Fiction Workbench

Today’s question is from Advanced Fiction Writing blog reader, Mike, who wants to know about choosing critique groups:

“With so many different blogs/forums/clubs out there, how can you find a good critique group?
Is there a way to weed out the ruff from the diamonds?”

That’s a really good question, Mike. A critique group can be invaluable to a fiction writer–helping us learn our craft better, teaching us how to handle criticism and receive feedback, and showing us how to look critically at not just other people’s work but also our own. I learned more about how to write by GIVING critiques than even by receiving them. I have always been a strong advocate for critique groups.

But on the other hand, a bad critique group can be discouraging at best, and disastrous to your writing craft at worst. Some critique groups do more harm than good because they are comprised of beginners who don’t know what they are talking about and just simply pass bad advice among themselves without realizing how destructive they are being. I have been part of those kind of groups too–and yes, I was one of the beginners helping to pass around bad info like a winter flu bug.

Some writers organizations have well-organized critique group systems that attempt to create a balance of experienced writers and newbies. This usually ends up being a labor of love on the part of the more experienced writers, since most newbies aren’t able to provide the experienced fiction writer with the level of feedback needed to challenge them.

As you are searching for a critique group, I think these are some things to keep in mind:

• Is there a mix of experience levels within the group?
• Is the group providing helpful feedback that is challenging without being disparaging?
• What fiction writing resources and instruction does the group use as a foundation for their critiques?
• Are the genres represented in the group similar enough to your own to allow for a good fit for your work?
• Can you keep up with the critique load and pace? There’s nothing worse than dead-beat critique members. You don’t want to be one.
• Is the group characterized by mutual respect and a commitment to confidentiality?
• Is the tone of the group positive and forward looking, or does it become a bitch-fest on how unfair the world of publishing is?
• And most importantly, do you feel the advice being offered is valid? If you aren’t sure, measure it against resources like our blog here at Fiction Fix-It Shop, or Advanced Fiction Writing.
• You can also measure a critique group against a professional critique–perhaps at a writers conference or through a freelance editing service like ours here at FFS. Even a chapter critique or just a few pages can provide you a standard by which to evaluate the quality of a critique group. Obviously, a critique group may or may not have the same level of expertise, but it will give you a standard to go by. Then you can make your own decision from there.

You might even be better off putting together your own group, if you have several fiction writing friends. You can do this online or in person, depending on your situation. I’ve found that critique groups can go on to become important support networks long after the group has stopped doing regular critiques.

I wish you the best in your search, Mike. Leave a comment and let us know if you find a good one!

Today’s question comes from another Advanced Fiction Writing blog reader, Stacey, who wants to know when in the story do we begin using the Motivation-Reaction pattern. For those of you who are not familiar with this concept, Randy Ingermanson has a great overview of it in his article “Writing the Perfect Scene.”

As a review, the MRU is a way of describing the process of cause and effect that should characterize the movement of the story. Something happens in the story–either thought, dialogue, action, feeling, etc. (“Motivation”) and the character responds to it in either thought, word, or action (“Reaction”) which leads into something else happening (“Motivation”) that triggers another response (“Reaction”)–and so on through the story.

Stacey says:

I’m writing with a request to clarify the usage of motivation-reaction units (or rather the scene-sequel development) within novel writing. Specifically, I wanted to know if they begin from chapter one, page one, or if there’s some room for development of the setting using perhaps just subtle references to tension prior to the novel’s first major tipping point of drama.

Actually, Stacey, the concept of “scene-sequel” is different than MRU. Scene-Sequel pattern is the idea that a story alternates between active scenes (“Scenes”) and reactive scenes (“Sequels”). This pattern is actually becoming more of a dated idea as readers seem to want more active scenes and less scenes showing the character responding to what has happened–but that’s probably a post for another time.

What I think you are asking about is, as you initially stated, the Motivation-Reaction Unit. Must that cycle start on page one? Or can we develop the setting or other story elements before we start the actual drama of the story as long as we have subtle tension?

