A STORY IS A PROMISE

In A STORY IS A PROMISE, Bill Johnson examines the right way to open a story. And that’s important information to have. But as a PitchWars mentor, I’ve read hundreds of opening chapters and find that the same kinds of mistakes show up time and time again. With that in mind, I’ve put together a handy checklist of several ways to avoid writing the wrong opening. Ready? Let’s go!

The story starts in the wrong place

Occasionally, the story starts too late. When this occurs, the reader doesn’t have enough information to understand what is happening and/or they don’t have enough information to care about the main character. Most often, stories start too early, burdening the reader with pages and pages of material that don’t signal where the story is going or drive it forward in a meaningful way. (The best way to know if you’ve started in the right place? Share your work with critique partners and beta readers.)

The story lacks emotional resonance

There may be all sorts of exciting, dangerous, or even sad things happening in your story. But if we don’t know how these plot points impact the main character on a personal level, it makes it hard for us to buy into their journey. Give us a reason to care.

The story lacks tension

It’s easy to mistake tension for drama or action. Consequently, readers who are writing quiet (character-driven) stories sometimes mistakenly believe that their stories don’t need tension. But tension is what drives a story. Tension doesn’t have to mean running from bad guys or a storm brewing on the horizon. Tension means that there is some type of conflict—which can be internal, external, or both––driving the story forward. Otherwise, there is no reason for the reader to keep turning the pages.

The writer tries to play coy

Writers often try to hook the reader by dangling a carrot in front of them—referring to an incident that they assume will pique the reader’s curiosity and make them want to continue turning the pages. But often, these carrots confuse the reader and they end up setting the book aside. The line between hooking the reader and confusing them can be a very difficult one to walk, and CPs and beta readers play a crucial role in helping the writer get it right.

Too much backstory

If you’ve followed the PitchWars hashtag for any length of time, this is one that you’ve undoubtedly seen come up again and again. Don’t make the mistake of bogging down your opening pages with tons of information that the reader “has to have” to understand the story—if they really, truly have to have all of that information, then you’ve probably opened your story in the wrong place. But the chances are, the reader doesn’t need nearly all the information you’ve stuffed into your opening. Cut most of it, and leave only that which the reader absolutely cannot move forward without. (How do you know if you have the right balance? CPs and beta readers, of course. Noticing a theme here?)

First Day of School Syndrome

Stories that open on the first day of school are extremely common. As such, it’s exceptionally difficult to write a scene that feels fresh and engaging. The same goes for opening with dreams (in addition to signaling that you are a new writer, this technique causes the reader to feel like the writer has pulled a bait and switch, and they lose trust in the writer. Don’t take that risk). Another opening mistake along these lines—having the character gaze into a mirror. Find a more original way to convey the MC’s appearance.

Make sure your story doesn’t fall into any of the common opening traps, and you’ll be several steps closer to writing a solid opening that delivers on its promise to the reader. (Hopefully you’ve also walked away from this with a sense of how important critique partners are to the writing process. More about that here.)

Happy writing!

Posted by: Jessica Vitalis

A jack of all trades, JESSICA VITALIS worked for a private investigator, owned a modeling and talent agency, dabbled in television production, and obtained her MBA at Columbia Business School before embracing her passion for middle grade literature. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where she divides her time between chasing children and wrangling words. Her debut novel, NOTHING LIKE LENNON, is currently out on submission. She’s represented by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch and would love to connect on Twitter or at www.jessicavitalis.com

Self-editing Checklist

by Brighton Walsh

As hundreds of hopefuls are gearing up for #PitchWars this week, there has been lots of editing talk on the feed. How much is too much? How do you know when to stop? What’s the best use of your time (hint: it’s not #PimpMyBio)? What should you focus on first?

This year, I created a catch-all post on my blog that has many different topics listed—everything from crafting a synopsis, to getting rid of crutch words, to a cheerleading post encouraging you to keep on keepin’ on. But the posts I want to focus on are some of the self-editing tips I’ve included, and add a few more to the list.

While it’s true that mentors are not looking for perfection in the manuscripts that come our way, why not give your manuscript a leg up if you can? Here’s the real truth: I’m going to have my mentee do this homework anyway. So if it’s already done? Bonus points for you! That means that on a MS that maybe has more structural issues—deep edits that may take long enough to complete to make me nervous—but already has all this detail work done, I wouldn’t be hesitant to take it on with the short two-month revision period. Not like I may if it needed deep work and needed an editing overhaul. Make sense? You doing the work ahead of time means we have more opportunity to get into the thick of things and focus on Big Issues.

