Katie Bartlett, Author

Break Time

With all the social networking tools available today, it’s hard to find time to do work.  By the time I’ve finished updating my status on Facebook and read through the 1000 tweets since yesterday at 11pm when I go to bed and scanned my Google reader for exciting new blog posts, my free time is done. 

So I took a break – from everything – even my own blog.  I just didn’t have the time to do it all and writing my novel had to take priority.  One of the editors at the RUCCL conference I attended spoke pretty passionately about the evils of social networking for a new writer.  Contrary to some of the beliefs at the conference, she stated a new writer should be doing one thing and one thing only – writing. 

I don’t fully agree – there are some benefits to the social networking.  For example, writers share information on which agents are open to submissions or what a certain publisher is looking for.  You can learn about great conferences or seminars.  But, to validate her point, when I cut the social marketing out of my life, man was I productive!  All that time, spent on writing.  What a treat!  I didn’t realize what I had been missing (meaning writing time, real writing time) until it was back.

So now that I’m back “online” I’m going to try to balance a little better.  Maybe check the tweets and Facebook updates on a weekly basis, you know, something in between never and obsessively.  But the priority will continue to be the writing.  I hope.

Every time I attend a writing seminar I come across another list of word use “dos and don’ts”.  I’ve compiled a list of the don’ts and thought I would share it with you.  If your manuscript is riddled with these terms, you’ve labeled yourself an amateur.  Tough as it may be, removing the offensive word will tighten your work.  Test yourself and replaced what you find with flowing description of your own.

Run, don’t hesitate, and delete the following:

• Any adverb (ly)
• Felt, knew, heard, realized, appeared, saw, looked

I’ve heard some editors claim they throw out any manuscript that has the word felt in the first fifty pages.  I kid you not.

Even the best works include the following, but use them as infrequently as possible.

• Any form of the verb “to be”
• There is / There are
• And the below extended list

Here is me when I began this process two years ago:  

My writing is flawless. I don’t need help with my writing, I need help getting published.  A critique group is a waste of time, especially if the group is a bunch of non-professionals.  Who cares what their opinion is?  It’s so subjective, right? What I really need to focus on is writing more, not reworking the same piece.

Right.

Try again.

Listen to the feedback I’ve received recently and tell me if it isn’t priceless. 

• “I found this portion of the chapter very tidy…my predominant suggestion is with regard to style.  At times, you substitute generalities for concrete actions or words.”  She’s right.  I did.
• “I found, at points indicated, that you slip into passages of ‘telling’.  Generally, your dialogue is strong enough to convey these ideas without the need for further elaboration.”   Right, I didn’t trust my reader or myself.
• “This confused me because I didn’t think she was around her cottage, and that they were far from it.  I’m lost geographically here.”  Totally messed up on that one.
• “This chapter flowed nicely, but quickly.  I wanted more time in the camp.  That part went really fast and didn’t seem as memorable as other parts.”  I hadn’t made a decision about the camp’s role and she caught me.
• “I’m a little confused about Etienne.  I’d like to know where he stands in the power structure.”  Ahhh…well, me too.  Better clarify that.
• “The only area I had a hard time with was the explanation of the government.  I still don’t understand the Oracle’s actual role or the Royals.  They seem symbolic, but that doesn’t work with her physical power.”  Another inconsistency was rooted out!
• “Now I’m confused.  Where is she going?  I thought she was going home.  Earlier, the changed landscape made her nervous, but I haven’t seen a shift in her emotions.”  Right, I had the wrong emotional cues.
• “These both say the same thing.”  Right, delete.
• “This is important, but also abrupt.  Anna’s being challenged / threatened and this pulls the focus from the situation.”  Right, lost my tension.

Every time I wavered, they caught me.  My writing is so much tighter because of their input.  Can you imagine if I had submitted the first draft of this novel?  My main character would have been lost, confused, completely relaxed, and saying the same thing over and over.  Bad news.

So, if you think you don’t need help, think again.  We writers write in a bubble, but we need to edit in a group.  Trust me on this.  You’ll save yourself a lot of time and anguish later if you just find a critique group now.