I think it’s important to not equate MRUs with TENSION. It is possible to write some perfectly accurate MRUs that have zero tension. The purpose of using the motivation-reaction unit pattern is to capture a more realistic, authentic flow of human behavior and for that behavior to make logical sense. That can lead to stronger tension if used properly, but by itself it is no guarantee of tension or conflict.

So, Stacey, I would say no–the motivation-reaction unit cycle does not have to begin on page one of your novel. However, the tension must. You mentioned opening the book with the setting. Many stories do this, but is it the most effective way of grabbing and maintaining the attention of your readers? Not unless you can establish right away why readers should care about the setting. Open your book with whatever will engage the readers the quickest and the strongest.

Sometimes, we try the opposite approach–starting in the middle of an action sequence or some sort of conflict. The problem with this is that just because it’s action or conflict doesn’t mean we have a reason to CARE about it yet.

So the main job of the opening of your novel is to make the reader care enough to keep reading. Do that however you like–there are no rules for how, only that you MUST. But as soon as you start working with character behavior or thinking, you need to shift into Motivation-Reaction Unit patterns immediately. That could be the first paragraph, or it could be top of page 2. But whatever you do, keep the tension simmering and building.

Thanks for the great question, Stacey!

Hey everyone, if you have a writing question, please feel free to ask it here at the Fiction Workbench or at Advanced Fiction Writing.

I’m going to cover three short questions from Advanced Fiction Writing readers in this post today.

The first is from Susan, about contacting agents:

I had a wonderful Editor interview and she asked me to send a proposal. Since she knows that I do not have an agent at the moment and they only take on agented writers should I wait until I acquire an agent?  The fact is I’m 75 percent complete with the story and she seemed interested in my proposal. Also, I was wondering if you have any advice for the thank you notes for the apointments I attended?  My focus has been completely on studying story and structure and not on contacting agents and editors!!

Congrats, Susan, on such a successful editor appointment! That’s great news. My advice is to go ahead and send her your proposal even though you don’t have an agent. The fact that she requested it means that you can send it despite their agent-only policy. That’s the beauty of conference editor appointments. But while you are waiting to hear back from her, I’d suggest getting that manuscript finished ASAP. If the Dream comes true, and she wants to buy the manuscript, then at that point, you can contact some agents and say “I have an offer on the table and am looking for an agent to negotiate it for me.” It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a willing agent in that scenario.

For thank you notes, just write (I think hand-written is more special) a short, professional thank you to tell the editor that you enjoyed meeting with her and appreciated her time and encouragement, etc. It doesn’t have to be much–just an acknowledgment of her help is a thoughtful, kind thing to do.

Good luck, Susan!

Our second question is from Kyle who is worried about unintentionally copying ideas from other people:

Is there any way to avoid unintentionally copying other people’s ideas? I recently gave a friend a story I’ve written to read, and was shocked when she pointed out that much of the idea was the same as a book we’ve read together. (It was a very long time ago and I’ve forgotten about that book until now.) Since then I’ve started to notice that all the ideas I come up with and start writing on I can link to either some book I’ve read before, or a movie, or a comic. It’s very depressing and makes me think that I have no original ideas of my own. What should I do to come up with original ideas and not copy others even when I’m trying not to?

Kyle, it speaks well of your artistic integrity that you are concerned about this. I want to reassure you–there is nothing wrong with your ability to come up with original ideas. There’s an old saying (from the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes) that goes, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and that observation was from thousands of years ago. We are all part of a very long literary and cultural chain or web of ideas that spans every nation and extends back through history. There are similar ideas and stories because humanity shares a similar set of experiences and desires. We are all influenced by the stories we’ve read or grown up with. We’re influenced by our culture, by our life experiences, and by those around us. It’s inevitable that you’ll find similarities between stories you’ve been exposed to and your own ideas.