There are so many subjective reasons for mentors (and agents and editors) to say no. Why give them an objective reason to do so?

So how do you do this? I have a handy checklist I go through every time I finish a manuscript. The good news is the more you write and edit using said checklist, the more of a habit you’ll build, and these edits will start to come out while you’re writing instead of after the fact.

Only my mentees have gotten this checklist, but I’m going to share with you all because I like you and because you stopped by and checked out my blog post. And because you’re all submitting to me anyway. Right?

Read aloud

This is a great place to listen for awkward phrasing, clunky word choices or sentence structure, or unrealistic/stiff dialogue.

Spell check

Seems like a no brainer, but you wouldn’t believe how many people don’t do this.

Check chapter headings for consistency

Not just in numbers (1-20+, not skipping any), but in naming (Chapter 1, Chapter One, One, etc).

Find and cut your filter words

I have been preaching on this since I jumped on the feed this year. Upload your MS into wordle.net (you have to have Flash player installed, I believe, so if it’s not working, try that). Your biggest words are the ones you use the most. They’re probably back, just, then, really, quite, etc, and your MC names. Yes, even the names need to get slashed. You probably don’t need half of them.

Find and replace your distancing words

Doing this will give you stronger sentences which will in turn make your MS tighter. Felt, heard, saw, noticed, thought, realized, looked are all words that distance the reader from your MC. Find every sentence that has them and figure out a different, more powerful way to craft that sentence without it.

Adjective check

How many times do you classify your hero’s eyes with something pretty and poetic? His ocean eyes. His whiskey eyes. His rainforest eyes. How about your heroine’s hair? Her mahogany hair. Her long, flowy hair. You get my point. Mention it once, maybe twice, and then they’re just eyes/hair/skin/whatever. I know the descriptions are pretty. But they still need to go.

Adverb check

I’m putting this in here because some writers abuse this and use way too many. But I’m gonna let you in on a secret: I love them and I use them. That said, if you have fifteen on a page, you need to cull. Do a search for –ly and find them, then make sure you can’t replace it with a stronger verb.

Redundant actions

You don’t need to say she shrugged her shoulders or he nodded his head. She shrugged. He nodded.

Search and delete exclamation points

They’re overused and generally not even needed. Here’s a tip: Find and replace them all with a period. Then when you do a final read through, see what ones you need to add back in. There probably won’t be many.

Creepily moving body parts

His hands roamed over her body. Her eyes rolled. Anchor them to a person and reword for a stronger sentence.

There's your handy dandy self-editing checklist! Now that you have it, are you worried you don’t have enough time to get this done before the submission window closes? I don’t believe that, unless you’re a single parent working three jobs. (In which case, kudos to you. You’re amazing.) You have time. Use it to deliver the strongest MS you can.

Four Qualities of Good Writing

by Susan Gray Foster

What are the fundamental qualities of good writing?

Many years ago, as a brand new student teacher, I discovered at the last moment that I would be teaching creative writing to at-risk teens at an alternative high school. Luckily, I stumbled across a text called WRITING PROCESS ACTIVITIES KIT by Mary Lou Brandvik. This curriculum (now long out of print) promotes utilizing steps of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, and presenting), and emphasizes four key qualities of good writing.

The book focuses primarily on writing personal narratives (true short stories from students’ own lives), but these fundamental qualities apply to many types of writing, and definitely to writing fiction. I learned so much teaching these qualities to student writers. And now that I am teaching again, it’s a continual refresher course as I witness how powerful writing can be when it exhibits these qualities.

Have a guess—what are four fundamental qualities of good writing?

Focus

One is focus. In writing personal narratives, students are encouraged to focus on one particular time, experience, memory, and to make the reader “see” it. Instead of vague generalizations such as, “I love my mom and I’m really going to miss her,” focusing on a particular moment and experience can produce something like this brief passage from one my favorite YA novels, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, by Stephanie Perkins:

My mother lingers behind. “You’ll have a wonderful year here,” she says. “I just know it.” I bite my lip to keep it from quivering, and she sweeps me into her arms. I try to breathe. Inhale. Count to three. Exhale. Her skin smells like grapefruit body lotion.

Focusing on this small moment allows the reader to experience it right along with the main character, and to feel what she is feeling.

