Write Now Editing

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass (book review)

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Take your fiction to the next level!

Maybe you’re a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you’ve already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel – one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists.

Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share – regardless of genre – then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace.

You’ll learn to:

– establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place
– weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story
– create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page
– explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers
– sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish
– develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition

Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors – including novelist Anne Perry – Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You’ll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.

This was a re-read for me, as I’d read this book several years ago and wanted to revisit it after I had a few more years of writing experience. My opinion about the books hasn’t changed:

It’s a great book full of good information, but it’s NOT for new writers.

You really can’t write a breakout novel until you can successfully write a novel. As an editor, I see too many manuscripts from authors wanting to breakout, but they haven’t yet mastered the basics.

I also think it’s important to realize that breakout novels aren’t for everyone. Do they sell well? Absolutely (that’s why they’re breakouts)! But out of all of the examples he used, not many of them are contemporary, and not many of them are in the style/genre that I like to read.

Takeaway?

There’s some great info in the book and it can definitely help you improve your writing, but first you need to learn the basics. Then you need to figure out if this type of breaking out is what you really want to do.

I absolutely recommend reading this book, but not at the beginning of your writing career. Get your copy here!

How I Write: Amanda Cabot

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Some writers seem to be naturally gifted–they sit down and write, then submit an award-winning manuscript to their editors.

Not exactly. Amanda Cabot’s had more than 30 books published and she still takes the time to edit and revise. Want to know how she does it? Keep reading…

Hello, and thank you so much for being here! Let’s start at the beginning: what do you write? How did you pick your genre?

I write romances – short, long, contemporary, historical, with and without suspense elements. What my stories have in common are heroes and heroines who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to reach the happily-ever-after (HEA) that romance readers demand from their books. As for how or why I chose to write romance, I’m not sure I had a choice. My favorite books to read were always those that had the classic HEA, so when it was my turn to write a book, it seemed natural to write a romance.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

For me, the whole process (which I describe in more detail below) takes between six and eight months.

Which was harder to write: the first book or the following books?

The following books have been harder for me, simply because I strive to make each one better than the preceding one. That puts a lot of pressure on me to find new plot lines and characters who are distinctly different from the ones in earlier books. It’s hard work, but anything less would disappoint readers, and that’s not something I’m willing to do.

What’s your favorite book on writing?

It’s a toss-up between Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer and Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. Swain, as his title indicates, outlines the basics of writing as a craft, while Vogler provides guidelines for effective plotting.

What’s your favorite writers conference? What do you like about it?

Although I haven’t been there in a few years, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ annual Colorado Gold conference is one of my favorites. The hotel is one of the best venues I’ve found for conferences; the workshops are excellent, the attendees and presenters friendly. I always come home energized and enthusiastic about writing.

How do you combat writer’s block?

Writer’s block – what’s that? While I haven’t suffered from it in its classic definition, I used to reach the middle of the first draft and be convinced that what I was writing was the worst prose in the English language and that my editor would reject the book and demand that I return the advance. But, since I had a contract, I continued writing. Each and every time, when I finished the first draft and reread it, I realized that it wasn’t the worst prose in the English language. It was simply a first draft, and first drafts can – and will be – edited into good stories.

What advice do you have for new authors?

Never give up. If you choose the traditional publishing route, rejection is a fact of life. I won’t sugarcoat it: rejection hurts. But if you let it defeat you, if you stop sending out your manuscript because it was rejected, you’re only hurting yourself. Believe in your book and in yourself.

What does your revision process look like?

For me, writing is a multi-step process. I begin with a brief synopsis, which is my selling tool. Once I have a contract, I create a chapter-by-chapter outline, deciding which scenes will be in each chapter. Note: this is not cast in stone. It often changes during the actual writing process, but it provides a basic roadmap.

Next comes the first draft, which I describe as the skeleton. Like Halloween skeletons, it’s ugly, but it’s the framework for the story. I do not revise during the first draft, although I may make notes on pages I’ve already written about changes I want to incorporate into the second draft.

Before I begin the second draft, aka the flesh-and-blood phase, I read through the full manuscript in printed form, making more notes of things I want to change. The second draft is where I incorporate those changes, which may involve adding or deleting scenes. I also add more description and more emotion.

When I finish the second draft, I do another readthrough of printed pages, this time doing what I call the accessories stage – you know, adding makeup and jewelry. The modifications at this stage are minimal, but this is where I catch word repetition, punctuation errors, or other problems that a copyeditor would flag.

Once I’ve finished this phase, I read through the entire manuscript one more time, this time on the computer. It always amazes me how differently my brain sees sentences on the screen compared to on the printed page. It’s only when I’ve done this final readthrough that I’m ready to send the manuscript to my editor.

A young woman with a tragic past has arrived in town . . . and trouble is following close behind

Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents’ murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds shelter in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don’t include a family of his own.

