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Monday, June 25, 2012

To Be or Not To Be - A Ridiculous Lesson in Self-Editing

Shakespeare posed his prolific question centuries ago, but perhaps he would have never guessed what it might mean to writers today. Yes, I’m referring to the dreaded “to be” verbs. Now if you’re a reader and not a writer, we’re about to tread into some terribly deep writing waters, but you might still enjoy this look into the twisted world in which your author friends attempt to live and work.

I’ve talked before about “the rules” of fiction writing. Often we hear a basic rule, but don’t understand the finer points. Don’t understand how to harness it and put it to practical work in our writing. One of those rules, discussed last week both on the American Christian Fiction Writers, is the one that says “avoid to be verbs.”

Now you might say, that’s just silly. I might say so too. But it’s not so silly once you understand the how’s, why’s, when to’s, and when not to’s of this rule. In fact, I’m working on my first big editing project for WhiteFire, and guess what one of my main issues with the book was? Exactly. Too many to be verbs.

Obviously there are time we need to be verbs (is, are, was, were, be, being, been) as well as other linking verbs. But in general the goal is to keep our verbs as active, specific, and powerful as possible. Let’s look at some problems to be verbs can create.

1)      Repetitive: Probably my main issue with to be verbs is that they quickly become repetitive. In writing we want to stay as varied as we can. We don’t want: The house was small. It was dingy. The door was covered with chipped paint. We want: The small, dingy house cowered against the horizon. Paint chipped from the door, as if it could not escape quickly enough. Be creative. Be original. It’s our job.

2)      Passive: The next problem that often occurs with to be verbs is that we use them in place of stronger, more active verbs. Example: I was hungry and tired. There’s no action. Instead try: Hunger grumbled in my belly and fatigue weighed heavy on my limbs. Not only are these more interesting and active verbs, they have more sensory impact. Perhaps the most passive of all is the “It was” or “It is” construction in which the “It” does not represent any actual noun. Example, “It was Sunday morning.” How about, “Sunday morning dawned bright and clear.”

3)      Telling: Another name for this sort of passive structure would be the dreaded “telling” that writers are warned away from.  In the first version above the reader is being told hungry and tired. In the second, they really begin to see and even feel the hunger and fatigue. When you notice whole passages are filled with to be verbs, chances are you’re using narrative summary. While this sometimes can be the most effective tool to quickly let us know something that happened, it packs no emotional punch, so use it sparingly.

4)      Distant: Related to the whole passive and telling issues, to be verbs can also create distance between the reader and the scene. You want your reader to feel drawn into the moment. Even into the body of your point of view character, as if they’re living out a fictional dream. To be verbs as well as unneeded helping verbs can destroy this illusion. Here’s an example with was as a helping verb. "She was walking to the door. She was pushing open the door, and then she was pulling out a cart." Perhaps this would work for some sort of out of body experience or for an observation of someone else, but otherwise, bring us right in close. "She strode with purpose toward the store, pushed open the door, and yanked out a cart."

5)      Boring: To be basically means equals. From the example above I = hungry and tired. Other linking verbs do this as well. And none is used more often than felt. I felt hungry and tired means the same as I was hungry and tired, which  means the same as I = hungry and tired. And they’re all BORING! There is a proper use for words like felt. For example, “I felt like I was about to die” actually means something completely different than “I was about to die.” Sometimes we need these verbs, but don’t be lazy with them.

You may have noticed that I also used was in my good example in the previous paragraph. That’s because often we need to. Now let’s look at some proper uses of to be verbs.

1)      Dialogue: In dialogue people should talk like people, and should speak in a way consistent with their character. Most people would never say, “I am weighed down with fatigue.” Unless maybe they’re an over zealous author or live in 1780. In dialogue most people would just say. “I’m tired.”

2)      Internal monologue: Sometimes an author gets so deep into the head of their point of view character that it basically is like dialogue. It’s the characters voice, not the authors. During these moments, use the words your character would use. “She couldn’t believe it. It was wrong. Just wrong. No! It was beyond wrong. It was unbelievably, shockingly, and unforgivably wrong!” As you can see, I especially like to be verbs in tirades.

3)      Simplest tool: And here we get to the heart of thinking like a seasoned, professional writer. Sometimes it’s just simpler and more to the point to use a to be verb. I learned from Angela Hunt that we have many tools in our writing tool boxes, and we shouldn’t use a sledge hammer when all we need is a little tap. Sometimes in order to avoid to be verbs we use sledge hammers. That’s not good. For example, it might take a paragraph to use active verbs and show, “He was wrong.” And maybe in that moment you just need to say it and move on.

So those are some of my thoughts on “to be” verbs. What are yours? Did you know about this rule? Have you ever been annoyed by it?


Monday, June 18, 2012

Love in Three-Quarter Time - Description



As most of you already know, my new novel, Love in Three-Quarter Time will be the launch title for the new Zondervan First imprint in October. Between now and then, I'll try to give you some teaser info about the story as well as share the process of preparing the book for release. Here is some of the important info about the book that went to Zondervan in my initial proposal. I hope it whets your interest. In case you haven't guessed from the title, the book revolves around the waltz coming to America :)

Title:               Love in Three-Quarter Time

Hook:              The former belle of the ball must teach the dances she once loved and risk her heart in order to restore her family.