Specific Details

Another quality of good writing that is beautifully illustrated by the above passage is use of specific details. Specific verb choices such as “lingers” and “sweeps” help us picture the scene. Specific details make characters, worlds, thoughts, and emotions come alive. Bonus points for use of sensory details, which are specific details pertaining to the perceptions of our five senses—not just the sense of sight, which most of us tend to naturally rely on and use most frequently in our writing. Including details that the other senses perceive—such as the scent of “grapefruit body lotion” can have a powerful impact.

Showing

A third quality of good writing, one that is often discussed and sometimes causes confusion for fiction writers, is showing, rather than telling. Writing that is focused and uses specific details already has a high probability of showing, not telling. Writing that shows puts a picture in the reader’s mind, engages the reader, and makes them feel emotions right along with the characters(s) in the story. In the passage above from ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, specific details about Anna’s body language convey that she is on the verge of tears without ever having to name an emotion. Often if we check our writing for words that name emotions, such as happy, angry, or jealous, we can find opportunities to replace these words and show the reader what the character is feeling, using specific details, rather than naming that emotion. Similarly, checking writing for “filter words”—such as think, feel, wonder, remember—can help us find places where we can show the reader our character’s thoughts and feelings, rather than telling the reader about them. This is not to say that these filter words should never appear in a manuscript, but that they may signal places where we can make our writing better, stronger, more powerful by showing rather than telling.

Honesty

Finally, a quality of good writing is honesty. The idea of honesty in writing—particularly honesty in fiction—often caused confusion and discussion in my classroom. No, honest writing does not mean that everything one writes must be factual or that one must record events and dialogue exactly as they occur. So, how can a fictional story be honest? By expressing honest thoughts, feelings, and behavior that is true to the human experience. Even in way-out-of-reality sci fi and fantasy, writing is often at its most powerful because of honesty. And moments when we convey true, honest thoughts, feelings, or behaviors—ones that are not pretty or heroic or glamorous—are often the moments in a novel that evoke the most powerful emotions, or the biggest laughs. Those honest expressions of humanity are what readers connect with most strongly. We recognize our own human frailties and flaws and relate to them, sympathize and empathize with them. And this can lead to a powerful, unforgettable connection with a character and their story.

In this passage from another one of my YA favorites, ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell, Park realizes something unflattering about himself: Park rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow. He’d thought he was over caring what people thought about him. He’d thought that loving Eleanor proved that.

But he kept finding new pockets of shallow inside himself. He kept finding new ways to betray her.

This honest recognition of ugly qualities within himself feels so real, so authentic, so believable, and it makes the reader connect with him powerfully and makes his love for Eleanor feel even more authentic and strong. No wonder ELEANOR AND PARK is loved by so many readers.

Remembering and continually refreshing our awareness of these four fundamental qualities of good writing—focus, specific details, showing-rather-than-telling, and honesty—can help make our writing not only good, but powerful.

Please comment below if you have thoughts or questions on qualities of good writing and how to put them into practice!

Five Tips for Writing Bridges Between Scenes

I was talking to a fellow writer a while back and they were saying how they found it hard to get through the "sludge" part of writing. You know, the bits in between the action or quirky bits or cool bits or fun character bits, etc. And it got me thinking...do these bits have to be sludge? Do they have to just be a bridge to get from place A to place B? I don't think so.

We all hear about making every word, sentence, paragraph count, but sometimes it can feel like creating a road map between interesting cities with long stretches of boring, necessary road in between. However, if you think it's boring to write (or just sludgy) then what is a reader going to think? Pretty much the same, I bet.

So how do you go about making all these little bits in between interesting points fun to write? Here are my top five tips:

1) Don't write them at first. Put in a note that reminds you how the scenes will come together and then get back to those parts later.

2) Once you've done that and your first draft is finished, then sit down and let your story stew in your head (this is what the time away from your novel is all about).

3) As you stew, think about the world, the characters, the premise, etc - what does it mean to you? How could you show this in really quirky ways unique to your world and your story? Think about all the things that excite you in the details and use these on the "roads" between big scenes to keep it fresh and exciting.

4) Think outside the box. When you think of one bridge to write, discard that idea. And the second idea, and the third, fourth and fifth. When you hit upon idea five on how to improve writing these sludgy bits, then there's your answer - you've challenged your mind to be more creative.