What you can do about it is put your own twist on it. Infuse the story with your own perspective. If it’s feeling too derivative of some other story, then see how you can warp or bend the story to take a new, more unexpected direction. The most important part of this, though, is your voice. You bring a unique view and set of experiences and personality to the story that no one else can ever duplicate. YOU are what is original about the story. And as you become more experienced as a writer, you will learn to maximize that originality and build your special writing voice.

Having similarities to other work is not wholly a bad thing. Similarities give readers a reference point and make it easier for them to know if it’s a book they’ll be interested in. Most readers have preferred characteristics they look for in their books. They want a strange balance of “the same book over again” but “different and unique.” So a certain amount of echo between your story and others is not necessarily something to avoid. But finding that balance might take some practice.

And finally, our third question is from Victor, who wonders why footnotes are frowned on in fiction:

It is rare to see footnotes in fiction. Recently I came across a few footnotes in one of the very successful Stieg Larsson novels and I did not feel put off by them. Why is there such a universal disdain for this practical device? In writing fiction it is necessary, if not unavoidable, from time to time to use a foreign word or expression. When I come across such a thing, I feel either frustrated at not understanding it (if it is relevant to the story) or annoyed (if it isn’t). In either case, I think a footnote would reduce or eliminate the negative effect.

Thanks for your question, Victor. I think that most “standard practices” in fiction have arisen from reader preferences and demand. Typically, the average fiction reader doesn’t want to be distracted from the story. Footnotes tend to clutter the page, and they pull the reader out of the flow of the story. In general, if the author needs to use a foreign word/phrase, it’s best to make it understandable within the context of the story or figure out a way to subtly explain the meaning of the phrase within the narrative or dialogue instead of footnoting. Many novels, especially fantasy or science fiction, include a glossary at the back, but this is inconvenient and cumbersome as well.

This is not to say that an individual author couldn’t negotiate with their editor to include footnotes or other non-standard material in their novel if they could make a strong case for why it is necessary. I would imagine that part of the reason for the footnoting in the Larsson books is because they were not originally written in English, and it might have been necessary to footnote where translation was not as straightforward. That’s pure conjecture on my part, mind you, but it was obviously a decision that the publishers made.

Thanks, everyone, for the great questions! If you have a writing question, please feel free to ask it here at the Fiction Workbench or at Advanced Fiction Writing.

Doubling up on answering questions from Advanced Fiction Writing in an attempt to reduce the backlog. Today’s second question is from Derrick, and it deals with choosing which ideas for a novel to pursue, and when it’s time to stop reading how-to books and actually start writing.

Derrick asks:

Your website, articles, and blog say that learning to be a good writer takes four to five years and several abandoned books on average. I have a couple “pet” ideas that I’ve been tossing around in one form or another over the years. Ideas that I would really rather not see die because I’m just not ready yet.

Is it OK for me save these pet ideas, put them on the backburner and come up with something new for my first book that I can part with a little easier? If I have to live with at least one or two failures that will never be successful, couldn’t they be ones of my choosing?

and later:

I will soon be reading Dwight Swain’s Writing Techniques of the Selling Writer and your Writing fiction for Dummies. I’ve already read about MRU’s, Scenes and Sequels, the Three Act and Three Disaster formats, etc. I have a good understanding of these writing tools, but without the working experience from using them.

Will this knowledge give me a bit of a head start towards becoming what you call a “sophmore?” or Would I be better off to finish a story and then worry about applying these tools to the first draft?

Hi Derrick–thanks for writing in with your questions! What I’m hearing from you, I think (and correct me if I’m wrong), is a very common wish to have everything figured out and guaranteed in some form before you start the long, hard road of actually working on a manuscript. You’d like to know that you won’t be wasting a good idea on a manuscript that won’t make it, and you want to have all the fiction writing craft tools you’ll need before you get started. If you’re like most of us fiction writers, including me, you are probably a bit of a perfectionist and want to “get it right” the first time.