Genre:            Historical Romance

Setting:           Charlottesville, Virginia 1817

Verse:             Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. ~ Psalm 25:5

Concept:         Scarlett O’Hara meets Jane Austen

Content: When the belle of the ball falls into genteel poverty, Constance Cavendish must teach the dances she once loved to help her family survive. The opportunity of a lifetime might await her in the frontier town of Charlottesville, but the position will require her to instruct the sisters of the plantation owner who jilted her when she needed him most. Can Constance possibly face Robert Montgomery, her painful past, and the guilt that threatens to destroy her in time to waltz her way to a fresh start?

Theme: The primary theme of the book is letting God lead your dance and learning to live in the flow of the Holy Spirit.

Audience: Women ages eighteen to eighty who love lighthearted historical romance with spiritual depth.

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Write Circles

Early in 2009, three years after I started writing seriously, I hit a wall. I knew writers had to deal with rejection, but that day was just too much. I received a rejection letter from the agent, who at the time, I really had my heart set on. I locked myself in my room to pray and cry, and I realized something. If I didn’t get into a community of writers—and quick—I was never going to survive this industry.

How true that is. The writing world is brutal, and in order to make it, you have to be in the “write” circles.

Problem was, other than those super-scary writers conferences I’d heard of, I had no idea where to start. So I emailed two of my favorite authors, and Siri Mitchell was kind enough to take me under wing. I drove to Charlottesville, Virginia to meet her at the Festival of the Book, and she pointed me in the right directions. Through her, I got involved in the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Hiswriters historical fiction loop. Even better, at that festival I met a lady who had been wanting to go to the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference like me, but—like me—was a big weenie .

So we went together!!!

Five Inkies at ACFW in St. Louis
By that summer, Gina Welborn had the idea to form a group blog. She’d seen the effectiveness of the synergy between the ladies at Seekerville, so she gathered up a group of “Contest Divas” (which thanks to discovering Hiswriters in the nick of time before contest season--I was one), and we joined together to form Inkwell Inspirations. At the time, only Jen AlLee was published. Now over half of us are. Why? Because we’re all there cheering and praying each other on. We pick each other up when we’re down. At times we even critique each others work. And perhaps most importantly, we offer each other priceless industry insider tips.

We’ve all come a long way baby.

Other important relationships to come out of those early introductions were my friendships with Roseanna White and Christine Lindsay. Newbie me tentatively approached these two special ladies and asked them to be my critique partners. Not only did I learn tons from each of them, but Christine and I are now published by Roseanna’s WhiteFire Publishing. And because she knows my tastes and editing ability, Roseanna invited me to be an acquisitions editor as well.

Last week I went to the Blue Ridge Christian Writers conference for the fourth time. And because I’m an editor at WhiteFire Publishing, it was my second year on staff. My writing relationships have continued to grow and flourish to the point that I somehow found myself at Denny’s after midnight with four very famous authors. I won’t name drop, but it seems I’m now hanging out with some amazing, award-winning, best-selling authors. And trust me, I’m listening closely and learning all I can. Some might call it networking, but to me, it’s just having a blast.

And, while hanging out with said famous authors, I ended up spending some relaxing time with Zondervan editor Sue Brower. One week later Zondervan offered me a contract as their launch author for their new Zondervan First imprint. Coincidence? Probably not. At least not on any sort of cosmic level. Torry Martin, another awesome new friend, kicked off that Blue Ridge conference with an inspirational speech about divine appointment and God connections, and I think that's exactly what happened.

People often consider writing a solitary profession, but I’ve found the opposite to be true. It’s all about relationships. So if you plan to be a writer, get-involved. Get yourself into the “write" circles.

Share with us about your writing relationships. What has worked for you and what hasn’t?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

So after nearly bursting for several days, I can finally announce that my new historical romance, Love in Three-Quarter Time, will be the LAUNCH TITLE for a new ZONDERVAN imprint called ZONDERVAN FIRST!!!! Zondervan First will have a digital focus, although print books will be available as well. Think of it as Zondervan's response to the changing market. It's a low risk way of diversifying and investing in new authors. “We are thrilled to launch Zondervan First,” notes Scott Macdonald, President and CEO. “This digital imprint will give voice to notable content utilizing our editorial, marketing and creative expertise.”

On my end, this all happened really fast. My agent got the call Friday. Since we were both on vacation, I didn't get the news until Saturday afternoon, and a decision needed to be made by Sunday at 9 AM. It wasn't an easy call, because we had to make concessions on some issues, like no advance and no guarantee on the following two books of the series. And there was no time to contact the other editors who were looking at the manuscript. However, there were many advantages as well, including great publicity as the launch author, the chance to be involved in something new and exciting, and a quick release date of October 2012, which keeps me on track for releasing a book a year.

As I weighed everything a few factors stood out. 1) I could see God's hand in how everything had unfolded. Especially how He provided an opportunity for me to meet and even hang out with my new editor, Sue Brower, at Blue Ridge Christian Writers conference just a week earlier. 2) I felt incredibly honored that Zondervan had enough faith in me to choose me as their launch author in this new endeavor. 3) As I deliberated my decision, two scriptures kept popping into my head. First from Romans 8, This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" As well as the simple phrase from Galatians 2, My ego is no longer central.

Finally I decided, a door is standing open before me, and I'm going to walk through it. So, at the risk of mixing my metaphors, I hopped on this roller coaster and buckled myself in for the big launch. I'm adventurously expectant and waiting with a childlike, "What's next, Papa?" I can't wait to see what God has in store.


For more info on the Zondervan First imprint and the opportunities available to authors (even pre-published and unagented authors) visit their webpage. http://zondervan.com/first/faq 

And if you'd like to see the full press release about Zondervan first and Love in Three-Quarter Time you can see it here. http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/739293