5) Ask yourself why it's sludgy. Then think about the subtext of your novel and how you can weave in the equivalent of an "insider's joke". Of course, it doesn't have to be funny things, it can be anything. Look at the Harry Potter books, for example, which have extremely well hidden yet fascinating hidden messages in them. Take symbolism for example: do you like adding little symbolism flourishes that only the most discerning of readers would ever find? Do you get a kick out of well-hidden clues? Well, these sludgy bits are where you can play around and put these things in. And this applies to every aspect of the writing craft - theme, character development, world building, structure. Take each element and find what excites you about it, and then use it to your advantage to spice up those sludgy parts!


For some reason, a lot of writers think there needs to be parts to trudge through in order to get to the "real" story that they want to write. But it doesn't have to be this way. Just give yourself permission to go wild, think laterally, dig deep into what makes you enjoy the journey, and then your readers will enjoy it, too.

So go forth and turn that sludge into pure gold!!!

Mental Pitch Wars Prep

I know at this point you’re going to get a lot of information in regards to what to do with your manuscript, query, synopsis, etc. It will flood your senses, and some of it might be contradictory. That’s kinda the way of the publishing world because it’s so subjective. Some people like things one way, while others prefer another. Even so, considering how much of it’s actually going to be out there, I thought I’d prep you in a different area.

Preparing yourself emotionally for Pitch Wars.

Yup. Whether you get in or not, it’s an emotional roller coaster. There will be ups, downs, lefts, rights, spin arounds, and more.

It’s okay to feel sad—but don’t be a dick about it.

It’s okay to be mad—but don’t be a dick about it.

It’s okay to be ecstatic you got in—but don’t be a dick about it.

Are you sensing a theme here? In the past few years there have always been people who flip out when something doesn’t go their way. It sucks when that happens. I get it, but a lot of people put time, effort, sweat, blood, and tears into this competition—and I’m not talking about the mentees. You guys are awesome, but man, it takes so much to be on the other side, as a mentor, or better yet, as the contest creator—Brenda Drake.

Writer’s tend to be emotional people—and this is an emotional business, but if you want to survive in this business, you need to learn how to be a professional. That means no tantrums on social media, no bashing the mentors or creator, no secretly waging silent armies in hopes of destroying something good, all because something didn’t go your way.

The first thing to remember is that, even if you don’t get picked, that doesn’t mean you suck. Maybe your manuscript isn’t ready. Maybe a mentor would love to take it on, but there’s too much to be done in the time they’re allotted. Maybe it’s too good. Yes, it can be too good. Mentor’s can look at a manuscript, love it, and have no idea how to make it better.

So, as sort of Debbie downer as this might sound.

Prepare yourself ahead time. Prepare yourself emotionally for the good and the bad. There’s plenty of both to go around. Join in with the community. They will help lift you up. They will become your best friends and new critique partners. They will swap queries and first chapters—and it’s beyond amazing. I met my best writer friends while participating in Pitch Wars two years ago.

I didn’t get in by the way. I wasn’t even an alternate. I wasn’t even considered by anyone I submitted to, so if you’re thinking:

“Well, she got in. She doesn’t know what it’s like to be rejected.”

Hit the buzzer cause you’re wrong. I NEVER got into a competition—but what I learned from each one, was absolutely invaluable—and there is so much to learn. If you let that happen, it will improve your query, your pitch, your manuscript, and more than likely, your chances of being published. Sometimes, it’s not all about getting into the competition. The parties that happen before hand? It’s like a huge tailgate party for writers with a plethora of information for you to absorb. Enjoy. Have a drink if that’s your thing. Play the games, get to know people.

Regardless what happens, good or bad—it’s okay to have feelings. It’s okay to cry, jump for joy, and get frustrated. This industry is so subjective. It's got so many ups and downs. It's okay to react. To feel.

Just don’t be a dick about it.

Working with an Editor

I've been an editor for a number of years now and have had the honour of working with so many fantastic, talented, amazing authors from all over the world that I consider myself extremely privileged. And I like to think that most of those I've worked with have got as much raw, green, high-in-oxidants, low-in-saturated-fats goodness from our working relationship as me.

Sadly, I don't think all writers, or editors, can say the same. Which is just horrible, but this doth maketh moi more determined.

However, I'm going to cut to the chase ...