That’s completely understandable. The problem is, it’s simply NOT realistic. I’m sorry to say, failure is part of becoming a writer. There is a learning curve to writing a novel, and for some it is far steeper than others. Being informed and reading the books and studying and knowing how the business works is vitally important, but it can’t take the place of butt-in-chair, putting-word-on-page actual work.

So for your first question–about saving your “pet ideas” until you’ve had a few manuscripts behind you, I can totally see why that would make sense to you. And it might be the best thing for you to do. But you have to remember that you will do your best fiction writing work when you are passionate about your story. And as hard as it is to contemplate failing and having to abandon a manuscript, your writing will lack that essential spark if you are approaching it as merely a writing exercise or a trial run or a throw-away attempt. That seems unfair, I know–we shouldn’t have to pour our hearts into something that has little chance of making it. But without that heart commitment, your book is much less likely to be a success anyway.

Now, does that mean that the book you are most passionate about writing has to be what you attempt first? No. It might be an idea that needs more time to develop. Or it might be one that you know you need more life experience or research in order to tackle it. It might be something that is so deeply important to you that you want to take years crafting it. That’s absolutely wonderful, go for it.

But in the meantime, choose another idea that you also are interested in, one that you also feel passionate about. And work on it! Even if your first manuscript isn’t usable, that doesn’t mean the idea itself has to be abandoned. Rework it, start over, hone it. As an unpublished writer, you have the luxury of time to refine and rework your ideas. Use that to your advantage. You don’t have to give up an idea just because your first attempt at it failed. There are no expiration dates on ideas.

Sometimes, you eventually lose your passion for the idea itself. That’s okay. In that case, let it go. The world is full of ideas, and there is not just one “book of your heart” in your future. You will find new ideas that you’ll feel even more passionate about. But you can’t avoid taking the risk. You have to put your heart and soul into each manuscript you attempt, and that means if it fails, that’s going to sting a bit. It’s part of the business of writing fiction.

As far as your second question goes, about whether to try to use your “head knowledge” as you are writing or just write and then use what you’ve learned to revise:

You’ve got to just write. You can research, you can plot, you can do all the pre-writing exercises you want–and all that is REALLY GOOD to do. I advise it. But none of that can take the place of experience. You actually have to sit down and try it. And it’s probably going to stink at first. Even if you know in your head what it’s supposed to look like, getting it there takes practice and experience. There’s no way to get that except by doing it. Over and over. Failing, trying again. That’s how you grow into a good writer.

So sure, as you are writing, if you can remember “use good scene structure”–please do it. It’s a great habit to develop. But if you find that trying to remember all the “thou shalts” is getting in the way of WORDS ON THE PAGE then forget the rules and just get the story down. You can always fix it later. You’ll find that for most people, the act of writing new content and the act of self-editing are not compatible. You have to do either one or the other. You can still make conscious decisions while you are writing to use good technique, but you can’t let that derail you into a lot of self-editing when you really need to write.

So, Derrick, take the risk. Go for it. Jump in with your whole heart. You can do it–even if it means taking a few lumps in the process.

Got a question? Ask it here at the Fiction Workbench or at Advanced Fiction Writing.

Back at the Q&A for all the amazing writers who have emailed Randy or myself through Advanced Fiction Writing. You all have been so patient. It’s been a busy fall for both of us, and we’re both trying hard to keep up with the incoming questions. I’m going to try to double up and answer two questions a day for awhile. Please know that we really value each writer that sends us questions, and it’s an honor to assist you with finding an answer. Thank you, everyone.

Today, I’m first taking a question from Emilie, who asks about how to decide what genre her novel should be and what happens if a writer changes her mind about what books she wants to write. This is something I feel uniquely qualified to answer since I’ve been going through that exact issue the last few years in my career. It’s a long answer, but it’s because I felt she deserved a thorough reply.

