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How To Tell When Your Manuscript’s Finished

April 4, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

When is Your Manuscript Finished?

It’s hard to know when you’ve finished a creative work.

How many times do you continue polishing, hoping to improve what went before? When do you ever finish?

Wanna know the hard truth?

Your Manuscript Will Never Be ‘Finished’.

For me, I normally do about five ‘Final Drafts’. It’s crazy! Each time, I save the next draft as ‘Draft_FINAL’ and it never is. There’s Draft_FINAL One’; ‘Draft_FINAL Two’ and so on. My personal favourite? ‘Draft FINAL_FINAL’.

Each time I review a draft, I find more errors, or more room for improvement. Each re-draft takes less time than the one before, but each re-draft is harder, more freaky, because each time I re-read it I realist that there’s still so much wrong.

I suppose for me, a piece is finished is when I CANNOT bear to read it again. It’s when I think “If I work on this story anymore I will go insane.”

That’s the time to take a deep breath, package the finely crafted work up and sit it on it for four to six weeks. Then check it one more time – just in case!

I dread the next part, the sending it out into the wide wide world. Because as soon as that happens, I start getting rejections. Rejections are almost inevitable. And oh, how they hurt.

Perfection isn’t Possible.

Your work will never be perfect, but at some point you HAVE to step away. Because only then can you get ready for your BOOK LAUNCH!

9 Tips to Getting Published

April 3, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

How to Get Published

What most people actually mean by the question “How can I get a publishing deal?” is: “How can I see my work in print?”

I totally get this. It is a buzz to see your book on sale at the bookstore (it’s a lot less of a buzz to see it in the sales bin!) My first novel was A Necklace of Souls and when it came out I spent a lot of time visiting bookstores and taking photos of it on the shelves!

Here’s a reprint of my article on Kura Carpenter’s blog last week. Thanks for the opportunity to share, Kura!

Here’s what worked for me…

A ton of hard work. I wrote on and off for about ten years before I got an acceptance. Over that time I wrote one novella, one novel, and many, many short stories.
Write for free. I edited a professional magazine, which gave me experience in working with deadlines, keeping to word counts, formatting documents.
Join a writer’s association. I joined the New Zealand Society of Authors. Associations like the NZSA often have mentoring programmes for new writers and access to grants and competitions.
Formal training. I completed a Certificate in Creative Writing at a local polytechnic, but there are other opportunities both on-line and in person. Just do be aware of cost if you’re doing this, as paid tuition at a university is not cheap.
Develop networks. This sounds cheesy, but often in life it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. (And be POLITE. Apart from the fact it’s the right thing to do, the writing world is a really, really small place!)
Submit to e-zines and small journals. My first paid acceptance was an e-zine which paid TEN DOLLARS! So exciting!!
Enter competitions. Comps can be expensive, so now I only enter those with that offer the opportunity to get my script read by a publisher, or that provide direct feedback on my script. The Romance Writers of America has some good ones, and my lucky break was with Storylines.
Keep writing. Evaluate critically. Write some more. When you feel it’s good enough – and only then – begin submitting to agents or publishers.
And finally, and this isn’t something you can ever predict, you need to get lucky. Why was A Necklace of Souls accepted, when another person’s might have been equally as good? I don’t know. Maybe the commissioning editor liked fantasy. Maybe they were looking for a novel with a strong female protagonist. Maybe the stars had aligned.

Reality checks:

Don’t expect overnight success. Actually, don’t expect to make a living wage from writing, period. Treat it like a passion and then anything’s a bonus.

Or, you could just be famous, notorious or both. Then landing a publishing deal is way, way easier.

Me with a much less famous author... — Me with a much less famous author…

Writing a Novel? How to Improve Your Third Draft.

April 1, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

A Great Third Draft

For me, the third draft is about copy-editing. Tightening the words, so everything is succinct. The third draft makes sure the right word is in the right place. I like doing my third draft. I work in hard copy, sliding a ruler under each line, and read line by line down the page, following the ruler. This stops me skimming, makes sure I consider each word carefully. I often do this in a cafe, just for a change of scene.

