good...Focus on something else. Keep it together.

I tag @@teacups-and-tealeaves, @lucytriestowrite , @lilly-white, and @stirringink But please feel free to jump on board this if you feel!

[writingdotcoffee]

The writer must have a good imagination to begin with, but the imagination has to be muscular, which means it must be exercised in a disciplined way, day in and day out, by writing, failing, succeeding and revising.

Stephen King (via writingdotcoffee)

[stardustreadr]

New To Writeblr!

Hi everyone, I’m rose! I’m a dark/low fantasy writer and I’m new to writeblr. I adore this community and can’t wait to be more active in it. Right now, I’m working on two WIPs. One is a dark fantasy, another contemporary short story! I’m looking for some writing buddies, so if you want to be buddies, please message me! Reblog if you’re a writeblr so we can all follow each other!

[helkingsley]

Welcome C: and good luck on those WIPs!

[jisungjuice]

you ever start rereading your WIP to get in the mood and write more and you get so caught up that when you get to the end you’re like “bitch? where’s the rest?” and you realize you’re the bitch and you have to write it

[writingguardiann]

So... wtfs a Beta Reader?

“a non-professional reader who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting.”

What is a beta reader?

Oh! You mean like a critique partner! Nope

Oohhh.. I think I need those. Where do I find some?

(x) (x) (x) - also, post about it here on tumblr!

I’m a reader, and I want to Beta Read!

Yay! There are always writers out there looking for Beta Readers, and you’ll relly be doing them a favour.

Where do I find authors to Beta for?

Tumblr! Loads of us post about looking for Betas on here. 

Or..

(x) (x) 

How can I be a good beta reader?

(x) (x)

And of course, no list would be complete without..

Happy Beta-ing!

[sophiaelainehanson]

Hey. You there. Aspiring author. Keep writing. The world needs your words. Every single author - big and small, indie and trad, young and old - once stood where you stand, wondering if they were kidding themselves. Keep going. You got this.

[helkingsley]

 Alright, so after a few conversation with some writers friends and some friends who want to get into writing, I decided I'd make a general one-stop-shop master list for all things writing. Any one of these can be expanded upon ( and probably will in the future if asked) but for now, I’ve listed a lot of resources here, some I’ve tried some I’ve only heard about or seen when browsing for information as I do when I’m on break at work.  For a majority of this I'm just going to list it but if I feel strongly I'll add a tiny blurb about why I think it's fabulous or why it worked best for me.

That being said I think a lot of these can be used for both fiction and creative non-fiction ( as I have a history with both and have had to write both. If anyone is interested in creative non-fiction I’d be more than happy to talk about it.) For Creative Non-Fiction I’ve put a small asterisk on the resource that are specifically geared toward this genre. All links are in the bracketed x’s. I hope this helps!

PLOTTING - OUTLINING - STRUCTURE

Online your story like a subway map [ x ] on NaNoWriMo Blog

The Pre-Writing Project [ x ] by Shenovels.

Create An Awesome Outline [ x ]  by Twincreatives

Genre Story Templates [ x ] by The Novel Factory

7 Basic Plots Infographic [ x ]  Presented by NovelNow & Christopher Brooker

Plotting a Series [ x ] by NovelNow

Plot Twist Generator [ x ] by Short Stori ideas

The Novel Writing Roadmap [ x ] by The Novel Factory I’ll be honest, this is tedious but there’s a lot of good information and it helps a lot. I found this a few months back and it’s been a lifesaver in some ways. If you’re stuck or don’t even know where to start this can give you a good idea of how to get started. Plus it includes synopsis writing which no one ever talks about.

Plotting for Authors Who Can’t Plot [ x ] by FabFreelanceWriting This isn’t the best in my opinion, but it does kind of give you a starting place and my best writing friend is not a plotter, found them helpful so you might too.

3 Awesome Plot Structures for Building Best Sellers [ x ] by Well-Storied

The Element EVERYTHING in Your Story Needs [ x ] by @thatkatiecooney

15 Techniques to Write Romance that makes Readers Swoon pt 1 [ x ]  & pt. 2 [ x ] by Kaitlin over at ink and Quills

CHARACTER - WORLD BUILDING - SETTING

How to Create A Character Profile [ x ] by Writerswrite

A List of 638 Primary Personality Traits [ x ] MIT

Character Development Worksheet PDF [ x ] by STLCC Not going to lie, I’ve used this a hell of a lot? Especially with my RP background. But it’s great to have on hand for any kind of fiction including non-fiction. Knowing your characters ( real or not is huge).