At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?

Suspenseful and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.

Amanda Cabot’s dream of selling a book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards. A popular workshop presenter, Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of publication.

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

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How I Write: Patrick E. Craig

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Most people think of Beverly Lewis when they think of Amish fiction, but did you know there are several men writing Amish stories? Today I’d like to introduce you to Patrick E. Craig, one of those writers.

Welcome, and thank you for being here! How/why did you pick the Amish genre?

Most of my books are Amish fiction although I’m branching out into Literary Fiction and YA. As far as my Amish books, I don’t write traditional happily-ever-after romance that seems to be the mainstay of the mostly women, mostly older readers who follow the genre. I try to write outside-the-box stories about desperate people who face desperate situations that only God can fix, and who happen to be Amish.

I got started in this genre … well, basically on a dare. My friend, Nick Harrison was Senior Editor at Harvest House and asked me for an Amish quilting story one-sheet. I knew nothing about the Amish or quilting, but I submitted an idea for a story about an Amish woman lost in a terrible storm who saves a lost little girl by wrapping her in a prize quilt. To my great surprise, Harvest House bought the idea and asked for two more. So there I was, an Amish writer who was unencumbered by any previous knowledge of the subject. Thank goodness for Google!

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?

When I first started writing Amish, I had never read Beverly Lewis or Wanda Brunstetter and basically did not understand the inner workings of the Amish community. Then I connected with Sicily Yoder, a woman who had grown up Amish and left because of the grace issues surrounding shunning, and that was a huge blessing. She took me under her wing and schooled me thoroughly. Any question I had she would answer in great detail.

One thing she told me was that despite their squeaky-clean representation by the bulk of Amish authors (most of whom are non-Amish, by the way) there are some grim sides to Amish life. Jerry Eicher, an Amish man, writes about one of those issues, sexual abuse, in his recent book, When Hearts Break.

The hardest issue most Amish face is that they do not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Many Amish think they are saved by following the Ordnung, the verbal law that has been passed down since the days of Menno Simons and Jackob Amman. I try to point all my books toward the great truth that the law cannot save you; only Jesus Christ can do that. My stories have to be set up with a plot that brings the protagonist to the great crux of their life: the law or Christ?

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

Most of my books take about three months to write because I’m still working part-time. Sometimes it goes a lot faster. When Murray Pura and I wrote our recent book, Far On The Ringing Plains, it took us thirty days to finish 90,000 words.

As far as editing, I give my Indie books to one of several outstanding editors I’m connected with and do my third draft rewrites as they send back their edited copy. I also use Pro Writing Aid software to pick up the most glaring grammar and style issues. If I’m doing an Indie book, I will finalize the project in Vellum, a great piece of software that produces all the different files I need.

For my covers, I use Simona Cora Salardi at Cora Graphics and she is brilliant. I am also producing several books for Elk Lake Publishers and when I do, I will do edits with one of their staff and then they do the final cover and formatting.

If you’ve written multiple books, which was harder: the first book or the following books? Why?

My first book, A Quilt For Jenna, was the hardest to write because I had never done a novel before. I didn’t even know how many words should be in it. My agent told me around 80,000 but when I sent the manuscript to Harvest House, they sent it back with a request for 20,000 more words. Believe me, it’s much harder to add words to a finished book than remove them. When Harlequin bought The Amish Heiress for their Walmart Amish program, I had to remove 20,000 words for the mass-market paperback. Compared to adding, it was a breeze. After the first book, I had an idea about how to go about it and had established my preparation format, so it was much easier.

What’s your favorite writer’s conference? What do you like about it?

My first writer’s conference was The Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference. I was told about it by Barbara Curtis, a brilliant friend who encouraged me to write fiction when I was a pastor writing teaching books. The first year I met Tim Riter, Nick Harrison, Kay Marshall Strom and her husband, Dan Cline, Sue Loeffler, James Scott Bell, and a bunch of folks who have been my friends ever since. I went several more years until I moved to Idaho from California and have attended other conferences, but I would say that Mt. Hermon is still my favorite.

What conference do you most want to attend? Why?

If I can be very blunt here: I would like to attend a conference where the faculty, the speakers and the awards are not dominated 90% by women.

The truth is, the Christian Publishing Industry has been pushed into a tiny box since the seventies: publishers drove out Christian Literary Fiction and now generally want books written by women, for women, about happily-ever-after romance. Even my genre, Amish fiction, has been over-romanticized and double glossed. Instead of real, gritty life challenges the biggest obstacle in most Amish books is the wheel coming off the Brad Pitt look-alike Bisschop’s son’s buggy as he’s on his way to court the drop-dead gorgeous Amish girl. Actually, that’s why I put together my latest book, The Amish Menorah and Other Stories, and only invited the men who write Amish fiction to take part.

