Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Revise, revise, revise.

Ever feel like you revise the first chapters over and over and over again? I was practically done with my story, but I could never get past the first few chapters of my story for revising that I never actually finished my story. 

Well, I finally get it. 

Writing groups can be helpful, if you use them correctly.  I'm still learning, remember. 

I found that in revisions, you have to take two steps forward and one back. This staggered movement is what I've found will keep me moving forward with my story and getting it ready to submit by the end of the year.

First, finish your story. 

Write everything you can into it.  You can always cut out the extras that don't work later. 

"But I..." 

No, finish your story. Been there. No more excuses.

THEN, once you have finished your story, you may have others critique. Here's the process...

Turn in your chapter. (ie. chapter 1)

The group will critique.

Make any changes you feel are necessary.

THEN, turn in chapter 2.

"What? But I..."

DON'T turn in chapter 1 again. Or you will never get past it. You will always want to keep going back and changing it.  It isn't perfect.  I get it. Don't turn it in again until you have gone through the whole story.

(continuing on...)

The group will critique chapter 2.

Make any changes you feel are necessary.

Turn in Chapter 3... and continue this way until the end of your story.

"But I..."

UNTIL THE END OF YOUR STORY!

Read through your whole story. Make sure any obvious things are fixed.

THEN, you will turn in your WHOLE story to the group. 

Chapter 1 through the end.

If you have a good group, they will check continuity, characters, development, magic systems (if any), and some grammar because they can't help it.

Now, they know the whole story and can read it like a reader.  (aka: Beta Readers.)

THEN, you can make any changes you need to your whole story.

Is it going to be perfect? No. But that is the job of an editor.  Get it to the best you can and turn it over to the pros. And let's face it... authors go back and read their books and talk about things that they would change.  AFTER they've sold hundreds, if not thousands, of that book. So, it doesn't have to be perfect.  Just compelling.

And by the time you turn it in to an editor, you'll be SICK of it.  You'll be READY to start another story.  

AND YOU CAN!

- The Truth According to Jennadee.

Let's Get Ready to... Rumble!

I started writing as a little girl.  My dad saw me creating stories and drawing pictures. Then he did the best thing ever... he encouraged me to keep going.

Let's face it.  I wasn't very good. But that didn't matter. And that felt great!

A little further along, I wrote Unie and the Easter Eggs. I started writing poetry in Middle School. There were fun exercises for story writing. One I remember was watching a show without the sound and then writing a story according to my interpretation.

In High School, I wrote more poetry and even tried my hand at children's books.

It was never my goal to write a book.  I had a hard enough time reading books because my eyes would get so tired.  However, that didn't keep me from staying up late to finish a book that I couldn't put down.

I wrote in my scrapbooks. I wrote blogs of my family, keeping in fun and real. Some even said that it was pretty good.

My hubby is the BIG reader in our family. He was the one who wanted to write a book. So naturally, since he became the massage therapist that I wanted to become, I decided to become the writer. (Not really, but it sounds good, right?)

I woke up one morning. I have a vivid scene of a girl being transformed into an angel. I wrote down immediately what I could remember.  Then I ran to the computer and typed up any more details that I could remember. Before I knew it, I had several scenes written.

It wasn't the first time I'd dreamed a 'novel'. When I'd wake up, I would remember one specific scene, but I knew a whole backstory.

Remember how I said that my hubby wanted to be the writer? He really did.  He listened to podcasts of 'Writing Excuses' with Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Taylor, and Mary Robinette Kowal. When he saw that I had started to actually write, he started sharing what he learned. Because, the difference between a writer and a want to be writer is that the first actually writes.

I tried going to a writing group. I felt so lost. And when they asked for money, I didn't feel comfortable giving money that our young family needed to a 'lost' cause.

Years later, I got together with a friend from college. She was writing as well.  She went to a writing group. In fact, the same writing group that I tried years earlier. After reading my story, she said I should go. So, I went... with her. The writing group had come a long way since I had last tried it. And having a buddy helped some, too.

Others read my work. And helped me to see how 'bad' it was.  The ideas were good. I just had a long way to go to get great. TO GET IT WRITE.

So, that is why I'm here. And why you're here.  I want to share my journey with other budding authors, and you want to feel like you're not alone.

It was a long time before I seriously picked up writing again after going to the writing group the first time. But when I did, I was immersed. I even watched Brandon Sanderson's writing class on YouTube.  And when others read my work and criticized my 'baby', I could take it. I was ready, because I wanted to get better. The whole point was to never give up learning to be better.

Don't give up writing. Inside is a story itching to break free. The world needs your story. You are not alone. So get that pen and paper, get over to your computer, doodle on your whiteboard. Be a writer.