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Posted in authors, book editor, Books, indie authors, publishers, self-editing, writing

Character Traits Based On Their Zodiac Sign

Posted on by There for You Editing

Everyone talks about how their zodiac sign “makes” them. For instance, I’m a Taurus and always tell people that’s why I’m so stubborn. I’ve created a short description of each sign for you to use. Perhaps your next MC will be a stubborn editor!

•Aries loves to be number one, so it’s no surprise that these audacious rams are the first sign of the zodiac. Bold and ambitious, Aries dives headfirst into even the most challenging situations.

•Taurus is an earth sign represented by the bull. Like their celestial spirit animal, Taureans enjoy relaxing in serene, bucolic environments, surrounded by soft sounds, soothing aromas, and succulent flavors.

•Have you ever been so busy that you wished you could clone yourself just to get everything done? That’s the Gemini experience in a nutshell. Appropriately symbolized by the celestial twins, this air sign was interested in so many pursuits that it had to double itself.

•Cancer is a cardinal water sign. Represented by the crab, this oceanic crustacean seamlessly weaves between the sea and shore, representing Cancer’s ability to exist in both emotional and material realms. Cancers are highly intuitive, and their psychic abilities manifest in tangible spaces: For instance, Cancers can effortlessly pick up the energies of a room.

•Roll out the red carpet, because Leo has arrived. Leo is represented by the lion, and these spirited fire signs are the kings and queens of the celestial jungle. They’re delighted to embrace their royal status: Vivacious, theatrical, and passionate, Leos love to bask in the spotlight and celebrate themselves.

•Virgo is an earth sign historically represented by the goddess of wheat and agriculture, an association that speaks to Virgo’s deep-rooted presence in the material world. Virgos are logical, practical, and systematic in their approach to life. This earth sign is a perfectionist at heart and isn’t afraid to improve skills through diligent and consistent practice.

•Libra is an air sign represented by the scales (interestingly, the only inanimate object of the zodiac), an association that reflects Libra’s fixation on balance and harmony. Libra is obsessed with symmetry and strives to create equilibrium in all areas of life.

•Scorpio is one of the most misunderstood signs of the zodiac. Because of its incredible passion and power, Scorpio is often mistaken for a fire sign. In fact, Scorpio is a water sign that derives its strength from the psychic, emotional realm.

•Represented by the archer, Sagittarians are always on a quest for knowledge. The last fire sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius launches its many pursuits like blazing arrows, chasing after geographical, intellectual, and spiritual adventures.

•The last earth sign of the zodiac, Capricorn is represented by the sea goat, a mythological creature with the body of a goat and tail of a fish. Accordingly, Capricorns are skilled at navigating both the material and emotional realms.

Posted in authors, book editor, Books, indie authors, publishers, self-editing, writing

Character Actions: The Building Blocks for Emotional Complexity

Posted on by There for You Editing

Every action has a purpose

1. To create suspense

Otis did not back down. He stepped forward, a twig cracking under his shoe. A cricket chirped. He aimed the gun at Nicolas. Sweat trickled down Otis’s forehead, burning his eyes. Otis clicked the trigger.

Previously, this paragraph began with the sentence, “Otis clicked the trigger.” None of the sentences building up to this moment were there, and with no buildup, there’s no suspense.

2. To emphasize a point made in dialogue

Ed lunged at Otis, snatching the gun from his hand.

“Gotcha!” he said, mirthfully waving the gun. “Now we have knives and a gun. And we’re bigger.” He flexed his bicep. “Guess who’s gonna win.”

Although flexing is a pretty obvious display of someone’s strength and size, the action highlights Ed’s obnoxiousness and leads readers to dislike him even more.

3. To add tension between a character’s words and emotions

“Not even how you used to spend your Friday nights?” The hint of a smile formed in the corners of Mrs. Thompkin’s lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shelly said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Although Shelly claims innocence, her nervous gesture implies that she’s hiding something.

Picture the scene as a movie in your mind

When you’re writing a scene, you’re painting a picture for the reader. Before you can accomplish this, though, the picture must be clear in your own mind.

Imagine each scene playing out in your head. Visualize the setting. Where would the character be standing right now? Where is he in relation to the other characters? Are they crammed together in a tiny room, or are they scattered about in an auditorium?

Thinking about scenes in these terms help to simplify the process of creating more believable characters and situations.