Emilie says:

I am wondering how to determine which genre to classify my writing.  I tend to find myself wanting to write stories that have an undercurrent of romance in them, yet I do not identify as a romance writer…So my question is, how do you draw the line and determine where your book best falls?  Especially when contacting agents for representation, etc…What are your thoughts?  Once you get into one genre, are you limited to staying there the rest of your career? Is it hard to break away, especially if your agent only handles one kind?  If planning for a long term writing career with wild success, I worry choosing the wrong genre to launch my career could hinder me later one.  Any advice?

These are great questions to be pondering, Emilie. They are questions I wish I had thought about when I first got published. First, I want you to know that you can and should move forward with your career even if you don’t have the answers to these questions yet. Don’t let the questions about the future stall you out. You may not be able to answer them all right away because some of them take time to answer. So keep working, keep trying new things, and let the journey unfold without fear that somehow you are messing it up.

That said, let’s talk genre first. How do you choose the right genre for your novel? First, understand that “genre” is a marketing term. It refers to where your book would be placed in a store or in an online database so that readers looking for that type of book can find you easily. Let’s take a classic for an example:  Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Typically, if you go to Barnes and Noble, you’d find it in the “Fiction” section–meaning the general literature section. This is the catch-all for books that are not part of a specific category. You’ll find everything from comedy to mystery to classics in this section, and most will be either hardback or trade paperback formats.

But Dracula could easily be shelved in the “Horror” section. Or, with the proper cover, could be repackaged as a YA book. It could be called a paranormal fantasy and shelved in the “Science Fiction/Fantasy” section. Thriller/Suspense/Mystery? Perhaps. How about Historical? Maybe. A stretch–but I suppose with the right packaging, it could even be sold as a paranormal romance if someone got it in their head to do it. In some of those sections, it might be reformatted into a mass-market paperback or it could be left as a hardcover or trade paperback.

Same story–multiple possible “genres” depending on how a publisher designs the book and who they decide to try to sell it to.

Many authors write stories that could potentially fit multiple genres. Other than a romantic element, you didn’t tell me what else is in your book, but it’s possible that were your book published, it might fit best in the “Fiction” section instead of a specific genre section. That’s perfectly fine.

The important thing is to know and be able to describe where your book would BEST fit. That will depend on two main factors:  actual content, and the style or voice of the novel.

The easiest way to figure this out is to find books that are similar to yours in both content and style. Obviously, they won’t be identical to yours, but if you had to put your novel in a group of like-minded novels, what company would your story be keeping? Who are its friends? Its soul-mates?

This means you have to read widely, perhaps, and explore parts of the bookstore you normally don’t frequent. But once you find your book’s friends, check out where those comparable books are normally shelved. You should check them out in different stores as well, because sometimes different stores will place books in different sections, depending on what book buyer got to that title first. Sometimes, the genre the publisher intends is printed on the spine.

When you go to pitch your book to an agent or editor, you can tell them it’s similar to such-and-such book or “in the tradition of” whatever title. Then you can go on to say it’s whatever genre you’ve chosen. If it’s a cross-genre book, then pick whatever genre you think would be the closest fit, and then describe the other elements in it. So say it’s mostly fantasy, with some romance, then you’d describe it as “an epic fantasy with a strong romantic sub-plot” or “a paranormal fantasy with romantic elements” or whatever.

If the agent decides to represent you, she will work with you to refine how you position the manuscript and what editors to target. If the book sells, then the publisher may tweak how they position and label the book as well. Your job at this point is simply to be able to describe what your book is similar to and where you feel it would fit best. You’re not responsible for the final placement or positioning of the book.