I want to see a return to gritty, honest, literary writing that challenges readers where they live. And I think that will take men authors to lead the way. So if anyone out there knows of a writer’s conference for Literary Fiction featuring male authors, drop me a line.

How do you prepare to write your books: pantser, plotter, both, something completely different?

I’m a plotter. Before I write, since most of my books are not contemporary, I research the period I’m writing about. Then I do a timeline for the story and after that I lay out the chapters. I do a blurb for each chapter so I know what will happen inside of it. I don’t set them in stone though. In the Amish Princess I moved a prologue into the middle of the book. Once I get the prelims done, I do a first draft. I don’t edit; I don’t stop; I don’t rewrite—I save all that for the second draft.

What does your revision process look like?

Once I finish the first draft, I go to a second draft and do heavy rewrites, salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the terrible writing in the first draft. Then I will use writing software like Pro Writing Aid to clean up the spelling and grammar stuff, put that into draft three and send it to my editor. What they send back becomes draft four as I work through their suggestions and changes.

Draft four goes to my copyeditor (my wife) for a close scan for all the grammar and spelling again. Those corrections become draft five. Then I reread and do any final adjustments and that becomes draft six. I put that into Vellum and format the book. I usually do six drafts on my Indie books, because I am responsible for everything: writing, editing, cover, format. When I write for a publisher, it rarely takes that much work because they take over a lot of the load.

Six short stories that will entertain and educate you. You’ll journey with an Amish man and the Jewish woman whose life he saves, suffer with an Amish girl in love with an Englische man, agonize with two sisters both in love with the same man, pray with the family whose child is injured in a fall, join forces with a non-violent Amish sheriff in a violent western town, and laugh at the girl forced to be Amish for the summer.

Amazon Best-Selling author Patrick E. Craig, is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful music career to become a pastor in 1986. In 2007 he retired to concentrate on writing and publishing fiction books. A writer of Amish fiction, he has collaborated with several authors to publish The Amish Menorah and Other Stories (available now). Patrick and his wife Judy live in Idaho. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.

www.patrickecraig.com
https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraig
https://twitter.com/PatrickECraig

Find his books online at: http://tinyurl.com/n6sfagg

Interview & Writing Tips with Denise Weimer

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We’re going to try something a little different here this year, and I’m introducing some author interviews. These interviews, however, focus more on the craft of writing: how do people do it and what have they learned through the publishing process. I hope this will encourage you as well as give you an inside-look at what it’s really like!

Kicking off our interviews is author and editor Denise Weimer.

Denise, thanks for your willingness to appear on my blog! I’m looking forward to sharing your knowledge and advice with the rest of the world (at least with the small portion of it that follows my blog). What genre do you write? How did you pick it?
I’m a hybrid genre writer, having published contemporary and historical romance as well as time slip and romantic suspense novels, mostly set in my home state of Georgia. I was a huge history buff and living historian as a young adult, so it was natural that I’d start writing historicals. At one point, my agent encouraged me to try a contemporary romance since those often prove easier to place. My main story in my dual time period Restoration Trilogy had been modern, and I’d enjoyed writing it, so out came Fall Flip (September 2019), Spring Splash (March 2020) and Traces (March 2020).

What are your favorite genres to read? Why?
Historical eastern frontier romances. What a thrilling time for America. I often imagine the virgin forests, the native peoples, the early wars for ownership, and the many challenges of surviving and thriving in the nation’s backcountry. The conflict is right there, ripe for many stories!

How long did it take you complete your first manuscript (published or not)?
I wrote my first published novella, Redeeming Grace, when my younger daughter would take naps. Not long after, I began The Georgia Gold Series, four historical fiction novels set in Northeast Georgia and Savannah in the mid-1800s. I researched a year before I started writing. Then it took me about three more years to write what would become four novels of the series.

Have your follow-up novels been easier or harder to write? Why do you think that is?
Thankfully, easier, because I learned how to focus my research and know when to stop and start writing. I’ve since been trained and now work as an editor, which has really helped tighten my writing in early drafts. My last historical was researched and written in six weeks. That astonished even me.

What’s surprised you the most about the book-publishing process?
How vital authors are to each other. From endorsements to shared promotions to collections to introductions, they are key in opening doors and providing support.

What’s been the most challenging part of getting a book published?
Finding the path that could put my work in front of traditional and larger publishers. For me, it involved group blogging that led to participating in a collection that led to an agent. Now that I have several individual books out with houses recognized in Christian publishing, the next challenge has been building social media connections and sales numbers. Marketing is always a daunting task.

What’s your favorite part of the publishing experience?
Possibly the cover design process. It’s such a thrilling moment to see your book cover for the first time, like putting a face to a name. I love that LPC gives authors some input into their covers. When it all comes together, the cover reflects several elements of your story and offers an enticing package for potential readers.

