Publishing Your Book
Writers write.
Some writers write for love, or family, they don't want to put their stories into the market.
Others want to publish and introduce their stories to as many readers as they can find.
Both groups want to make the best product they can.
The first draft can take three days, thirty days, or multiple years.
There are contests, communities and support groups to help you get your first book out of your head and onto the page.
This article is about taking the steps from first draft to polished manuscript, steps that are sometimes difficult for new and experienced authors alike.
The first thing to remember during the journey is to get perspective.
Your first step is to put your first draft away for long enough to forget the process of writing it.
The next step is to break down your story into scenes and record the answers to these questions in a document, on a spreadsheet or in a notebook, whichever works best for you.
Don't rewrite, just analyse.
That process involves,
Now you are ready for critiquing.
For this step, you need other writers.
This doesn't include your friends or family, even if your family is Stephen King.
These people love you that will change what they tell you.
You can become friends with your critique group, but the critique must come first.
You can find critiquing groups in local writers organizations, or you can search online for writing communities.
You can post to online critiquing groups; just check the activity in the group first.
Some of these groups are for new writers looking for feedback on draft work.
You are looking for critiquing groups that are active and professional in their feedback.
Writing circles generally share specific numbers of pages on a regular schedule.
You provide and you get advice on structural issues, character development and description - the bigger items.
A critique group can also agree to do line editing so it's important to understand the guidelines of the group when you join.
When you get critiques, the rule is that you don't argue.
You can decide you don't agree, but it is not a forum to try to bring people to your point of view - you are there to find things you can't see in your writing.
The rule of thumb is that if one person says something needs changing and you don't agree, feel free to ignore it.
If three people give you the same feedback, there's something wrong.
Some people will make suggestions; some will just note what was wrong.
Here are some of the comments for improvement you can expect.
The best groups will give you clear feedback on what doesn't work and what does work.
The key to success for critiquing - online or reality - is to participate.
You give as much as you expect to get - and more.
Some writers write for love, or family, they don't want to put their stories into the market.
Others want to publish and introduce their stories to as many readers as they can find.
Both groups want to make the best product they can.
The first draft can take three days, thirty days, or multiple years.
There are contests, communities and support groups to help you get your first book out of your head and onto the page.
This article is about taking the steps from first draft to polished manuscript, steps that are sometimes difficult for new and experienced authors alike.
The first thing to remember during the journey is to get perspective.
- it is never perfect but you need to get as close as possible
- there will be changes when the editor or agent reads your story
Your first step is to put your first draft away for long enough to forget the process of writing it.
The next step is to break down your story into scenes and record the answers to these questions in a document, on a spreadsheet or in a notebook, whichever works best for you.
Don't rewrite, just analyse.
- What does this scene do for the story?
- Whose point of view is it in?
- What is the conflict?
- What needs to be changed?
That process involves,
- deleting scenes that don't move the story forward,
- adding conflict to scenes,
- developing the subplots,
- tweaking the dialogue,
- filling out the setting, and
- developing your characters.
Now you are ready for critiquing.
For this step, you need other writers.
This doesn't include your friends or family, even if your family is Stephen King.
These people love you that will change what they tell you.
You can become friends with your critique group, but the critique must come first.
You can find critiquing groups in local writers organizations, or you can search online for writing communities.
You can post to online critiquing groups; just check the activity in the group first.
Some of these groups are for new writers looking for feedback on draft work.
You are looking for critiquing groups that are active and professional in their feedback.
Writing circles generally share specific numbers of pages on a regular schedule.
You provide and you get advice on structural issues, character development and description - the bigger items.
A critique group can also agree to do line editing so it's important to understand the guidelines of the group when you join.
When you get critiques, the rule is that you don't argue.
You can decide you don't agree, but it is not a forum to try to bring people to your point of view - you are there to find things you can't see in your writing.
The rule of thumb is that if one person says something needs changing and you don't agree, feel free to ignore it.
If three people give you the same feedback, there's something wrong.
Some people will make suggestions; some will just note what was wrong.
Here are some of the comments for improvement you can expect.
- You need to show not tell.
It means you've stepped out of your character's point of view and spoken as the author. - I didn't care about your character.
It means you need to develop the character more - Your characters are two-dimensional.
It means you need to give your protagonist faults and your villain some good points - Your dialogue is stilted.
It means you need to listen to your characters, are they speaking in full correct sentences.
Most people don't.
- I love the way your character reacted
- I really believed what happened to the...
- I want more
- You created great tension
The best groups will give you clear feedback on what doesn't work and what does work.
The key to success for critiquing - online or reality - is to participate.
You give as much as you expect to get - and more.
