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Someone said that creating a good book is ten percent writing and ninety-percent editing. These statistics may or may not be true. While I try to write my first draft as fast as I can to let the story flow, I certainly spend a lot of time polishing my manuscripts before sending them to an editor. Let me pass on to you the ten commandments I learned from editors, successful authors, mentors or workshop instructors:
1-Hook your reader with your best first sentence, first
paragraph, first page. (Mary Buckham)
2-Leave
your reader in suspense with a grabbing hook at the end of each scene and
each chapter. ( Mary Buckham again)
3-Avoid introspection
in the first three chapters or first fifty pages. (Donald Maass)
4-Stay in the present. I still hear the late and
wonderful Kate Duffy repeating: “Stay in the present. Don’t tell me the
back story of your characters. Let us discover it through their actions as
the story develops.”
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| BABIES IN THE BARGAIN |
5-Show, don’t tell. A reviewer made my day when he
posted a review of my sweet and spicy, medical romance, BABIES IN THE
BARGAIN, on Harlequin website. He wrote: “Babies in the Bargain” could
serve as an object lesson on how to ‘show’ and not ‘tell’ a story. You
always know exactly what the characters are feeling, indeed, for the most
part you 'feel' along with them. It’s a great read.
6-Change
setting when you change scenes to avoid boring the reader. Change POV to
better show the emotion.
7-Pepper
your dialogue with emotion.
8-Add
sensorial details that make us feel, see, hear, smell with the hero and
heroine.
9-Show
the emotional development. (From an editor at Mills& Boon) You should
see a definite increase of attraction from scene to scene until the love
scene fall in place.
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10-Raise
the stakes. (Donald Mass)
- Here is an extra and most important commandment: Create lovable characters. If your characters are weak or do
not appeal to the reader, the reader will not connect with them and the best
plot will fall apart. I received a very nice praise from NY bestselling author
Roxanne St. Claire that I used on my bookmarks: “Mona Risk writes heroes with
heart, heroines with spunk, in stories and settings that are simply
unforgettable.” I am sure this praise can apply to many of you authors with
wonderful books.
And here are famous quotes by famous writers:
The secret of becoming a writer is to write, write and keep
on writing~~
Ken MacLeod
Ken MacLeod
We do not write because we want to; we write because we have
to~~
Somerset Maugham
Somerset Maugham
The greatest rules of dramatic writing are conflict,
conflict and conflict~~
James Frey
James Frey
All my ebooks are available at Amazon for $0.99
31 comments:
Great list of commandants, Mona. I'm thinking to see how many I break. :)
Sia
I'm still re-learning to do most of them. Most of all No 8. And i guess that is not a bad thing.
Thanks for the reminders.
I haven't read Mona Risk as yet, but I hope to read her in the future, and shall her put her on my forever growing reading list.
Have a great weekend.
Excellent advice, Mona. I copied it to print!
Wonderful post Mona...great reminders :)
Mona--a list to engrave in stone and emblazon on our brains. Every word is true and highly important. Thanks for the reminder--we need it once in a while, no matter how many books we've written.
Mona thanks so much for sharing. Manuscript polishing is very important and doesn't get the attention it deserves. Great tips.
Smiles
Steph
Hi Sia, editing is so important because that's the moment when we analyze our work, rather than just let our imagination fly.
Hi Jacqueline,using sensorial details without falling into cliched writing is quite difficult. It needs talent and finesse.
Yeah on reading Mona Risk's romantic comedies!
How great for me that you posted this list now. I've just rolled up my sleeves to tackle edits on a book I speed-wrote this spring. I'm going to print out your list to help keep me sharp. Thanks!
Hi Calissa, I have this list on an index card next to my computer. After I finish my first draft, I check for every one of these commandments.
Hi Christine, glad it's useful.
Thanks for the great list of what to keep in mind when polishing! I think I may need to take a second look at No. 3 and No. 6 and ...
Celia-- that's exatly what I tell myself. It takes one great book to make a bestseller, but it takes one bad writing to aggravate readers and lose fans.
OK Celia, I meant 'exaCtly'. This proves the need of editing. LOL
Hi Steph, you are such a prolific writer. I don't know how you find time to edit, but again it's a must. Two of your books are on my list to read this week.
Hi Maggie, I'm glad this list comes at the right time for your edits. If you need another pair of eyes, holler.
Wonderful post, Mona. I'm currently looking for another pair of eyes- as in a Critique Partner who will tolerate that I'm attempting to write across different genres!
Hi Karyn, #3 is D. Maass' delay introspection. It's very important as too much back story at the beginning kills the suspense and slows the pace.
As for #6, I added it. I discovered through copious reading and analysis of tons of books, that when too many scenes take place in the same setting, you lose a good chance to keep the reader's interest. Changing setting gives you a chance to show new action even in dialogue and a character-driven story.
Hi Nancy,critique partners are invaluable. I have two fabulous on-line CPs. We've been critiquing each other for more than six years. We don't walk on egg-shells around each other and yet we've become BFF. Their comments and suggestions and corrections have helped me get published.
Great, great list, Mona. Thanks for sharing. I see I have much to learn.
Hi Vonnie, your writing is lovely, but writing is a continuous learning process for all of us.
I would add: don't put all of your focus on the beginning so it's beautiful, flowing, detailed... and then let it drop for the rest of the story. I've run into this and it feels disingenous. Your beginning should match the rest of the book.
My favorite on your list is #10. ;-)
Commandment # 11--LOVE what you do, because if you don't love to write it will show. If you don't love your characters, warts and all, neither will your readers.
Great list, Mona. The thing that I find so important is emotion. Emotion between characters and between reader and characters. I just finished the final go through of my first story to be published and I cried off and on through it. Am guessing that means I did get the emotions in it. Hoping others with tear up as well.
Hugs!
Excellent list, Mona. I'll add a commandment you've heard before--get out of your character's head and into her body. Use more than thoughts to convey emotions. For example: what's happening with a character's feet? Are they shuffling with guilt, aimed at an escape route, or planted firmly in defiance?
Hi Loraine, I know what you mean. I saw it with some contests finalists. No offense to anyone. The first chapters are fabulous but the rest average, as if the writer got tired and rushed it.
By all mean Lynda. I personally can't write if I don't love my story and its characters
Hi Paisley, I couldn't agree more. Emotion makes the reader love the characters. You are a master at emotion. I can't wait to read your first book and wonder if it was oe I critiqued in the past.
Hi Joan, I suppose this is part of the 'show don't tell'.
Thanks for the list, Mona. I'm always whacking away at the 'extra' backstory! Sigh. Rolynn
Mona,
All of these commandments are keepers. Dialogue, conflict, interesting plot, and characters I can fall in love with works for me.
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