Revealing a character’s emotions through action need not be viewed as some mystical process but can be as simple as checking items off a list:

•What are others’ perceptions of this character?

•What is the character thinking and feeling?

•How is the character interacting with his/her space?

•What is the character physically doing (or not doing) at this moment?

•How are others reacting to this character’s words and behavior?

•How is the character trying to hide his/her emotions?

Conclusion

“Show don’t tell” is a rule we’ve all heard a million times and grasp intuitively, but it can be hard to pull off, especially in longer works where we’re juggling plot, dialogue, etc.

Luckily, just as the five senses can be utilized to create more dynamic descriptions, character actions are the building blocks for richer characters with complex emotions. Although the process of developing these characters is a straightforward one, the end result will be organic characters that stay with the reader long after the story is over.

Reblogged from: here

Posted in book editor

10 WEAKNESSES TO LOOK FOR WHEN REVISING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Posted on by There for You Editing

10 WEAKNESSES TO LOOK FOR WHEN REVISING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

1. INCONSISTENCIES

Whether you’re a pantster (you write without an outline) or a plotter (outlines are your favorite), you likely reach The End by any means necessary – including ignoring huge inconsistencies in order to finish your story faster. Perhaps your story begins with a young boy as the protagonist, but by the end, you’ve written the young boy out and made him a teenaged girl. Oops? While drafting, that’s totally acceptable, but revisions are where you pinpoint those inconsistencies and fix them.

2. PLACEHOLDERS

A technique I often use to write faster drafts is using a placeholder when I’m not sure what to write. For example, if I can’t think of what to call a character, I’ll start with “Hero.” During revisions, I’ll search for “Hero” (using Scrivener’s find and replace function) and replace it with a real name. I’ve also used placeholders for scenes (examples: Fight scene TK or Make this steamy scene actually steamy TK). When I revise, I search for TK and address each placeholder one by one.

3. FILLER SCENES AND DARLINGS

You know those scenes where absolutely nothing happens? You need to get rid of those. Sorry, friend. Or perhaps you have a character who contributes nothing to the plot? She needs to go.

Revisions are where you look for filler scenes (scenes that don’t move the plot forward, up the stakes, or show character development) and darlings (anything or anyone unnecessary to the story) and delete them.

It hurts, I know.

You know those scenes where absolutely nothing happens? You need to get rid of those.

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BONUS TIP:

For every character, ask: Do I need this character? Are they adding to the plot, increasing stakes, or are they an integral part of my main character’s journey or growth?

There’s a chance you don’t need them, and your readers will appreciate having fewer characters to keep track of (especially if the character doesn’t contribute to the plot). Also, if you identify two characters who accomplish the same thing, you might be able to combine them into one character.

4. CHARACTER ARCS

Each of your main characters should show an arc during the story. An arc represents the change in your character from who they are at the beginning of your story to who they become by the the end, usually due to the choices and conflicts presented during the story.

Take Harry Potter, for example. In the first book of Harry Potter series, Harry starts off as a boy who lives in a cupboard beneath the stairs. He wears cast off clothes and is treated like a servant. He has no friends, no family, and no potential for his life changing. Through conflicts and choices, Harry grows and changes. The story ends with Harry leaving Hogwarts with a sense of who he is, who his parents were, friends and newly-gained confidence.

When you’re revising your manuscript, ask yourself: Does my character grow or change during the story? How?

DO I NEED AN ARC?

You might get away with having a side character or two who doesn’t show an arc, or possibly an almost flat-line main character (maybe in literary fiction?) but in general, your reader wants to see your characters growth or change. So – arcs are optional, but strongly recommended.

5. EASY SOLUTIONS

In your rush to complete your first draft, you might create easy solutions to help your character. Perhaps, for example, your main character doesn’t have a driver’s license and she needs to get somewhere, so you give her an easy solution for getting a ride. Or maybe your character is facing the evil villain and suddenly she can do magic, so she defeats the villain and saves the day.

These easy solutions might help you finish your book, but they remove tension from your story. That’s not good.

Think of your story tension like a balloon. When you make things easier for your character, the balloon deflates. Take out too much tension, and your reader is the sad kid at a birthday party holding a limp piece of rubber. Boring. (And sad!)