There are two things I make crystal to any author I work with:

a) I am a professional, here to help, not hinder, or put down, or destroy, or mock. I am your fan, your cheerleader, your support. Use me, my skills, my expertise, BUT ... I will be honest, always.  

b) And you've got to be prepared to improve and work on your manuscript. It's highly unlikely I will come back to you after two weeks and say, 'It's perfect, don't change a thing'. You're paying me to pick your story to pieces and make sure it's absolutely water tight and the best it can possibly be. I will destruct, but I will teach you to construct. So, on receipt of an edited manuscript and report, the first emotion you might feel is OVERWHELM OVERLOAD.

Yeah, it can be a major shock to the system, and when considering how much effort and time might have to go into the rewrite, not to mention how much you've already put into your story, this often sends authors packing. Writing is easy. Writing well and producing an irresistible peach of a book is most definitely not.  

I know many (me included) writers who've cried, stamped on their edited manuscript, thrown it in the trash, cried, vowed never to write again, sobbed, scribbled all over it, cried again, been convinced the editor is out of their mind, cried ... OK, you get the picture.

 

But you know what, it's perfectly fine to react this way. Writing is an emotional beast. However, I implore you to come out the other side of this tantrum fighting, pumped and roaring for success. You and your editor are about to team up to create the next NY Times bestseller!

So, to build on Kara's blog earlier this week on how to find a reputable freelance editor, here are a few tips to consider before, during and after you work with them ...

1. Your manuscript, that story you've bled out from the deepest part of your soul, is your baby. You cherish it. You love it. And so should your editor. They should treat you and it with nothing but respect. One thing I will never do, and no editor anywhere ever should ever do, is tell an author their book is dreadful or any element unsurmountable. Because, quite frankly, this is never ever the case. OK, some books might need more work than others, but every one has the potential to be a work of art, and every author has the potential to be a quality craftsman. Consider that editor lucky you picked them.

2. An editor's time is precious, their skills invaluable, so make sure before you even send your work to them you've done all you can to make your book as good as you can. The internet is golden for seeking out writing articles and websites (much like this one!) that give you so much amazing advice to hone your writing, make sure you abuse it. And find critique partners. You won't believe how many writers out there like you need someone like you.

3. You're paying a lot of money for a professional to help you be better at what you love. Make sure you research them; speak with their previous clients, look at their success rate, check them out on social media and so on. And, a lot of editors offer a sample edit – maybe 1000 words or similar. Use this as a chance to see if you like their style and can handle what's to come.

4. You don't necessarily have to sign a contract with the editor, but you should receive some kind of email or document outlining what you're paying for and most definitely that your work will be treated confidentially. If they don't offer one, ask for one or discuss such things via email. Then keep those emails. I doubt there are any editors out there who will steal or share your work, but be sure to cover yourself.

5. You agree a rate, a date, and an outline. You send your manuscript to your editor. You wait one, two, maybe three weeks (depending on the word count of your book and whether they work full or part time) until your editor returns everything to you. During this waiting time, work on something new, or take a holiday, or read. Time and distance are the most powerful weapons during edits.

6. On receipt of your documents, take your time to read and devour everything. An editor will not rewrite your book for you, they will show you the way. Once you've read through, maybe take more time out to let all the information fester – who doesn't love a good fester? Or, if you're not one for sitting about, take out a notepad and jot down ideas. Play around with their suggestions. Look up more info on the internet or read published books in the same category and genre to support their suggestions. Try not to dive straight into revisions. Again: Time and distance are the most powerful weapons during edits.

7. Work through any suggested developmental edits first, concentrating on plot threads, structure and characterisation, your story skeleton, the cogs, the mechanics. These tend to lead to major changes to the manuscript, which in turn affects the acute elements. Once you're confident your story is solid and your characters are literally alive, then work through paragraph by paragraph focusing on sentence structure, show don't tell, punctuation, grammar, and that final injection of detailed characterisation and plot layering, and that all important final sprinkling of glittery fairy unicorn dust.

8. Put your manuscript away. Again: Time and distance are the most powerful weapons during edits.

9. Did your editor offer a follow-up read? Not many do, this is a big commitment, but perhaps recontact the editor you used and ask them how much they charge, if they do at all, to read through your squeaky, polished manuscript. Or find another editor, or other authors to do this for you. You need eyes, as many as you can find, and preferably not ones that belong to family and friends.

10. Keep the big picture in mind and enjoy yourself.

Remember why you wanted to write in the first place, and why you contacted the editor. To be better. To improve. To become published. Whatever, just keep focused on the goal. Some genius somewhere once said, 'It takes years to be an overnight success'.