Regarding your related question of “once I’m in a genre, do I have to stay there?”–that’s a tough question, Emilie. Speaking as an author currently in the middle of that exact issue, I can tell you that it IS possible to switch genres after you are published, but it’s not easy. It takes some planning and there are marketing considerations to be made. If you have a good agent, that is your best resource for how to make a career move like that. The thing is, at this point in your career, often times you can’t possibly know what category you will fit best into. And things can change. My first three books fit into the “mom-lit” category, which is now largely defunct. And I found out that wasn’t where I wanted to be regardless. But I had no way of knowing that when I came up with the idea and got my first contract. You grow and evolve as a writer, and sometimes where you start out is not where you will land permanently. It’s tougher that way, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Most agents represent a fairly broad selection of genres. I’ve never seen any agent who only represents one genre of fiction–that would be foolhardy for their business. My advice to you would be that if you aren’t sure right now what kind of book you want your career to focus on, you probably at least know the general grouping that you might enjoy, and you probably know several genres you do NOT want to write in. For example, I might like women’s fiction, fantasy, romance, and historical, but I can safely say I will never want to write mystery, thriller, suspense, or horror. So if I were looking for an agent, I’d look for one that represents broadly those categories I am interested in. That way, if I first get published in, say, historical, but then at some point have an idea for a cross-genre book that is historical/fantasy, my agent can handle either one competently. Worst case scenario–if you decide to make a change that would put you outside your agent’s range of expertise (for example, going from adult fiction to children’s picture books or something huge like that), then you and your agent talk and if your agent is a good one, she will support you in finding a new agent who can represent you in your new direction. (And if she’s not supportive, then you’re better off finding a new agent anyway.)

I think the most important thing to remember is that it’s impossible to plan for the perfect career. There are simply too many unknowns and factors you can’t control. But what you CAN control is finding what you are passionate about writing RIGHT NOW, and do it as brilliantly as you are able to do at this point in time. And you can read widely, and you can experiment with different types of writing. Keep working toward an answer to the question “What would I be thrilled to write for the rest of my life?” If you are like me, it might take awhile to answer that question, but you’ll figure it out. In the meantime, work on your craft and search for an agent who is enthusiastic about you as a writer and who has good career guidance skills and who will listen when you tell her what you’re passionate about–as well as one who represents the areas you are most interested in.

From there, Emilie, you just have to enjoy the journey you are on, including all the unexpected twists and turns you might encounter. You’re doing the right thing by looking ahead, but there’s no way to find out what will happen until you actually walk the path.

In my attempt to catch up on all the great questions coming in from Advanced Fiction Writing, I’m doubling up on posts for awhile. Today’s second question is easy, and it’s from Cathi who wants to know how to number the pages in a prologue.

Cathi writes:

I have a prologue question that I can’t find the answer for. Is a prologue numbered as Page 1, or does Page 1 start on the first page of the first chapter? I’ve checked many books and found the prologue to have Roman numerals, not numbered, or started as Page 1. Which of these are correct, or is it the author’s preference?
Thank you for your help!
Cathi

Hi Cathi,

This is a simple question to answer, really. In your manuscript, treat the prologue just like a regular chapter. Use regular numerals, starting at “1″ and going straight through. Calling it a “Prologue” instead of “Chapter 1″ just indicates to the reader that this is a part of the story that is important but somehow outside of the main chronology of the story. I’ve never seen a publisher use anything but normal page numbering for prologues, but even if they decided to do something different, they’ll make that choice at typesetting time, and it’s nothing you need to worry about in your manuscript.

Cool, huh?

Got a fiction writing question? You can ask it here at the Fiction Fix-It Shop Workbench or at Advanced Fiction Writing.

On a mission to play catch-up with all the terrific questions that have been flooding in from the Advanced Fiction Writing blog, so I’m doubling up on posts for a bit. The first post today is a question on how to improve one’s vocabulary:

I am what you would term a ‘freshman’ in my journey. One area I’ve identified that needs work is my vocabulary. I tend to be very repetitive in my word selection. I’ve got a good thesaurus, but I was wondering if you had any suggestions for ways to improve my vocabulary to give my subconscious a large toolbox to pick from as I write.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Wordless in South Carolina

Dear Wordless,

Oh you are a writer after my own heart! I love this question. There are lots of ways you can expand your vocabulary, but the one thing they all require is a true interest and love for words. If you don’t really love words, a large vocabulary will come across as contrived and forced. So if you don’t have a passion for the flow and cadence of language, then don’t worry too much about your vocabulary. Focus on other aspects of story-telling, such as character or action, etc.

