Tips for Writers, Put On Your Best Social Media Party Face

Image by Salvatore Vuono

I’ve read many writers saying they just don’t have enough time for social media. I’ve read writers who say they hate it, but it’s a necessary evil. I’ve even heard people say it’s not worth it.

They still try to do their social media, but their feelings about it shine through. When you go to a party and you meet someone who obviously doesn’t want to be there and acts like it’s a chore, do you want to spend time with him or would you rather go talk to someone who’s having a good time? I thought so.

You’ve been invited to a party called social media! It’s not a party just for friends to get together, however. It’s a meet and greet networking party. But it can still be fun. Remember that first impressions are lasting. You want to make friends, grow a following, and get to know people as I mentioned in this post on building your network one person at a time.

What’s the point of Twitter?

Twitter is one terrific way to get to know people. In just a few words, you can find out things you have in common, tweet about anything, then bump into someone else and have some more fun meeting another person. I think of Twitter as a crowded cocktail party where people don’t sit down, they move around and talk with everyone. What happens to the guy pushing his business cards on everyone and only talking about his business? No one wants to spend much time with him. So don’t go on Twitter to only push your product. Open up to people and be entertaining.

I’m in a bookclub. Why should I join Goodreads?

I’ve just started on Goodreads, and oh my, what a fun place that is. Now you’ve gone from the cocktail party to a party with people who have common interests with you. All you bookish types know how wonderful it is to talk to other readers. I’m a teacher, and even with educated people around me all day, it’s hard to find people with whom to talk about books. Goodreads and other reading sites fill that need, plus you get to know even more people. You get to read their blog feeds, and their thoughts in longer than 140 characters.

Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and MySpace

Facebook, Google+, and similar social media sites are like a buffet dinner. You know the people, you invite more people, and you all share something with others. You might even get invited to a private party where you can sit down with closer friends and have a great time. They all are slightly different and fill different needs. See which ones work best for you.

Will anyone read my blog?

Blogging and commenting is a huge time commitment, but this is how you really get into the conversations on the web. I’ve made many friendships through blogs I visit. I comment, they comment, we run into each other somewhere else, and we pick up a new conversation. I see people visiting my blog that arrive here from a link in a comment I’ve made somewhere else. These are people I probably wouldn’t have met any other way. Blogging and commenting is a two way conversation, just like in personal contacts. It’s rewarding and entertaining.

What should I wear to the social media party?

Just remember that in all social media, you have to put your best face forward. You wouldn’t show up to a party without taking a shower, dressed in your old clothes you like to paint or garden in, would you? Probably not. (I hope not.) Likewise, online you need to present yourself in an attractive manner. Don’t have a headshot that looks like you just rolled out of bed with a hangover.

Don’t go online and grouse about having the runs, (TMI), cuss out the neighbor’s dog, or complain about clients or coworkers. No one wants to hear that. If all you write about is misery, you’ll be unfollowed and defriended faster than you can get another complaint out.

That doesn’t mean you can’t speak up, speak out, and even spark a bit of controversy about things that interest you. It makes you memorable. Just remember to do it tactfully, as you would in person.

Why bother with social media? I just want to write.

Networks created online are the lifeblood of writers. Word of mouth is what sells books, more than anything else. How else will you get the buzz going about your writing if you don’t put yourself out there and make friends? It takes time, but not too much time. A few minutes every day will do, if that’s all the time you have. Start with one social media site, and then gradually add others as you feel comfortable. Surround yourself with a core group that will encourage you and that you enjoy spending time with. Then it won’t feel like a chore. After making all these online friends, think how much fun it will be to meet up with them at a conference or some other face to face event? Go for it, and have fun!

I’d love to get to know you online.

Here are the spots I hang out.

Twitter as @suzannelilly and @HoneyCreekBooks.

Facebook as Suzanne Pitner for my personal account. I also have a Suzanne Lilly author page, which I’m still in the process of starting.