Now, if you add tension, your balloon gets bigger and bigger. Your reader keeps wondering: “Will it pop? When will it pop? How will it pop? Oh my goodness, it’s totally going to pop. I better keep reading to find out.” All the other kids at our hypothetical birthday party crowd around the ever-growing balloon, because who doesn’t want to know what’s going to happen next?

That’s the experience you want to create for your reader.

Tension keeps your reader engaged and curious to see what will happen next and leads to a far more satisfying ending (and we want that), so look for spots where you make things too easy for your characters. Avoid giving them an easy out, and you’ll keep your reader wondering how the characters will escape the conflicts in your story.

6. STAKES

Stakes are your best friend, and your character’s worst nightmare. You might have gone easy on your character(s) during your first draft, but you want to fix that during revisions.

Stakes are your best friend, and your character’s worst nightmare.

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The stakes are what is at risk for your character, the reason why they must take action. You want these to be juicy and heart-wrenching – the bigger, the better. Things like, “She falls in love with a guy then finds out he’s the man who put her father behind bars.” Ooh! Or maybe, “If she loses this game, she’ll lose her only chance at college … and crush her family’s hopes.” Oh, no!

When you’re going through your first draft, look at what’s at risk for your character. Could the stakes be higher? Could you make things harder for them?

Keep asking: Why should we (your readers) care? If the stakes aren’t high enough, scary enough, or emotionally strong enough, why should we keep reading?

Your job is to make us care. A lot.

7. DESCRIPTION REDUNDANCIES + STORY LINE MIS-MATCH

REDUNDANCIES

This is something I tend to see in my first drafts: if I love describing something, I describe it the same way over and over again. It works during first drafts, because when I revise I look for the redundancies, pick the best one, and delete the rest. But when I miss those redundancies? Ick. It means the reader gets to read the same description over and over again.

Check for spots where you are redundant and make note of them. Compare all the places where you describe the same thing (settings, characters), then pick the best descriptions and delete any repeats.

STORY LINE MIS-MATCH

Sometimes we want to describe everything all at once, regardless of whether or not it fits the story line.

Think of how you experience a new place: How does it look the first time you visit? You might notice certain big things, like the feeling or atmosphere, but gloss over the details. Now, take that same location, but think about the tenth time you visit. Perhaps you start seeing more details, and you might notice if something were missing or out of place. Do the same, but consider the hundredth time you visit. Do certain details fade away? Is it easy for you to miss things because you’re no longer seeing them with new eyes?

This goes for how you describe characters, too. When you meet someone for the first time, you might notice bigger details or characteristics (he has a beard and wears glasses), then on subsequent meetings you pick up on smaller things (one ear is bigger than the other, he has a small scar over his lip).

When you’re revising, look for how you describe settings and characters and make sure they fit where they appear in the story.

8. CONFUSING STORY LINES

While re-reading your rough draft, you might realize that your character jumps from one location to the next, or gains essential information with no explanation. Perhaps in one scene she is trying to make a decision, and the next scene shows her in a completely different place facing a completely different decision. Although it’s perfectly acceptable to be mysterious and not give your readers all the information, you need to leave your readers plot breadcrumbs to follow. They need to be able to follow the story from one point the next, or you risk frustrating your reader or losing their interest.

Look for any and all confusing places in your manuscript and find a way to help the reader follow your character. Leave those breadcrumbs!

9. GOAL, MOTIVATION, CONFLICT

For each scene in your book, I want you to write down three things: Your character’s goal, motivation, and conflict.

Their goal is what they want at the opening of the scene. Their motivation is the reason or need behind their goal. The conflict is whatever stands in their way, or prevents them from achieving their goal.

Scenes without goal, motivation, and conflict often fall under “filler scenes and darlings.” Before you delete those scenes, ask yourself if you can clarify the character’s goal and motivation, or add conflict. You might be able to salvage a lackluster scene and give it purpose.

10. PLOT

The most important thing you can do when revising is make sure your plot is on point. I left this for last because it’s a biggie.

First, ask yourself if you cover the major plot points:

  • Do I have an inciting incident?
  • Do I have a clear midpoint?
  • Does my main character experience a dark moment?
  • Do I have a climax?
  • Do I have a resolution?

Then, see where the major plot points occur in your novel. Although you don’t have to have them right on the nose, you want them to be close.

