#ask ait

[author-in-training-writes]

Good morning. What's the best way to ask someone to provide editorial and critical commentary on a book one has written? I have asked 4 people to review a book I've written; their comments will help me determine if it is ready for publication. So far, their intentions are golden, but actions are zilch. Deadlines and reminders have not moved any of them in over 2 months. Advice?

Finding Beta Readers

The best thing to do? Find better betas. Everyone is busy with their own lives and may not have time to read over and critique your WIP right way, but 2 months is pushing it.

Some Things to Try:

Make a callout post asking for experienced betas to read over your WIP. Put specific details about what you are looking for and what your story is all about.

Check out other writeblrs to see if they are looking for a critique partner. This would require you to read and critique someone else’s work.

Join a writeblr community. My personal favourite is @writeblrconnections. They have a lot of cool events they do to help connect writers and find betas for your WIPS.

Examples of Good Beta Callout Posts:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Thanks for your question! If you need help with anything else, feel free to send in another ask!

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

Hi! Really love your blog. My question for you is this: What is the best way to handle/present a gap of ten years in my story? Would it be best to use a prologue for the early chapters, and then begin the actual story after the years have passed? I've heard prologues are pretty much no-nos, but nothing relevant to the story happens in those ten years. How would you handle the passage of time? Thanks!

For Scenes that Happened “A Long Time Ago”

Prologue - Prologues are pretty much always “no-nos”, except when they aren’t. If you feel it is absolutely necessary to put this scene at the beginning of your story, then do it. Even if you use a prologue, remember to establish that a long time has passed since the last chapter at the start of the next one. This is best to use if the event is short enough to fit into one chapter.

Flashbacks – If it’s not necessary to put this scene in the beginning, consider using a flashback. You can start a new scene or have a character discuss the event through dialogue. If you choose to write out the scene through a traditional flashback, again establish that the reader is now in a different time and place. Flashbacks are usually written in italics.

Divide into Parts – Is the event that takes place in the past big enough to cover multiple chapters? Then divide your book into distinct parts. Part 1 could take place in the past and part 2 could take place in the present. As always, remember to establish that time had passed in some way.

Thanks so much for your question! If you need help with anything else, just ask!

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

Any tips for writing magic and stuff of that nature?

Yes, I do, but that’s a really vast subject, and I honestlydon’t think I could give any better advice than @davidfarland’s “Making BetterMagic Systems” series. Checkout part 1 of 10 here.

Thanks for your question. If you need help with anything else, feel free to send in another ask!

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

Hey, I was wondering if you had any advice on how to start a book.I have a plot and characters but I have no idea how to get that going

How to Get Your Book Started

Just do it: The best thing to do? Just start writing. You don’t have to start at the beginning. Pick a scene that you’ve envisioned and just go for it. Remember that first drafts are never good. So, don’t get discouraged if you don’t like what you see. The real story will come out with revisions and edits.

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flowuntil the faucet is turned on.” - Louis L'Amour

Plan ahead: If you need help to orient your thoughts, make an outline before you begin so you know where you want your story to go. There’s plenty of ways to outline and plan out a story (skeleton outline, flashcard method, etc.), find what works best for you.

Create a writing space: Set aside an area where you can come to write. Make this area distraction free. Theme it if you want to give yourself some motivation. Put up mood boards of your OCs or images relevant to the story. You can even play some music to inspire you. If you only use this space to write, you can train your brain to get in the right mindset for writing every time you go there.

Additional Information:

The First-timer’s Guide To Start Writing A Book

 How to Start a Novel Right: 5 Great Tips

Start It Already: How to Start Your Novel

Thanks a bunch for your question. If you need any more help, just send in another ask! Happy writing!

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

Heyo! I’m writing a character that is a hybrid of a cat so half human half cat, do you have any advice on how to write one? If you don’t it’s okay! ☺️

Writing Human/Animal Hybrids

I recommend focusing on two major things:

Physical Appearance/Traits: What parts of the human are replaced by animal parts? Is it just the eyes? The whole head? Do they have a tail? Visualize your hybrid in your head and make sure to detail what it looks like within your story.

Also, remember the physical traits that accompany those animal features. If they have cat eyes, do they have better night vision? Does being a hybrid make them faster or stronger? Study the animal you are hybridizing and figure out which traits you want to transfer over.

Behavioural Traits: Just like with physical traits, different animals have different behaviours. Is your hybrid nocturnal? Are they sociable or a loner? Again, research your animal and figure out what traits you want to give your character.

Thanks so much for your question! If you have anything else you want to ask, feel free to send in another question!

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

hi! this might be kind of a strange ask, but i was wondering how to ¨recover¨ from being a fanfic author. i don't think there´s shame in someone writing it, but i personally feel like i´m too old for it now, and i can't take it seriously. there is one unfinished fic of mine that i am very proud of. i just can't decide if i should change it to a more original story or if i should keep it the way it is. should i just learn to be more confident about writing fanfic? how do i do both? ahaha help pls

The only difference between fanfic and original work is thatyou’re using someone else’s canon. And there’s nothing wrong with writing either.There’s no “recovering” to be done, just come up with your own worlds andcharacters. Some professional authors write fanfic in their spare time andencourage people who want to become writers to write fanfic as practice.

As for your fic, depending on how much of the original canonyou used, it could be difficult to completely flip it over into a new work.That’s not to say it can’t be done, just that it would take a lot of time and editing.Ultimately, I can’t make this decision for you. If you want to continue thework as is, then go for it. If you’re no longer interested in it, try reworkingit as an original story and see what happens.

Thanks for your question. If you have anything else you wantto know or need help with, feel free to send in another ask.

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

Hi! Love your blog so much!! I have a question about a romance— I have these characters who are in love but haven’t confessed to each other (the novel is not a romance one so this is a subplot) my question is... I have thought about the moment person A fell for person B and I really wanna include that BUT this happened before the story takes place so— how can I best include it in the book without losing many details and I’m not sure if a flashback could occur or how best to do it :/ Thanks!!!

You could always use a flashback if you want to replay theentire moment, but if you would rather summarize it, I suggest having person Adescribe the moment to person B. Dialogue is always useful for this type ofsituation.

Also, when people fall in love, it’s usually not animmediate moment. It happens over time. So using dialogue will make it easierto span a long length of time and describe all those moments that led to themrealizing they were in love.

Thanks for yourquestion! If you have anything else you want to know, feel free to send inanother ask!

~AIT

[author-in-training-writes]

Do you have anything on how to learn to outline a story?

Check out this post I just made here.

~AIT