Google+ as Suzanne Lilly for fiction and Suzanne Pitner for nonfiction.

Goodreads as Suzanne Lilly.

LinkedIn as Suzanne Pitner.

I also group blog at Honey Creek Books with my posts on Fridays.

Jan 11 2012

Tips for Writers – What Use is a Storyboard?

We’ve all heard about storyboards. If you use novel writing software, it probably has a storyboard in it. But how many writers actually use them and how useful are they?

Some writers find them tedious, some find them confusing, and some just want to let the story flow without planning. I admire pantsers. It takes a tremendous amount of talent to make up a story as one goes along, adding twists and deep characterization in the process.

I’m the type of person who always needs to know where she’s going. In the car, I’m an annoying back seat driver, and on a train I’m constantly looking out to see where we are. During last summer’s trip to China, I constantly watched the animated map of our flight to see where in the Pacific our airplane was located at any particular time.

When it comes to my writing, I’m the same way. So a few years ago I began using colored index cards and a storyboard made out of a science fair presentation board. It helps me get the first draft written. After that, any changes can happen, but along the way to the first draft, I want to know where the story is headed. The storyboard I use is portable, I can easily move things around and change things, and it’s simple to add notes.

A different color card for each main character

I begin the first planning of the plot problems and subplots on cards, as I wrote in this article on plotting. Then I move on to scene notes. For the story I’m working on now, scenes with the heroine’s POV have yellow cards, the hero’s scenes have pink cards, and a subplot is covered with green cards. This can also be done on white cards. Just use a marker or highlighter to draw a line that indicates who or what the card belongs to.

I write out a very short summary of each scene in the planning stage. Once I have most of my story planned, I lay out the cards in order on my presentation board.

Using a three-act structure with the storyboard

I always plan with a three-act structure, so the first ¼ of the board is Act 1, the middle half of the board is Act 2, and the last ¼ of the board is Act 3. I don’t attach or tape the cards, I just lay them on the board. Now, at a glance, I can see where my turning points are and where I may have plot holes.

Storyboard made with colored index cards.

It's messy, but it gives you the general idea of my storyboard.

After examining the cards in light of my three-act structure, I fill in gaps, holes, deepen characterization, and play with the plot. For each card, I ask, “What if?” and try to come up with original reactions.

It’s easy to move things around, discard ideas that don’t work, and insert new plot points. Once I’ve settled on how the story should go, I tape the cards onto the board. If I think of questions or twists during writing, I just jot my notes on the cards.

Another option I’ve heard of is using a large whiteboard. Writers can draw the scenes on the board using different colors of dry erase markers. The notes are easy to erase and change.

Storyboarding the novel takes time

Some might feel that I’m wasting my time playing with cards. In actuality, I’m playing and replaying the different possible scenarios for my novel, and working out problems before I’ve written too many words. Once I’ve finished my storyboard, I’m ready to write. I stand the storyboard up next to my computer and get busy typing. At that point, things flow, and if I have time off work, such as in the summer or winter breaks, I can write a very rough draft of a first novel in two to three weeks. However, I’ve spent days or weeks ahead of time working it all out on the storyboard.

Once I have the first draft written, the cards come off the board, I file them away, and the storyboard goes back into the closet until I need it for the next novel.

This is a method that works for me. To me, it’s much easier than writing several thousand words and later having to toss them in the bin because of painting the character into an inescapable plot corner. Plus, I love being able to tote my storyboard from room to room with me, depending on where I want to write.

How do you plan a story? Do you have any tricks or tips to share? I’d love to read your comments.

Jan 4 2012

Inspiring Notes from the Universe

When Ellie James visited the TeacherWriter blog, she totally inspired me. One thing she mentioned at the end of her interview was Notes from the Universe. I took her advice, looked it up on Google, and found a site that sends personalized notes to subscribers every day. These notes are words of encouragement to keep us in tune with the Universe and help us realize the fulfillment of our goals and the best things we can enjoy in our lives.