But if you do love words, here are some ways you can get better acquainted with the really cool ones:

• Read more books. Simple, yes. But really the best way to go. Read classic literature, read literary novels that challenge you, read books outside your genre. Read non-fiction: history, science, psychology, etc. Each discipline has its own terminology that you can add to your arsenal. Read mythology, philosophy, poetry, newspapers, magazines–anything. You may not remember all the new words you come across, but some will stick. And more importantly, you will add to your “conceptual vocabulary”–meaning your range of ideas and experiences will increase, so you have more concepts to allude to and reference in your work.
• Play Free Rice: This is an online vocabulary game in which you are given a word and then multiple-choice definitions to pick from. If you get enough right in a row, the game gives you more difficult words to choose from. If you get them wrong, you get easier words. Each click supposedly equates 10 grains of rice that will be sent through the World Food Programme to help end hunger. (It helps if you watch the sponsor ads now and then, too, I’m sure.) It’s a super addictive game, and the words repeat often enough that you’ll learn them over time.
• Pick new words to use in conversation: It’s the whole “practice makes perfect” thing–if you want to expand your vocabulary, you need to practice using your new words. So pick a fun new word that intrigues you and then work it into your conversation for a couple of weeks. Yes, everyone will think you are a total nerd, but…you are, and that makes you fabulous. So own it, and use your words.
• Keep a personal word list: When you find a word you like, write it down in a journal or something.
• Better yet, fall in love with Wordnik.com: This is like an online dictionary/social networking for wordsmiths/thesaurus/word Nirvana. You can have your own account with favorite words, your own recordings of words, and you can comment on other people’s words. It’s really an amazingly fun place for word lovers.

Anyone got any other suggestions? Feel free to comment–what are your best tips for building vocabulary?

Ask a question: FFS Workbench or Advanced Fiction Writing blog!

Doubling up on answering fiction writing questions for Advanced Fiction Writing–trying to play catch up. This question from Anthony is about what to do with all the different versions of a story as you revise:

I have completed a few short stories and entered them for competitions after a period I will come back to the stories and make minor or major changes and submit to current competitions.

As a consequence I end up with about 5 or 6 different versions of the same story and because I’m so close to the piece I can’t work out the best version in fact I don’t think there is one.

Is this normal or what do you suggest should I just leave a story once I’ve entered it or edit and submit ad infinitum.

Hi Anthony–good for you for 1) completing your stories, 2) keeping them in circulation by entering contests, and 3) continuing to find ways to improve. You are doing exactly what you should to grow as a writer.

Let me just reassure you–there is NEVER such a thing as a perfected, completed manuscript. Even when I have a book published, I still find things I think I could have improved on. We fiction writers are a perfectionist lot, and there is nothing wrong with that. But it means you’ll always see ways you can tweak your story.

I think it’s fine to send tweaked versions of your story to different contests or editors/agents. As far as choosing which one–the right version is whichever one you are the happiest about at that time.

The only thing I’d caution you on is to not let the tweaking bog you down. At some point, it’s good to say “This is the best I can do at this time” and move on to new projects. Unless you want your entire career to be built on just that one story, you need to move forward and write more stories. Sometimes, you get to a point where you can’t grow any further by working on that story, and the only way to continue improving is by taking on a new challenge. Only you will know for certain when you’ve reached that point. So don’t let the tweaking become a way of avoiding that new challenge.

Got a fiction writing question? You can ask on the FFS Workbench blog or at Advanced Fiction Writing!