For learning the writing craft, which do you prefer – books or conferences?
If you could recommend one writing conference, what would it be?
If you could recommend one writing book, what would it be?
If I may answer the three questions above in one … My path has been a little different where writing craft books and conferences have been concerned. Instead of either, my pattern became learning from mentors: my first publisher, Wendy Dingwall of Canterbury House; my agent, Linda S. Glaz of Hartline Literary; other authors and editors; and finally, my senior-ME, Pegg Thomas at Smitten Historical Romance, and editing training with you, Karin, at the PEN Institute.

That said, Pegg and I do recommend books on self-editing and writing deep POV to budding authors who submit to our historical imprints, and conferences are wonderful. I’ve attended and gotten to be on faculty at the North Georgia Christian Writers’ Conference. While finances have needed to be directed elsewhere in our family up to this point, I hope to attend the Blue Ridge Conference in the near future. And maybe when it comes closer to Georgia again, ACFW!

If you could pick any of your novels to be made into a movie, which one would you pick? Who would you want to play the lead roles, and why?
I’m not very good with assigning actors and actresses to roles from my novels, but if I had to pick a novel to be made into a movie, it would be my novella in the Backcountry Brides Collection, Across Three Autumns. My heroine, Jenny White, is a strong frontier woman who holds off British and Native Americans from her home during the Revolutionary War. And my hero, a Scottish scout for Elijah Clark, is swoon-worthy.

For a full-length novel, that historical I mentioned above as having been written in six weeks, working title Bent Tree Bride, would make a great movie. It’s about a mixed-blood lieutenant in the Cherokee Regiment who struggles to reconcile the scholar and warrior within him while fighting Red Stick Creeks during the War of 1812—and trying to avoid falling in love with his white colonel’s feisty daughter. But first, I have to pray it finds a home with the right publisher.

Thank you so much for appearing on my blog! Have a blessed day!
Thank you for having me!

Spring Splash: When an injury sidelines college swimmer Anna Callaway, her dreams are crushed. She pours herself into her sports marketing practicum, helping a local special needs organization promote their athletic event. What she doesn’t expect is a swim team ripe for the Special Olympics—and their handsome but stubborn coach.

Craig Holt has dealt with eager and ignorant volunteers before. No matter how determined or persuasive uptight Anna might be about coaching his team to the Special Olympics, he has no intention of allowing her to raise the hopes of his swimmers, his sister, or his guarded heart.

Then Anna herself gets a second chance at becoming a champion. Will she pursue her lifelong goals or make room for a new dream?

Traces: When a failed romance and a $500,000 prize lure Kate Carson into participating in the reality TV show, Traces, the least she expects is to pick her partner. After all, she’s the PR spokeswoman of the company that derived a thirteen-lens, rotating camera from military use and installed it atop Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper. But she never would have chosen to evade techno hunters for twenty days with “G.I. Joe.”

Stoic, ex-military Alex Mitchell is the sort of man she always vowed to avoid, while the shadows of Alex’s past cause him to spurn emotional involvement. When Kate’s insider knowledge makes her a target of someone more threatening than game show hunters, Alex offers her only hope to reveal the dark plans of proponents of The Eye.

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Writer to Writer: Lessons from a Lifetime of Learning by Cecil Murphy (book review)

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If you want to become the best writer you can be, Writer to Writer is for you. This isn’t a grammar book. It isn’t a rulebook for writers. It’s the “in the trenches” companion for you along your writing journey, whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years.

In Writer to Writer, award-winning author and beloved mentor Cecil Murphey shares the lessons he’s learned from a lifetime of writing. Read one of the bite-sized entries a day, a chapter a week, or the entire book at once. Jump into the book any place you like. It’s also a handy discussion tool for writing groups. Topics include:



*how to look like a professional (even if you’re an amateur)
*writing basics you need to know
*fine-tuning your fiction
*how to keep your reader intrigued
*what annoys and pleases publishers
*dealing with writers’ block and rejections
*tips for writers groups
*literary agents and contracts
*making a living as a writer, and much more.

“Good writing demands self-discipline and constant learning. I’m still learning. In the meanwhile, Writer to Writer is my legacy gift to you. I want to help you become a better writer.”-Cecil Murphey.

I really wish I’d discovered this book a decade ago when I was learning how to write blogs, web content, newsletters, and books. Not only is this book full of information, the short lessons (usually less than a page) are easy to study and digest. You could read one per day or one topic per day — there are plenty of ways to divide this book up.

I’m so impressed by the content and the ease of reading it that I’ve recommended it to my sister for her homeschooled children. They both want to be writers, and the practical advice in this book will help them develop those skills.

I will definitely start recommending this book to new writers regarldess of what they’re writing. You’re bound to find tips and information that will help, whether you’re writing an article or a novel.

ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

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Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

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