I’m all about inspiration. In a world filled with pain and bad news, I don’t want to read more of the same. I tend to seek out the happy news, the good things that happen to people. Likewise, in my writing, I want my characters to be happy, which doesn’t make for the most exciting plot. So after I create whatever devastating plot problems I can think of for my characters, I give them a happy ending, the traditional HEA.

Notes from the Universe makes it easy for us to focus on the positive. I’ve signed up so that in 2012 each day will begin with a positive thought, hopefully one that will give me the gusto to get to my goals.

How about you? Are you doing anything new in 2012?

Dec 27 2011

The Writing Room of Ellie James

Today on the Writing Room Inspiration blog, we have multi-published author Ellie James. Yay! Her latest book, Shattered Dreams, was released in early December 2011. She’s inspiring with her positive outlook, she’s a busy mom, and she’s done some outright crazy stunts in her life. All I can say is keep her away from cliffs and castles, and hide your duct tape from her!

TeacherWriter: Ellie, I’m hoping for this to be a fun and friendly way for readers and writers to get to know a little more about you. So let your hair down and have fun answering the questions!

Please tell us a little about yourself. What types of things do you write?

One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever received was to write what you love—what intrigues you, fascinates, terrifies you, melts you, etc. That way you’ll always be excited about diving into your story world. For me, that’s a mix of mystery, suspense adventure, and strong relationships, whether they be romantic, friendships, or family-oriented. One of the best ways to describe myself is as a LOST girl. I absolutely loved everything about that show, even the fact that, often, I had no idea what was going on! The unexplained THRILLS me. And THAT vibe is exactly what I pursue with my own writing, whether it be Adult or Young Adult!!!

Do you have a schedule for writing?

Yes! And it’s far more structured than I’d like, I’m afraid! I’d love to wait for those divine lightning bolts to strike, however, with two young kids, my writing schedule revolves around school, carpool, and soccer games! Typically I’m hunkered down in my office by 9:45 in the morning, and I stay there until 1:45 in the afternoon. Instead of daily I have weekly page count goals, so if I don’t hit that goal M-F, I finish up on the weekends!

Do you have any writing rituals, such as music, food, clothes, or anything else to help you?

I’m all about rituals, from the orange/vanilla-scented candle to the music playing in the background (each book has its own playlist) and the cup of warm tea. I always warm up by reading what I wrote the day before to draw me back into the story, allow myself a little editing time, then dive into what comes next. Another piece of great advice from early on was to never stop writing at the end of a scene, because facing a brand new scene cold can often make it much tougher to get going.

Could you tell us about your writer’s space?

Most of the time I work from my office space in the upstairs of our house, with a big east facing window to my left and a door to the rest of the house to my right. Initially, I had my workspace situated so that my back was to the door, but I HATED that. I just never felt comfortable, kinda like I never feel comfortable in a restaurant if I’m not sitting with my back to a wall. I think maybe in a former life I was a warrior who met a grim fate through a sneak-attack from behind!

Anyway, I have to have my back to the wall—and I really, really prefer a neat and tidy workspace: for me, clutter in my office= clutter in my mind. However, with young kids, I’m constantly relocated stuffed animals and race cars!!!

Here’s what the floor of my office looked like as I approached the deadline for FRAGILE DARKNESS earlier this month!! Sometimes it really helps to sit down and spread everything out!

When planning my workspace, I consulted Feng Shui for paint color and ended up with a blue-green that is supposed to stimulate creativity. I also have an entire wall dedicated to inspirational sayings, such as Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars and Don’t believe everything you think!, as well as a display of my books.

And of course, there’s all the fun knick-knacks, such as the necklace on the cover of my YA novels and a replica of the Flat Iron building in NYC, where my publisher is located!!!

I love the your idea of the inspiration wall and keeping your knick-knacks out! The dragonfly necklace is gorgeous. Off the topic of writing, what is the zaniest, craziest thing you’ve ever done?