10 Elements of a Great Character [ x ] by thatkatiecooney This has saved my ass so many times.  This is explained so well and helped me in workshop explain where someone's character (and my own) was lacking. It’s a great way to really dive into a good character, plus her examples are Disney related so bonus!

Bad habits for your character [ x ] by Wandering Quille

Worldbuilding by Map [ x ]

10 Questions to use in Worldbuilding [ x ] by The Writing Kylie

An introduction to world building [ x ] by well-storied

9 Elements of a Villain [ x ] by thatkatiecooney Just like before. godsent. I may or may not have a deep love affair with this blog, but the information is solid as hell.

7 Deadly Sins of World Building [ x ] by Charlie Jane Anders

How to Create Your Best Character [ x ] by C.J. Miranda

EDITING - REVISION - FEEDBACK

10 Questions to Ask Your Friend Who Just Read Your Novel [ x ] by Brandon @mordinwrites 

Self-Editing Basics [ x ] by Blake Atwood

Revising Drafts [ x ] by The Writing Center

5 Steps to Editing [ x ] by The Muse

The Editing Checklist [ x ] by Bryan Collins

Editing infographic [ x ] by ELA in the Middle I know this is geared for middle schoolers, but 1) I went through workshops with a lot of people who didn’t grasp the difference between copyediting and actual revision. 2) it’s a good refresher and can help you break down the monumental task of edits.

15 Questions to Send Beta Readers [ x ] by Ryan J. Pelton

Six (sets of) Questions to ask your Beta Readers [ x ] by thinking through our fingers

How To Be ( And Keep ) a highly Effective Critique Partner [ x ] by Standout Books

How to Find the Right Critique Partner: 6-Step Checklist [ x ] by K.M Weiland

How to Effectively Give and Recieve Constructive Feedback as a Writer [ x ] by Kimberly Cole  As someone who spent 4 yeas in workshops learning to give good feedback was so important and yet...I was still faced with unhelpful critiques meaning they didn't bother? This is such an important step in the writnig process. And this helped me a lot. 

FORMATTING - SOFTWARES ( not Word or Scrivener )

Word Count: How Many Words Should my Book be? [ x ] by Jodi Brandon

Formatting A Book in Word  ( Kindle ) [ x ] by Colin Dunbar

How To Format a Book - 10 tips Editors Want You to Know [ x ] by Blake Atwood

How to Format A Novel Manuscript [ x ] by Kelly Hart

Guidelines for Formatting [ x ] by Writer’s Digest

Google Docs for Writers [ x ] by eadeverell

How to Format For Kindle using Word, 6 Steps [ x ] by Kristen Eckstein.

Converting Google Doc to Kindle .mobi file [ x ] by daveparsonsnz

Formatting Graphic Novels [ x ] by Laura Willard

Grammarly [ x ] The free version doesn’t allow you to tailor your type of writing but it’s a nice editing program. If you DO go for the premium the suggestions and edits are amazing, this helped me a lot in college and workshop. I still use it today as an add-on to chrome & word. THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTION FOR REAL EDITS THOUGH!

Open Office  [ x ]  It’s a nice alternative to Word, for free. I used this a lot my first two years of college because...poor and Word was expensive ( my college didn’t offer use free subscriptions until my junior year ) as hell.

YWriter [ x ] SpaceJock software * I used this for about 3 years? If you’re into a lot of organization and like to break up chapters, documents etc this is great. and Free. I suggest this for Non-fiction writers because you can write a memoir, biography, etc and have each chapter as its own file, meaning you can play around with linear time and order. For fiction, it seems... unnecessary to divide it so much but ey whatever floats your boat.

FocusWriter [ x ] I am someone who will get distracted by wi-fi, internet, Pinterest, Facebook etc when writing so I tried this out. It works but not for me. I like to go back and reread things I’ve written edit small things as I go. Which you can’t do with this app. For essay writing in college though this was great.