 

I am always happy to answer questions from prospective clients, or simply those seeking snippets of advice. Please leave a comment or a question, or email me at contact@katejfoster.com if there's anything you want to know!

Tips for Finding a Reputable Freelance Editor

Whether you've just finished your first draft or you're days away from jumping into the query trenches, at some point during this journey, you'll have the need for an editor. Reasons for needing a professional editor is another post for another time, but suffice it to say, everyone needs an editor. And contrary to popular belief, you cannot edit your own work. Nor can your husband, wife, significant other, sister, best friend, high school English teacher, or anyone else who is close to you. While their intentions may be pure, chances are good they won't be 100% honest with you because they won't want to hurt your feelings. And let's face it -- no writer can grow without honest, helpful feedback. So, you need a professional editor :)

The process of finding an editor can be daunting. Where do you even begin? The first step is to build a list of potential editors, much like you'd build a list of agents you'd want to query. But, how do you find an editor? Better yet, how do you find a good one?

• Ask for Referrals -- Word of mouth is always the best marketing tool. Ask friends and/or fellow writers for recommendations. 
• This Blog! -- A lot of the super talented PitchWars Mentors are also freelance editors. Check out their websites (links on the sidebar) and see if any of them fit your needs. 
• Twitter -- A majority of freelance editors will advertise their services on Twitter, using the most common hashtags: #amwriting #amediting #Editor #editing #editingfiction. Some editors will even advertise on the popular contest hashtags: #PitchWars #PitMad #AdPit, etc. 
• Facebook -- If you type "fiction editors" into the search bar, you'll get a whole list of groups and pages where you can connect with editors. 
• Google -- Simply Googling "fiction editors" will give you so many options, you'll get lost in all the results.
• Craigslist -- This is probably a long shot, but sometimes you can find editors there. 

All right, so now that you've got a list of potential editors, it's time to research them. You wouldn't send your book baby off to an agent or publisher without first knowing a bit about them and their qualifications, right? It's exactly the same with a freelance editor -- only now you have the added element of handing over your hard earned cash, too.

1. Online Presence -- Look over their website. (Do they even have a website?) Do they have rates listed? Services offered? Testimonials? Qualifications? Social media links? Check them out on Twitter and Facebook. Do they conduct themselves in a professional manner? Do they share things or post things that make you uncomfortable? If so, they're probably not a good fit for you.

2. Qualifications -- Ask for a resume. See what sort of experience they have. Do they have any formal training? College? Working at a publisher? Working within an agency? Any prior jobs that utilized editorial skills? A record of editing / mentoring writers who have then gone on to find agents, publishers, win awards? If their only experience is beta reading for friends, proceed with caution.

3. References --  Ask for a list of clients they've edited for in the past. Reach out to those authors. Ask them about their experiences, and whether they have or would hire the editor again in the future. If any of the books the editor has edited have been published, go check them out on Amazon. Use the "Look Inside" feature to see the quality of editing; read the reviews to see if readers are commenting on poor editing.

4. Free Sample -- Most reputable editors will offer a "free sample," usually the first 5 or 10 pages. This allows you to see how the editor works and gauge if s/he will be a good fit for you and your work.

5. Specialties -- Editors generally have certain genres they prefer to edit. Ask what those genres are. You don't want to inadvertently hire an erotica editor for your YA or vice versa.

6. Services Offered vs. Needs -- If you're looking for a deep content edit, you don't want to hire an editor who specializes in copy edits. Be sure you know what you need / want and then find an editor who can provide those services.

7. Prices -- Every editor charges different rates. Some charge per word. Others per page. Others by the hour. There's no law or rule that regulates how much an editor should charge, however, the Editorial Freelancers Association is a good place to start looking at what the going rates are. If an editor charges way below or way above these rates, you may want to ask why. And, obviously, you'll want to find an editor who fits within your budget. Just remember: You always get what you pay for!

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you find an editor you're excited to work with, someone you can see becoming a friend in your journey toward publication. Is there anything else you do when searching for an editor? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!

Wielding Words like a Warrior

Words are gorgeous, glorious things. They have the power to convert, uplift, tear down, and shatter. They have the ability to evoke strong images and emotions that leave us blubbering messes for days. They also have the gift of hope, nestled between the folds of their robes.  