LOL!! Ummm….I have this problem. It’s called a Moon in Gemini, and it renders me completely incapable of making choices. I. Just. Can’t. (And trust me, my editor is well aware of this!!!!) There are sooo many crazy, zany things I’ve done, from breaking into a Scottish castle after hours to jumping off a 35-foot cliff, duct-taping my hands and feet together and jumping into a swimming pool to see if there was anyway to stay afloat (there WAS!) to…breaking into an abandoned amusement park. TWO of those four things were done in the name of book research—but I’m not saying which two!!!! And probably the funniest thing is…I’m a wimp. A total, stop at a stop sign in the middle of the night, middle of nowhere West Texas, wimp. But somehow, I still end up jumping off cliffs. Literally.

You certainly have a go-for-the-gusto side to your personality! Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us?

About three years ago, while I was sleep-deprived from caring for my preemie son (1 lb, 13oz at birth!!!!), I pulled myself from that hazy place between sleep and wakefulness, and would have sworn I’d just been watching a movie. Everything was so crisp and clear and vivid, the characters (a group of teens) and the setting (a haunted mansion in the historic Garden District of New Orleans), even the game the kids were playing (truth or dare). It was all just…THERE. I’d been writing adult romantic suspense for ten years (as Jenna Mills), so I was familiar with “seeing” scenes, but not only was that “movie in my mind” (MIMM) the most vivid I’d ever had, it was also the first time it featured teenagers!

Over the next week or so, I transferred that MIMM to paper, and the Midnight Dragonfly Series was born.

The ensuing weeks and months and years have been a journey I neither planned nor anticipated, but stepping into the world of my sixteen year old psychic heroine Trinity Monsour, and exploring her dreams and nightmares—dreams and nightmares that come true—has been the most thrilling, rewarding, and, yes, nerve-wracking experience of my writing career. I could not be happier, and can’t wait to see what comes next!!!!

That’s amazing how with everything else going on in your life, you had the inspiration for this series. Last of all, what advice would you give to other writers?

LOL! I’m a writer—and a mom! I’m all about advice. But, essentially, the bottom line is to be you. That is more important than anything. You’re the only you there is, and only you can write your book. Sure, every story can be written an infinite number of ways, and given the exact same beginning, middle, and ending, every writer would come up with something different. That’s what makes the world-and fiction—so special. The individuality.

I’ll conclude with this. Every morning I receive, via email, a Note From the Universe (Google it and SIGN up!!!) This morning’s note was this: Do it your way, Ellie. That’s what you’re here for.

And that’s what I’d say to every other writer out there: Do it your way. That’s what you’re here for.

Thanks so much for all your good advice, and for sharing your pictures, Ellie. I’m really excited to read Shattered Dreams. If the heroine is anything like you, it’s sure to be a wild read! Readers, here’s the book trailer for Shattered Dreams. It’s a fabulous video!

Find out more about Ellie James and her books at her awesomesauce author website.

Want to see more authors’ writing rooms? Check out Eileen Cook, on last week’s Writing Room Inspiration series.

Dec 21 2011

Three Words to Remember You Are an Amazing Artist

Writing fiction is an art form, no less admirable than painting, sculpting, carving, weaving, or any other artistic media. We paint word pictures, we sculpt new worlds, we carve out words, we weave story threads together into a beautiful creation, and we make words dance.

As writers, we owe it to ourselves to produce the most moving words possible. Whether we’re writing to persuade, to remember, to do homage to someone or something, or just to have a creative outlet, we are participating in an artistic endeavor. In order to write well, we need to stay creatively refreshed.

I sometimes get sidetracked, lost in the goals of word count, page count, or editing. But my end goal, no matter how fast or slow I get there, is to produce something that creates change in the reader.

The best writing, like any other art, creates an emotional response in a person. I would like my writing to be such that readers come away having discovered new insights and discoveries within themselves or the world around them. This can’t be forced.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith, was the first book to create a shift in my worldview. Many books have had an effect on me over the years, but I remember that one because I was very young when I read it, and it gave me a perspective on an entirely different lifestyle from my own. That’s what art can do for a person.