Evernote [ x ] This is more a productivity tool than really a writing software but worth the mention because I did write a few articles for a lit magazine in college in and it was definitely nice.

MARKETING FOR WRITERS

Skillshare Classes [ Especially theses ones x, x, x] This is a monthly subscription for premium ( around 11 bucks) which gets you access to a lot of classes in a million different topics. This place is my go to when I need to learn something ( marketing, business plans, twitter etc).

Udemy Classes [ like this one x] this is a one time fee of around 10-20$ per class. But the instructors are great, the projects and information is top notch too. But it does add up and I've only ever taken two classes here because of pricing.

5 Marketing Strategies if you hate promoting your work [ x ] by Hugh O. Smith

Content Marketing for Authors and Writers [ x ] by Joanna Penn

Resource guide & Freebies [ x ] by The Lady in Read.

Book Marketing 101 [ x ] by Jane Friedman

PROMPTS SITES & BLOGS

Writing Prompts @writingprompts

Picture Writing Prompts @picturewritingprompts

365 Creative Writing Prompts [ x ] by thinkwritten

Writing Prompts [ x ] Writer’s Digest

Writing Prompts [ x ] The Fake Redhead Writers

Creative Writing Prompts @unblockingwritersblock

Daily Writing Prompt @daily-prompts

Writing Prompts [ x ]  The Writer’s Academy by Peginue 

ADVICE & TIPS  BLOGS - PODCASTS 

Six Guidelines for Non-Fiction [ x ] by Writing Forward *

25 Tips To Make Your Non-Fiction Better [ x ] Writer’s Digest *

Jenna Moreci’s Vlog [ x ] @jennamoreci This woman is such an inspiration to me and her videos are hilariously funny and yet helpful as ever. If you haven’t seen/heard of her I 110% suggest you check her out.

Terrible Minds [ x ] by Chuck Wendig @terribleminds This was maybe the first writing blog/advice place I stumbled upon early on in high school. His humor was right up my alley. Sarcastic, frank and at times mind-in-the-gutter style just resonated with me, and still does. The advice and blog posts present were informative and sort of like a kick in the ass for me. Recently I haven’t visited as much as I once did, but that’s because I own his book, listed below which contained a few of my favorite posts from him. 

References For Writers @referenceforwriters

Write World @writeworld

Writer’s Corner @writerscorner

Grammar Girl Podcast [ x ]

Authority Self-Publishing Podcast [ x ] 

I Should Be Writing Podcast [ x ]

Creative If Writing Podcast [ x ]

The Creative Writer's Toolbelt  Podcast [ x ]

English Major Humor  @englishmajorhumor This is on here just because I normally go to it as an unwinding type of thing. When I need a good laugh at some extremely, I-feel-this-on-a-spiritual-level, relatable content.

RECOMMEND BOOKS - LIT MAGS

Eat, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss This is a grammar guide, but it’s funny and helps a lot for those of us who might not be the best at grammar ( or want to know more). 

Self Editing  For Fiction Writers  by Rene Browne & Dave King This was a textbook for a class of mine, and I never thought I’d ever keep a craft book, they always seemed to say a lot of things over and over again but this was amazing. 

The Magic Words by Cherylyn B Klein This is more for Children’s Lit & Ya but the advice is solid regardless. Again another textbook I used in a publishing class and adored enough not to sell it back.

On Writing by Stephen King

Handling The Truth on the Writing of a Memoir by Beth Kephart*

Words For Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis This...is a shocker to anyone who knows me as I'm not the biggest Bendis supporter ( that's a can of worms we shall avoid). But this book is chalk full of some good tips for those comic/graphic novelists out there. This is the only guidebook I’ve read on the subject and found it interesting.

Writer’s Guide to Character Traits 2nd Ed. by Dr. Linda Edelstein  This is very much a book I keep by my side when creating characters. It’s a psychology book for those of us who don't know much about it. the break down is beautiful and there’s a lot of information, tips, and even some exercises to help

500 Ways to Write Harder by Chuck Wendig This book has a lot of great advice in it and when I was first venturing into this field as my career option I devoured it. Now I browse it and read it when I need a refresher. Much like his blog, the content it well very much the kick in the ass I need.