I’m going to try VERY hard to catch up on some questions from Advanced Fiction Writing that have been piling up the past few weeks while I’ve been on editing deadlines and traveling. I might have to switch into rapid-fire mode and do a couple a day for a bit so you all don’t have to wait so long for your answers. You are all very patient, good people.

Today’s question is from Frank–actually, it’s a couple of related questions about handling POV in a collection of short stories:

The problem is that Derke and Shylocke are very strong personalities and I found that their stories work best in first person. Granish stories (not as strong of a personality but a fun character) work well in the third person. Do you think readers would have a problem with this back and forth POV in different stories? (I would not dare do such a switch in a single story.)

Will it confuse readers to have characters who were the main chars in 1st person stories appear as supporting characters in third person stories?

First of all, there’s no problem at all with mixing first person and third person POV in a single story or across a collection of stories like you are planning. Writers do it all the time. It’s probably best to establish a pattern–so when you are *in* Derke or Shylocke’s POV, use first person for them every time. Don’t have one scene/story in Derke’s POV written in first, and then another in third. Be consistent. If you want Granish to be in third person, use third person for all of his POV scenes or stories. But as long as you maintain that sort of consistency, it’s okay even to write a novel that has some POV characters in first person and others in third.

And if a first-person character appears in a different story or scene that is NOT their own POV, of course it’s okay to have them in third person. You just can’t go into their head because they are not the POV character. But they can be in the scene in third person, no problem.

The important thing to remember is to stay in one POV for the entire scene. If you are going to change POV, make sure that it’s logical to do so and that there is a clean, natural break into a new scene so the transition is clear. Try to establish the POV as early in the scene as you can, and give each POV character a strong, unique voice. Ideally, we should be able to tell whose POV we are in just by the voice of the narration, even without the character being identified. Do that, and you can use any combination of POVs that you wish.

Hope that helps, Frank!

If you have a question about fiction writing, here’s your chance to ask! You can do it here on my blog, or over at Advanced Fiction Writing. We’re working through the questions in the order they’re asked, as quickly as we can.

Another great question from an Advanced Fiction Writing Blog reader, this time about whether an unpublished writer needs a finished manuscript before submitting a book proposal.

Al asks:

In the past, I’ve read that, at least for a new novelist, you need to write the whole novel before contacting editors and agents. Do you think that’s still the case, or does a new novelist have a shot at getting a contract based on a proposal?

Unfortunately, Al, needing the full manuscript first is even more the case than ever before. I mean, sure, there’s always the lightning-bolt-from-heaven chance that an unpublished writer will get contracted off a proposal. It happens. It’s the stuff of publishing legend.

But in today’s economy (are we sick of hearing statements prefaced with that phrase yet?), even multi-published authors are sometimes finding it difficult to get contracted based on just a proposal. Publishers are extremely risk-aversive at the moment. It’s much, much better for an unpublished writer to have a completed manuscript in hand before trying to send out proposals. This lets the publisher or agent know that you can carry out an entire story.

There are a few agents I’ve met who prefer to see a proposal before the manuscript is finished, but that’s a very individual thing, and I wouldn’t rely on that as a general rule.

I know it’s a hassle, and it’s a risk of time and energy for the writer to write on spec like that, but it’s the reality we’re dealing with right now. There are some benefits, though. Nothing brings out writerly anxiety and creative block like a looming deadline. And without the pressure of that deadline, often your writing will be much higher quality. (There is a reason so many debut books are fabulous, and then the quality declines after that–the writer doesn’t have the gift of time with subsequent books as they did with the first.)

On the other hand, it requires greater discipline to get a manuscript finished without a deadline or even the promise of one. But if you can overcome that problem, then writing on spec needn’t be a terrible thing. It could actually be a positive thing.

Best wishes to you with your project, Al!

Got a fiction writing question? Ask me here at the Fiction Workbench, or over at the Advanced Fiction Writing Blog.