Going into 2012, some of my writing goals will be to respect my art and others’ art, nurture my inner creativity, and to be open to new possibilities. Last year I had a goal of being open to change and it gave me new opportunities I might not have accepted otherwise. I’ve decided to keep that goal for the coming year. My three words to remember for next year will be:

Respect
Nurture
Openness

These three things came to me after a thoughtful post by Charlotte Rains Dixon. Let’s keep what she started going. What three words will you choose for 2012?

Image by Geoffrey Kuchera

Dec 15 2011

Tips for Writers – Burgers, Burritos, Pastrami, and Your Author Brand

“Burger, Burritos, and Pastrami,” reads the sign in front of a newly opened restaurant in my town.

It’s a bit confusing. What do burgers, burritos, and pastrami have in common? What can we expect when we walk into this restaurant? In an interview, the owner said he wants to offer a little bit of everything to make everyone happy.

Certainly these are lofty goals. But are they practical? Probably not.

Create a Focused Author Brand

It’s the same with author branding, which I’ve written about on this blog from time to time. It’s important to know who our customers are, and cater to their tastes. There’s truth to the old adage, “You can’t please everyone all of the time.” Likewise the other adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

In other words, we need to decide who our audience is. Then we need to remember the first rule of writing: Write to the audience. If we write willy-nilly in many different genres, even though we might be tremendously talented, we might not be as successful as we’d be if we concentrated on one genre at a time.

Successful authors have a brand. They find a genre they’re good at, write in it, and write in it again and again to build customer loyalty. Think of Stephen King, Harlan Coben, and Norah Roberts. Do their genres come to mind upon hearing their names?

Once an author is successful in one genre, his name becomes synonymous with his brand. When an author chooses to write in another genre, he or she often uses a pen name. When Norah Roberts writes suspenseful mystery instead of romance, she uses the name J. D. Robb, a name synonymous with that genre.

How to Choose a Brand

In her book, Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz, aka WriterMama, gives solid advice on finding our own personal brands. She has a series of questions to answer to help zero in on what we want to be known for in our writing. It’s a discovery process that digs deep into who we are and what we are most passionate about.

In my early years of writing, I had no idea what brand I wanted. I was experimenting, trying out many different genres. My writing was burgers, burritos, and pastrami. Now at this point in my career, I’ve honed in on two things: academic writing and YA fiction. Since I have two areas I write in, I use two names. Suzanne Pitner is for the academic writing and educational articles, and Suzanne Lilly is for my fiction. TeacherWriter covers both facets of my writing personality.

It takes time to find a brand. It might even take years. It’s not something to rush, simply because it’s expected. As writers, we don’t have to make everyone happy all of the time. We only have to keep ourselves happy and our audiences happy so they’ll come back and buy another one of our books. Then the happiness circles back around as our sales trajectory points upward, not downward.

How about you? Have you decided on your brand? Would you like to share it in the comments?

Dec 7 2011

Tips for Writers – Building Your Social Network One Person at a Time

In this evolving publishing landscape, writers are encouraged daily to:

Build a platform!
Market books!
Create a brand!

I’m using exclamation marks because the message has begun to sound like carnival workers hawking their wares. “Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Be amazed! Come one, come all!”

But we’re not carnival workers, and our social networks aren’t one night stands. Lasting reader and writer relationships are based on the interests of our audiences.

This may seem daunting, especially when looking at other writers who have tremendous followings that rival those of a Hollywood star. It can be discouraging to look at a small following.

Image by Photostock at freedigitalphotos.net

The mistake in that kind of thinking is that we’re lumping everyone into a nebulous “following.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be thought of as a “following.” That sounds like something out of a science fiction novel. I want to be thought of as the person I am, the person who loves family, food, teaching, and writing. How about you? Are you more than a number?

