This week's tip comes from author Carmen Viera. Carmen is into Fantasy novels and is well on her way to becoming a very well written author. She has talents that I believe she hasn't even tapped into yet. I've had the pleasure of editing her first novel. I hope I do her justice. With that said, on to her advice:
As new writers and as many experience writers may say, its important to have at least 2 (DR's) dedicated readers. These should be friends or family we trust entirely with our work and that will give you their honest to God opinion. Just like it is recommended to use an editor to edit our work. We as the writer need others to go over our manuscript and make sure everything is flowing properly. As a reviewer and member of the Fantasy /Sci-fi novel workshop, when reviewing others, I must carefully check for the various things, and your personal DR's can do the same. For instance: when it comes to PLOT, what would they look for? Has the plot been established in the first chapter? Sometimes it is, and other times, it's not introduced until several chapters later. This is also something to watch for. Does the plot come through strong? Has the author waited too long to bring the plot/conflict forward? Are things clear and making sense? Are they left with questions? They need to list those questions... and jog the author's brain. When they do so, it can be beneficial to the writer in clarifying or expanding certain scenes. It can also help them in writing future chapters.In Style & Voice: What would they Comment on?The style and voice is that of both the author, as well as the characters. While they may have been introduced to the main character(s), there are secondary ones floating around. Are these coming through strong? Are they necessary in moving the story along? Are their voices clear (i.e. the reason why they're in the scene) or are they being used as unnecessary fillers? Another thing they should look at is whether the characters are staying true to form. If we have this strong character, (let's make it the main one) and she's very strong, forthright and several chapters later, she's withdrawn, shy and not showing her true nature "without" an incident causing it (i.e. an underlying reason for the change in her personality) this should be commented on. If the writer has started a novel that's fantasy, and the author’s speech is stilted and very formal and suddenly, they start reading slang, abbreviations and contractions (weren't, hasn't, he'll, wasn't, etc.) that weren’t there before, then this is a change in style and should be commented on.Scene/Setting: What would they Comment on? This is self-explanatory. Again, inconsistencies can happen here. They should comment on whether the scene is clear. For example, if the characters are standing in a forest, and all of a sudden they're in a field, this needs to be mentioned to the author. How did they get there? Them must try to keep in mind the three senses of scenery to see whether the author has incorporated them: Sight, sound and smell.
Characters: What would they Comment on? Are the characters believable? Main character(s) are usually introduced in the first couple of chapters, so what are their opinions about them? Do they move them? Frighten them? Can they relate to them? Are their "voices" clear and strong? Are they too much alike that they're confusing them? (i.e. they all have brown hair, average height and no distinct mannerisms or traits that sets them apart, so a reader can identify them without having to read their name every time there's dialogue). Are their names so similar that this causes confusion, as well? If you have a story with Tom, Terry, Tory and Tim, it's difficult to keep them straight, because there's nothing that differentiates them from the others. This causes confusion. Do they feel like some of the characters are just wasting space; that they're not important in moving the story ahead? Is there something else they would like to see from them? Has the author portrayed them in a way that they easily recognize them?Then the last but not least that should come from our DR’s is their personal opinion. A Dedicated Reader should jot down questions that come up during the story and hopefully by the end of the tale they should be answered, unless of course the answers are in the sequel. Why two DR's? Because they will see your story from a different perspective, and one may see what the other does not. Remember, they are there to give their opinions and help us see things we may have missed. But NEVER should you as a Writer and Author let their opinions influence you to change your writer's voice and ideas for your story. At the end of the game, it’s your work, and what you choose to change and fix, will be entirely your call. The above, was information I've learned in www.writing.com and something I felt would be important and insightful to share.
I really hope it was useful and can help you succeed in your writing endeavors.
Terri Ann Armstrong, Author/Editor
This week's author's tip, comes from mystery writer, Starr Reina from Thousand Oaks, California. Starr has two published mysteries, "Cruel Whispers" and "Cruel Past". You can check her out at www.QueenWriter.com and even sign up for her quarterly newsletter there too. If you love a good mystery, hers are just the ticket!
Starr's tip is the following:
Good Morning one and all,
Today's tip, comes from yours truly...
You can never find your own mistakes. Whether it be spelling errors, grammar, formatting or punctuation, finding typos and the like is extremely difficult for an author. Our minds know what's supposed to be there, so we tend to skip right over the errors.
Find yourself a trustworthy editor, or simply have someone else read it. Tell them to point out any spelling mistakes, punctuation errors; whatever you'd like to know about.
Don't rely on grammar/spell check on the computer. It's been proven that spell check is not even close to a reliable source. Also, if you're unsure about a definition, pull out the trusted dictionary and thesaurus to help you find the answer.
In my opinion, it's necessary to have a professional editor completely look over your work. Any editor worth the money, will tell you honestly what they think, give you tips on how to fix it and give good, solid, constructive criticism. You don't want someone to say what you want to hear. Your work should mean more to you.
Don't forget, if you have a good tip for authors, send it to me at terri_armstrong2002@yahoo.com along with your name and website address so I can give you the credit for the tip.
Good luck and happy writing.