I save my draft two file, make a new one, called ‘Draft Three’ – duh – and insert the hardcopy changes as track changes. It’s time-consuming, of course, but it’s also fun, because it’s a chance to see if the premise and themes I dreamt of so long ago are coming together, that the story kind of hums along.

The big problem that I have is the continual second-guessing. Oh, but will this appeal to a reader? To an agent? To a publisher?

3 Tips to a Successful Third Draft

1- Consider a Critique Partner (CP).

A CP is someone who reviews and comments on your chapters. Preferably, someone who will be brutally honest, without fair of reprisals. Don’t use a family member, or a neighbour, or a friend. You need someone to tell you the parts that are boring, or which scenes don’t make sense.

Personally, I don’t find it too useful to have a CP until draft three, because up until this point, there’s so many changes. But after draft three, it’s invaluable. Especially for the all-important first three chapters.

Where Can I Find a CP?

If you’re doing a creative writing course, well then, it’s obvious. You’ll have more than enough eyes on your manuscript.
You can join a writing group. Google writer’s groups + [the town you live in]. Or look up your local Writer’s Society. Here’s the link to the New Zealand Society of Authors
You can join a special interest group – such as a Romance Writers Association
Or – and here’s a special tip from me to you: join Ladies Who Critique . LWC is kind of like a speed dating service for writers, matching writers with critique partners. I’ve found it useful and its a good way to chat with other writers, all from different parts of the world, with varying experiences. Ignore the ‘ladies’ bit. They welcome men, too. 🙂
Focus on your first three chapters.

2- Focus on your first three chapters and your ending.

Your first three chapters are the ones read by agents, editors and readers. Actually, the first three words, the first three paragraphs, the first three chapters. If you spend time polishing anything, polish these parts of your story. And don’t forget the ending. Endings are what we remember the most, and a great ending makes a reader keen to read another of your books.

3- Allow for length changes.

You may lose a lot of words in draft three. I usually lose about 10 – 20 percent. This means that if I’m aiming for a final word count of say 70,000 (average for a YA novel), I need to write about 100,000 to ensure I still have enough words for my manuscript. By contrast, some writers find they increase their word count. Whatever works for you, just be prepared for changes.

4 – And at the end of Draft Three – will my (good) novel finally be finished?

It’s up to you. If you are happy with it, then yes, perhaps. But for me – no. I will keep going on redrafting for quite a little longer.

How to Improve Your First Draft – Beauty and Murder

March 29, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

After Your First Draft

Finishing the first draft is a massive milestone; an exercise in tenacity and sheer bloody-mindedness. Word after word joining chapter after chapter, until finally you have enough content to make a book.

The good news?

For me, the first draft is the fun part, where the story-telling happens. I’m not bound up with grammar or word-appropriateness or even too much plot. In the first draft, I am feeling my way into the story.

The bad news?

The hard work is just about to start.

Beauty and Murder

So this is what I do. At the end of the draft one – which takes anywhere between six weeks and five years, depending on the number of words and time and circumstances and life just getting in the way – I put the manuscript aside. Usually for about four to six weeks. For some reason, this seems to coincide with other breaks, like school holidays or Christmas or something, so this has never been too much of a problem.

Once the six weeks is over, I re-read it in hard copy with a critical eye. I try not to get too bogged down in the words at this stage (although of course, I do, a little), but for me, draft two is all about STRUCTURE. What goes where.

The point of Draft Two is to kill your darlings. Heighten the tension. Compress the narrative. I find it a very hard process.

In Draft Two I shuffle scenes about. Sometimes I write in the margin – ‘Compress.’ ‘Tighten.’ ‘This drags.’ ‘Do I need this scene?’ If I think a scene should be somewhere else, I circle it, draw a big arrow to where it needs to go.