The key word in social networks is social. The key to social lives is people. Let’s not forget our social networks are made up of people, individuals with feelings, hopes, dreams, and desires. These are people just like you and me. People all want similar things, and for most people, one of those things is to be noticed and acknowledged in a positive way.

I’ve come up with a few guidelines for building a social network based on what people desire. Yes, it’s touchy-feely, but that’s the kind of gal I am.

Remember that each follower is a person, not a number. When someone follows you or “likes” you, take a moment to thank them. Don’t use a generic thank you. See who they are, what they represent, read a few of their tweets or posts, and write a thoughtful note of appreciation or post a thoughtful note on their blog. This makes a big difference in people’s perception of you.
Be social and reach out to others. Visit other people’s blogs and pages. This can be managed through a reader. I use Google reader and it helps to keep the posts organized, but there are other readers to use. When a person opts into your social network, or comments on your blog, take the time to find out about them. Follow them if you like what you see. Check out other people who comment on blogs you read. This will extend your network.
Each person is valuable, even if they are small. Some people don’t follow a person back unless he or she has a huge following. But we don’t know what a person has to offer just by looking at numbers. Look at what that person is doing. Consider who he or she is, not just how many other people follow their blog or Twitter account.
Budget time to spend socializing regularly. It doesn’t have to be a large amount of time. Some people say they spend about 15-20 minutes per day. For those of us working full time, that may be all we can manage. Yet even small amounts of time, managed daily, will add up to big results. A novel isn’t written in a day. Social communities aren’t built in a day either.
Start small. Everything starts small. Steve Jobs started small. Walt Disney started small. They had a vision for what they wanted to do, and they did it, one piece at a time. Every little piece counts, like a brick in a wall. Every brick is valuable. Every person in your network is an important individual.
The golden rule in social networking is to give more than you receive. When you communicate, don’t talk at people, talk with them. Get to know them. No one likes to have ads blasted at them all the time. When we take a personal interest in people, chatting with them and engaging in conversations, it’s more likely we’ll have a meaningful network of friends and followers. A few loyal friends online is more valuable than thousands of nameless followers shouting ads at one another, don’t you think?

Did you like this post? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Nov 30 2011

Tips for Writers, How I Edit Smarter, not Harder

Image by Ivan Soares Ferrer at sxc.hu

Editing is one process that isn’t my favorite. Many writers say they love editing, and I often wonder if they’re serious or sarcastic, because for me, it’s such a tedious process. There are many different ways to edit, and I’m not here to tell you how to do it. I’m just going to share some of my tips that I’ve gathered over the years.

I truly believe the quote by Mark Twain in my blog header. He said, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Not to discriminate against words, mind you. None are truly bad. All words are inherently good, just some are in a place that’s not right for them. So like little weeds that have popped up where they don’t belong, the writer has to pull them out.

First, I create a checklist of what I’m editing. Having a focus helps me work smarter. I begin with the big focus, the storyline. I read the manuscript for plot and tension. I use cards and sticky notes to mark places where the plot has a hole or the tension is as tight as a gauzy curtain in a hurricane.

After plot and tension fixes, I edit for characterization and point of view. I love to head hop. My daughter might say it’s because I think I know everything, which might be true for many of us, but in writing, we’re not allowed to be in two characters’ minds in the same scene. I focus on the POV of each scene, then make sure my characters are consistent in their values and quirks throughout.

Now I start to winnow the words, a process I wrote about last week.

Those are the biggies. Once those are complete, I start with the line editing. I use AutoCrit, a web-based software program that checks for redundancies, clichés, overused words and phrases, and boring things like that. Some people do this by using the search function in their word processing programs. I don’t want to have to think about every word or phrase I might overuse, (I’m working smarter here,) so I let AutoCrit do the hard work. I still go through and line edit for my own personal bug-a-boos, but the bulk of it I do online.

The last thing I edit is formatting and grammar.