Why I'm including Lit Magazines? Because as someone who went to school for Creative writing Lit Mags has been a way for me to see what others are publishing and writing on topics I like. They look amazing and can often be a source of publication besides ebook, self-publishing and traditional publishing of novels. There are about a million out there, but I’ve listed a few I’ve researched/looked into or subscribe to.

The New Yorker [ x ] How to submit is here The most pretentious thing I have ever owned. I subscribed to this my sophomore year of college after reading a few great short stories and have been getting an issue ever since. I believe there’s also like an archive that’s free but don’t quote me on that. This is here because you can submit your work to them, as well as read amazing authors like T.C. Boyle or Jo Ann Beard * and others in many different literary fiction genres.

Poetry & Writers' list of Lit Mags [ x ]

Ricochet Literary Magzine [ x ] This is for new/unpublished authors. I have not submitted to them but they look interesting and definitely caught my eye as they send feedback on submission if not published, which in my book is a great way to learn and definitely worth more in-depth look at.

The Fairytale Review [ x ] This is another magazine I subscribed to. Annually. It includes a poetry, essays, stories about/adapting/modern twists of fairy tale fiction. Each Issue is a different theme. and You can submit to them [ here ]. Since this is something I adore and write myself it’s a good way to see what others in this niche are doing.

Litro Magazine [ x ] I’ve recently been stalking this magazine. It’s fresh and does take unpublished/new writer work.

So in short....

but hopefully, these help you or give you a jumping off point for the future. Feel free to comment/reblog with your own additions or contact me here if you want this expanded, more details have questions on my experiences using any of this.

Happy Writing!

**Disclaimer. I am not sponsored or paid to mention/speak nicely of any resource listed. Please don’t feel obligated to buy subscriptions, novels, resources etc unless you have the means and want to.** 

[septembercfawkes]

How to Stand Out in the Slush Pile 101

Submission piles in the writing industry are lovingly nicknamed “slush piles,” because most of the stories are … more like slush than stories. Here are some tips to make sure your opening is more story and less slush.

1. Make sure you follow the proper manuscript formatting.

For some of the submission piles I’ve been involved with, a template of the proper format was available for download. Nonetheless, the majority of submissions didn’t follow it. Some people don’t indent paragraphs, don’t even have paragraphs, or use weird fonts etc. Don’t add pictures to your manuscript—keep it simple and professional. Save and send it in the proper electronic format, which is usually a Word document.

For some publications, if the story isn’t formatted correctly, it is immediately rejected.

If you cannot find the formatting guidelines, you are usually safe using standard manuscript format, which is the traditional way of formatting.

2. Unless you are an advanced writer, communicate character, setting, and conflict (or tension) quick.

Most submissions get rejected in a matter of paragraphs or pages. Often pieces that get rejected are missing either a sense of character, setting, or conflict (or tension) in the opening. Sure, some stories get away without having all these things, but they better be hecka good in other ways. When I say “opening”–for some, that’s the beginning paragraphs. For others, it’s by the end of the second page.

Setting in particular seems to get left out. I’ve read scenes where the setting is never even hinted at—I don’t know if the characters are in a hospital, a bar, or a circus.

When it comes to conflict, you don’t necessarily need a bomb going off. In fact, you may not need a ton of conflict on the page itself—but you need the promise of significant conflict to come, or in other words, you need tension.

Here are two posts that may help with that:

Tension vs. Conflict

Are Your Conflict Significant?

3. Use character names.

Too many new writers “hide” their characters’ names. A bunch of vague pronouns doesn’t help me figure out who is doing what. Ex: “He (who?) held his hand over his (his own mouth or someone else’s?) mouth. The chief (is this “he” or a different person?) couldn’t believe this was happening. He (the chief?) struggled. Then the man (the “he,” “chief,” or someone else?) forced the hand away from his (whose mouth?) mouth.”—who is doing what? How many people are there?

4. Don’t open your story with a dream—usually

Dreams can be such a letdown. One submission I read was really good, and I was going to set it aside, and I got to the end of the second page and the first two pages were a dream! Don’t even open your story with a short dream. It’s too cliché in the slush pile. If you NEED a dream in it, don’t do it in the first few pages.

Of course, like all of these, there are exceptions, but whenever you break a rule it’s got to be really good and you’ve got to have a good reason for breaking it.