You can do this in other ways. Some people use post-it notes, drafting a short, cryptic summary on each, and putting them on a big wall. Some use index files or software.

The point of any method is always to ensure that everything in your story has a purpose; that each scene drives the story onwards. Do whatever works for you. It’s not like there’s a right and a wrong here – it’s the outcome that matters, not how you manage your process.

When I’ve ruthlessly worked through the manuscript, I start back on the computer. I make another file called ‘Draft Two’ and work through the marked-up edit points. I start a file called ‘leftover’ and anything I’m not sure about deleting I cut from Draft Two and paste into the leftover. Most of the time I won’t need this pasted material, but it’s like a security blanket, just in case. It’s pretty hard to let my darlings go completely.

I find Draft Two the hardest stage. It’s when I realize that my shining gem of a first draft is actually only a damaged pebble.

Although even a pebble has beauty; Draft Two is about exposing that beauty.

7 Steps to Writing Your First Draft

March 25, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

Your First Draft is Always Shit

The purpose of the first draft is to get stuff out of your head and into words.

Warning: Don’t expect great things from your first draft. It’s almost always shit. But that doesn’t matter – what is important is getting the WORDS ONTO THE PAGE. Remember, if you don’t start, you will never finish. That’s the point of the first draft – to finish.

My First Draft Process

Every day I write something new.
First draft stuff is written early in the day, when I’m still feeling creative.
I have a word target. I do not get up from my chair until I reach this target. It might be 500 words, it might be 2000, but whatever it is, I keep going until I’m there.
I begin by reviewing what I wrote the day before. But I try not to edit it too much, otherwise I get stuck in Edit Mode. There’s a big difference between Edit and Create.
Once I reach my word target, if I’m in the zone, I keep going. (If I’m not, I go for a walk. I find walking clears away the cobwebs, helps me think knotty issues through.)
Every day, I tell myself ‘well done’.
Repeat this process until finished.

And I DO NOT get worked up over what is happening until the story is finished.

Worrying about plot holes is a sure fire way to procrastinate.

Something like Nanowrimo can help – the way you get a little graph at the end of the day is quite cool. Plus, its nice to feel you’re not alone.

Of course, this is all wonderful stuff. I break my rules all the time.

What is a Novel? Character, Conflict and Change.

March 21, 2016 By Rachel Stedman

What Is a Novel?

Here’s my definition: a novel is fictional characters undergoing transformational conflict.

What does this mean?

Conflict can be internal, that is from inside the character, where the character grows and changes. In A Room With a View, Lucy’s perspective on society changes.

Conflict can also be external – where the characters change in response to something outside themselves. In The Light Between Oceans ( a novel by my more famous namesake!) a lighthouse keeper discovers a baby girl and decides to keep a secret. It’s also worth noting that, although generally fictional, a novel may be based on fact. (A little-known example of fact inspiring fiction is To Kill a Mockingbird.)

In a novel, characters don’t have to be human; the main characters in Watership Down are rabbits, and Beak of the Moon tells a story from the perspective of keas (mountain parrots). But even in these examples, the characters undergo conflict, and they learn something from this conflict that changes them.

Also, obviously, a novel, unlike a play, involves telling the story solely through writing.

How long is a novel?

A novel can be as short or as long as the author decides, but for adult fiction the following generally applies:

A novella: between 10,000 – 30,000 words
A short story: between 1000 – 5000 words
Flash fiction: less than 1000 words.

And then there’s micro fiction, (I call this tweet-fiction) which is ubershort and almost impossible to write, because how can you set character, conflict and resolution into 140 characters? Ernest Hemingway did, though, in these famous six words: “For sale: baby’s shoes, never worn.”

In summary:

A novel is:

A written work
Fictional
Involves characters, conflict and change
Generally (but not always) requires a resolution.

At least, that’s my definition! Over to you, dear reader. What’s your definition of a novel?

Because that’s the nice thing about writing and reading – there’s no right or wrong. There’s only the reader and the words.