As wielders of words, we have amazing power at our fingertips!

When I’m writing my first drafts, I try to focus on the characters and the story. I’m still careful with word choice, but I don’t let my inner editor take over. If I can’t find the right word immediately, I use a stand-in.

But when it’s time to revise? That’s where the real magic happens.

Here are some tips to help you shine those words until they are the best, most powerful words they can be.

Choose active verbs

As you read through your manuscript, pay attention to verbs you’re using. Weak verbs can water down your fabulous characters and plot, while strong, active ones can create powerful images with fewer words.  

Consider variations of the verb to walk: gait, pace, tread, amble, stroll, hike, march, saunter. Each of these offers a different visual. Someone who is marching has a very different aim than someone who is strolling.

On a similar note, to be and to have verbs (e.g. is, was, were, has, had, have) tend to water down the images. They’re not wrong and at times they can be perfectly good and necessary. But if you’ve got a page full of these, you’re cheating your reader from a visceral experience.

And verbs like see, feel, and hear process sensory descriptions for your reader, also telling instead of showing. Again, a handful throughout the manuscript is fine, but too many close together can be problematic. Consider the following:

Maria saw an endless ocean in front of her and cool water pooling at her feet. She smelled the saltiness in the air. She heard the waves crashing against the shore. (31 words)

Now consider this revision:

Maria ambled to where the cool water pooled around her feet. The salty ocean spray lingered in the air and the waves crashed against the shore. (26 words)

If Maria is at the scene and we’re in her POV, then we know she’s the one seeing, smelling, hearing. We don’t need to be told as well.

Avoid wordiness…

As shown in the above examples, weak verbs and verbs that process sensory descriptions lend themselves to wordiness. The more concise you can be, the better! Using two or more words for something that could be said in one adds mileage to your word count and zaps power from your writing. You want every single word to count.

Some ways to combat wordiness is to comb through your manuscript for places where you’re being redundant or where there are too many words strung together to say something simple. Read it aloud, too. This helps catch wordiness your might miss when reading silently.

Consider the following:

Maria fell onto the bed exhausted, having stayed up until three in the morning. “I’m so tired,” she moaned. “I’m never going to wake up tomorrow.” (26 words)

And then consider a more concise version:

It was three in the morning when Maria collapsed on her bed. “I’m never going to wake up tomorrow.” (19 words)

“Three in the morning” and “collapsed” show exhausted. There’s no need for her to also say “I’m so tired” and by cutting out some of the words, we’ve reduced the word count by 7. Sometimes, we fall into a trap of redundancy without even realizing it. Consider for example, the following:

She nodded her head.

You can only nod your head, so “her head” is redundant and wordy. Removing these takes two words off your word count!

Passive voice can also lend itself to wordiness. Passive voice is when the subject is receiving the action instead of doing the action. It will make use of a past participle verb form and will often have “by” introducing the noun or noun phrase doing the action. For example, consider this sentence:

Maria was driven to the doctor by her mother. (9 words)

Here, Maria is receiving the action (she’s being driven) and “by” introduces what should be the subject (her mother). And we see the past participle “was driven.” Changing this to Her mother drove Maria to the doctor removes 2 words from that phrase. It doesn’t seem a lot, but if you’re counting, we’ve eliminated 16 words in the examples here. Do this page after page and you’ll have a tighter manuscript.

…and excess adverbs

Stephen King has famously said, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Adverbs are not inherently bad. They serve a function: to describe a verb. The problem with adverbs, however, is that they tend to tell what can be better shown and they tend to be overused. Too many adverbs too close together becomes wordy. Instead of relying on an adverb to tell the reader, aim for stronger verbs and more vivid nouns.

Consider the following:

Albert walked nervously.                                VS                    Albert paced.

Susan spoke loudly.                                        VS                    Susan shouted.

Lola wept bitterly.                                          VS                    Lola wept. “It’s not fair!”

Sometimes, you might add a handful more words, as in the case of example #3 above. This is not a bad thing so long as the result is a stronger image and the usage is as sparse as it can be.

Quality vs quantity

At the end of the day, your focus when revising should be on the quality of words and not the quantity. Your words should serve your characters and plot, and they should be wielded with precision. Avoiding filler words like adverbs and other qualifiers as much as possible will lead to stronger, tighter manuscripts.  And software like ProWritingAid.com can help with strengthening your story at the sentence level.

Happy writing (& revising)!