5. Make sure your character is actually doing something on the first page.

Make sure there is some movement, and better yet, make sure there is tension. Too many submissions start with a character just sitting and thinking about something, usually something that happened in the past.

If possible, have at least two characters interacting in the first scene. It’s way more interesting than the 50 other stories that start with one character thinking.

6. Avoid flashbacks.

Number 5 is usually paired with something like this: “It all started a month ago,” or “Maybe I should start at the beginning,” or “This all started last week.“—and then the story goes back to the real “starting” or some sort of flashback. If that is where the story started, start there, and then you won’t have to tell me “how it started.” I’ll see it.

7. Don’t start with a character running away from something really vague.

There are way too many stories that start this way. It might sound like a cool opening, but after you’ve read 12 of them, you realize it’s not as cool as you first thought.

8. Don’t start with a long “telling” explanation of something, like “The city was surrounded by mountains, and we were told to never leave the city. The mountains have been around since the beginning of time when the gods got angry and decided to keep us locked up in one place. Back when my grandmother was alive, she used to tell me stories about people who left the city and never returned…(on for 1 ½ pages)” While this info might be interesting, there’s no immediacy. I’m just being told information. The slush piles can sometimes be loaded with this opening. At least give me like a page of something concrete and immediate before “explaining,” or “telling” me something.

9. Don’t start a story with your character waking up on an ordinary day doing ordinary stuff.

Again, that’s not really where the story starts. But too many stories start there. Give me some tension.

10. Avoid purple prose.

First off, if you can write detail that appeals to the senses, do it, because too many submissions are missing strong imagery in the opening. If you can write striking metaphors or similes, put one in the opening also. But don’t go overboard. I read one submission that took a paragraph to describe one action about ten different ways. Only about two things actually happened on the first page.

But don’t write purple prose. If you don’t know what purple prose is, it might be a great idea to spend some time researching it on Google this week. Basically, it’s overwrought, melodramatic description.

11. Don’t submit your writing exercises as a story.

I’ve seen a few submissions that I think were supposed to be practice exercises–like that exercise in creative writing classes where you have to try to describe something without saying what it is, or where you use only dialogue to tell a story. Those are great exercises, but (in most cases) they shouldn’t be sent in as professional pieces for publication.

12. Don’t include a bunch of pointless info about your character.

Reading two paragraphs about how your character’s choice of music is different than his mom’s isn’t going to help me get to know your character, and it’s not important unless your story involves music (in the case of this submission, it didn’t).

Some people try to “find” their character by giving them too many quirks and random details etc. But those are only the surface of the character—instead try to focus on how your character changes in your story, and what you need to establish first to show that change.

I have a bunch of posts on character that you can find in my Writing Tip Index.

13. Follow the submission guidelines.

In one submission pile I worked with, the publication was meant to showcase local writing, so if someone from Arkansas submitted, we couldn’t take the submission. In another, the guidelines stated that the story should be appropriate for a general audience. That means that the story that starts with people having an affair and uses the f-word about 12 times in the first page is probably out.

14. Use correct English and spelling.

And watch for anything that sounds awkward.

15. Unless otherwise stated or inappropriate, do state your writing credentials somewhere—a cover letter, query letter, or just the body of an email (depending on submission guidelines). Even minor writing credentials put a better flavor in the editor’s mouth because they imply you have some idea of what you are doing. At least that’s been my experience.

With that said though, ultimately the story is what needs to be amazing.

Above all, use correct formatting, start with immediacy (not explanation), and have the setting, character, and conflict or tension established in the opening. That will put in you in the top 20% of submissions, from my experience.

Also, keep in mind that great writers have broken a lot of these rules. In fact, great writers usually do break some rules. But this is “How to Stand Out in the Slush Pile 101,” and unless you are an advanced writer, you should put your best foot forward by following these guidelines

Good luck! And if you would like more advanced information on how to write the starting of your story so that it gets out of the slush pile, you can check out the book Hooked by Les Edgerton.

[procrastiwriting-deactivated202]

“Above all, use correct formatting, start with immediacy (not explanation), and have the setting, character, and conflict or tension established in the opening. That will put in you in the top 20% of submissions, from my experience.”