  • Does my inciting incident happen in the first 25% of my novel?
  • Is my midpoint close to the halfway point of my novel?
  • Does the climax hit in the last quarter?
  • Is the resolution in the last chapter or pages?

Depending on your genre, you’ll have different guidelines for the above. Make sure you read as many books (ideally popular or best-selling) in your genre as possible to get a feel for how other authors handle plotting.

In Middle Grade Fantasy, for example, I’ve noticed that authors get out QUICK after the climax. There are often only a few pages of resolution. Whereas in Adult Romance, many authors include a short epilogue showing the main characters living their HEA (Happily Ever After).

Do your homework to get a firm understanding of what your reader’s expectations will be, and find out how (or if) you’re meeting them during your revisions.

That’s my list. It know it’s lengthy, but it’s helped guide me through a number of revisions. With each round, I learn more about revising, and my manuscripts get better.

If you found this post valuable, I would love it if you shared it with your audience! Use the tweet below to share it on Twitter.

Reblogged from Bridgid Gallagher here.

Posted in authors, book editor, Books, indie authors, publishers, self-editing, writing

9 Self Editing Tips

Posted on by There for You Editing

1. GIVE THE DRAFT A CHANCE

Write freely and unchecked. Tempted as you may be to go back and start editing what you just wrote—or even what you wrote yesterday—don’t! Not only do you not have the emotional distance, if you start editing yourself and judging the quality of your work, your creativity is sure to get squandered.

2. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK

After you finish your manuscript, don’t immediately start editing.

Give yourself distance from your writing. Do something completely different to change your frame of mind, such as go on vacation. It’s also a good idea to immerse yourself in other forms of creativity. Other forms of art can help inspire your own.

3. TACKLE YOUR EDITING ONE TYPE AT A TIME

Once you’re back from a break and you’re ready to tackle your edit, break your editing into categories.

Typos – Check for spelling, grammar, and awkward phrasing.

Plot – Verify that all questions posed in your story have been answered.

Pacing – Check that there are not parts of your story that drag it down and feel out of pace.

Characters – Give every character a purpose. Are they believable? Do they have a completed arch?

Scenes – If the scene isn’t developing a plot or character, it needs to be axed.

4. READ IT ALOUD

By reading your manuscript aloud, you’ll inevitably catch some spelling and grammar problems. One of the best reasons to read aloud is to check for pacing and tone. Sometimes you can auto-correct when you are reading silently, but reading your manuscript in your own voice at a normal speed will help you catch errors you weren’t able to detect before.

If you don’t want to read your entire manuscript aloud, consider using a text to speech reader instead. This way you can listen for errors and unnatural pacing with ease.

5. GIVE YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO SOMEONE ELSE TO READ

You (or an app) can’t be the only one to read your manuscript during the editing process. You should definitely give it to a trusted friend or family member to get an outside opinion on coherency, flow, and character cohesion.

Give them permission to tear it apart piece by piece. They won’t want to do it, so insist. You have final say in the editing process; however, another perspective should always be welcome.

6. CONSIDER EDITING AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER

Instead of editing on your computer, why not edit in a completely different place than your creative zone?

Print off your manuscript, then take the printout with a red pen and head to your most comfortable chair. You may find that editing in a new place will help to change your mindframe.

7. TURN ON SPELL CHECK

A lot of writers prefer to write with spell check off as a way to tamp down that editor voice that can sometimes creep in and sideline your creativity. However, in editing mode, turn the spell check back on.

Those red squiggly lines are painful but a necessary part of the editing process. You need to address those before getting into the real meat of your editing process.

8. TARGET REPETITIVE WORDS

Do you have words that you repeat over and over again? If you’re a writer, the answer is yes. We all go through periods where we’re addicted to one word or phrase, which you’ll find used over and over again in your manuscript.

It may not stand out to you, but it will stand out to your readers. So, you owe it to them to search and destroy needless repetition in your manuscript.

The good news is that it’s easy to find your most repeated words and phrases.

9. DELETE EXTRA WORDS

You really need to get rid of any excess words that don’t move the story forward. If you’re not careful, you can slow down a story by being too descriptive. If the word, sentence, paragraph, or even chapter weighs down the pace of the story, don’t be afraid to cut it.

And when all of your self-editing is done, you can reach us HERE to get more information on having your manuscript professionally edited.

Article re-blogged from nybookeditors.com