After that, the manuscript is ready to send out to beta readers and critique partners, all of whom find something I missed. Thank goodness for wonderful reading friends!

Finally, I do one more read through, out loud, and then I let it go. Sometimes the hardest part is saying to myself, “It’s ready. Send it out.”

Do you have any tips and tricks to share about your editing process?

Nov 28 2011

Honey Creek Books Blog Launch

Image by PhotoStock

It’s here.

The Honey Creek Books blog launch.

It’s happening right now, a new beginning of a new line of books, set in Honey Creek, Ohio.

Honey Creek Books is the imprint for my upcoming book Shades of the Future. I hope you’ll stop by this week to see what’s happening. This week each of the four authors will introduce themselves, one each day. We’ll be giving away books and goodies to readers who comment on posts, join or subscribe to the blog, or follow @HoneyCreekBooks on Twitter. You can win a signed copy in print or digital format of my anthology, Rapunzel’s Daughters. The other authors have wonderful freebies, too.

Don’t miss out on the fun! Honey Creek is a happening place. We’re building a community now, and I hope you’ll become a part of it. Each week the other three authors and I will tell you all about Honey Creek, the romance, and the stories. Each Friday I’ll update you on all the latest gossip, because what’s a small town without gossip?

When I began querying small publishers I found Turquoise Morning Press, (TMP), the publisher that handles the imprint for Honey Creek Books. It’s small but growing. They’ve been nothing but supportive. They have an author network of friendly, talented writers and the publishing team works double time to help produce and promote our books.

TMP hosts the blog, and they’re creating a book trailer to go along with the first Honey Creek Books. I’ll let you know when it’s available to view. I feel honored to be part of this new line of books and such an exciting publishing adventure. I’ll tell you all about my experiences as I go through the publishing process with them.

Here are the important linkylinks:

Honey Creek Books Blog

Twitter with @HoneyCreekBooks

Suzanne Lilly author page

Nov 23 2011

Tips for Writers, Winnowing the Words

Image from Wikipedia.org

During the writing process, especially if you’re in NaNoWriMo mode, you want to get the story out as fast as possible. The story comes out in a scatter shot, covering a wide area and pulling in all the details you can cover. After the writing process, comes the hard part of cutting. I call this winnowing the words.

My blog header has a quote by Mark Twain who said, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Crossing out the wrong words is harder than it sounds. But with attention to what you really want to say, you can winnow the words, throwing away the chaff, and keeping the golden grain.

In ancient civilizations, one way to winnow wheat was by standing on a large blanket on a breezy day and tossing a basket of wheat straight up in the air. The chaff is light, and floats away on the breeze. The wheat kernels are heavier, and they fall to the blanket. Everything gets nicely separated, and only the kernels that carry their weight are left. The rest isn’t needed.

It’s the same with words. You want to only keep the ones that carry their weight. These are the words doing the jobs of description, tension, and characterization. That’s why writing books always urge writers to use descriptive verbs and get rid of redundancies.

Here’s a simple example:

Lady Greene got up onto the horse. (Seven words.)

The first thing you might notice is the word up. Obviously, unless Lady Greene is the Jolly Green Giant’s wife, she’s going to move up when she gets on a horse. A new writer might wisely remove the word “up” changing the sentence to read:

Lady Greene got on the horse. (Six words.)

A more experienced writer will spot the use of a boring verb phrase, “got on” and change it further:

Lady Greene mounted the horse. (Five words.)

A talented writer might characterize the horse with a name such as Thunder or Lightning, or Daisy. (See how your mind picture of the horse changes with the name?)

Lady Greene mounted Thunder. (Four words.)

Fewer words, but the mind picture is clearer. That’s what winnowing the words is all about.

Of course, you don’t want to do this until your story is done. Let the words grow and ripen during the creative phase, then winnow the best and toss the rest.

This is just one part of what writers do when they edit. Next week, I’ll be sharing my entire editing process.

TeacherWriter

"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." ~~~Mark Twain

Category Archives: Writing Tips

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