By Debby Giusti
So you want to be a writer, but you don’t know how to make your dreams come true. Here are 5 steps to start you on the road to publication.
READ. What’s your favorite genre to read? In most cases, that’s a good indication of the type of story you might want to write. Or the type of story you should write. Why? Because you understand that particular genre. You know how the plot develops, how the characters change and grow, and how the action builds to an exciting climax and ends with a satisfying resolution.
Ask any romance reader about the various aspects of the
stories she loves to read and she’ll explain how the hero and heroine may seem
at odds at the beginning of the story, even though the reader knows they’re
meant for each other. A series of problems keep them apart until they overcome
the obstacles, declare their love and live happily ever after.
That's a simplistic overview, for sure, yet the reader knows the
various aspects of the romance genre and what she needs to include in her own
story to make it a compelling read.
Therefore the first step in your journey to publication is to read within a particular genre, study how the stories are developed and then decide what elements you’ll include in the story you plan to write.
WRITE. Begin with an idea. Expand that first spark of inspiration
into some type of a story overview, either a detailed synopsis or outline or a
short explanation of the plot and how you want it to develop.
Don’t get too hung up on details. Once you have a general
idea of your plot and characters, start writing. Give your creative Muse free
rein and have fun.
Keep writing until you type THE END. Now pat yourself on
the back and celebrate because YOU’VE WRITTEN A BOOK!!!
REVISE & REWRITE. Fine-tune your story. Work through the pages. Make corrections. Change dialogue. Delete extraneous material. Rearrange sentences, paragraphs and even scenes. Cut and paste. Tighten in some places, expand the narrative in others. Check grammar and spelling.
Then repeat the process until you’re satisfied with the
entire story.
ANOTHER SET OF EYES. Say what?
Another set of eyes means to have someone else read your
story. Your mother will love it, no doubt, but you need a reader with an editor’s
eye for detail. A person who understands story. She doesn’t have to work as an editor,
but she—or he—needs to identify problems within your story and offer
constructive criticism.
Some folks use a beta reader to catch errors and offer suggestions.
Another option is to look for a critique partner or a
critique group. Exchange pages and review one another’s stories. Fresh eyes can
pick out problems you might overlook.
Enter contests that offer written critiques, especially if
the judges are published authors. Getting feedback helps you identify areas of
weakness as well as positive aspects of your writing. Study ways to improve
your craft and change those weaknesses into strengths.
Hire a freelance editor. A number of editors do freelance
work and will provide editorial input for a fee.
SUBMIT YOUR STORY. Agents and publishing houses have websites that include guidelines for submission. Do your homework. Learn what the agent or editor you’re targeting requests and follow his or her directions to a T.
Once you’ve submitted your story, start working on your
next manuscript!
By the way, did you notice the "writers" in the above memes? They're on the road to publication and working hard to make their writing dreams come true!
Tell me about your writing dreams and the steps you’ve already taken on your journey to publication! Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a copy of HIDDEN AMISH SECRETS, my Publishers Weekly Bestseller still available on Amazon.
Happy writing! Happy reading!
Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
HIDDEN AMISH SECRETS
Her temporary Amish homecoming
could
get her killed.
Julianne Graber left her Amish life behind after a family
tragedy, but now she’s back to sell the family home— and someone’s dead set on
getting rid of her. With her neighbor William Lavy by her side, Julianne must
uncover dangerous secrets to make sense of the past and present. Can she find
justice for her family—and a future with Will—before the killer hits his
target?
Order on Amazon!
Debby, these are good points and we all need to be reminded, from time to time, as to how we got here. The "second pair of eyes" one was a stumbling block for me-- in my early career I thought I Knew It All. Listen to editors and agents, if you're fortunate to deal with one that gives feedback; listen to contest judges; and listen to critique partners. I found crit partners particularly valuable because if you work with one person for an extended period of time, they can see the ebb and flow of your work and spot problems not only in one book, but in several books or across a series, i.e. "Do you realize how much you use that phrase?" I didn't but now I do.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget web sites and blogs. Other authors can pick us up when we stumble, even if they live on the other side of the world.
Around most of day, will be back.
KB
Your Kaybee
Hard-won lessons in New hampshire
Thanks for adding websites and blogs, KB! Both invaluable for a new writer. Many, many years ago--long before the internet--I checked out five years of THE WRITER MAGAZINE from the library and read through all those back issues. Guess what, I learned so much!
DeleteI cut my teeth on "The Writer." They had so many good craft articles.
DeleteA wonderful magazine!
DeleteThis is a great post, Debby! And a great reminder for all of us.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of these five steps with a new genre, and you are so right - these simple steps work. No short cuts!
Thanks!
Jan, I know how you feel. I'm not in a new genre, but I'm in a new PERIOD of my genre, the American Revolution, and I need to get back to basics. What an adventure writing is!
DeleteKB
I should have titled this a BACK TO BASICS blogpost. Sometimes I find it helpful to relook the old, tried and true methods.
DeleteGreat post, Debby. I am stuck in revising phase and hope now that school is ending and I won't be subbing that I can really focus on it again.
ReplyDeleteI'm almost finished with my latest WIP, Sandy, which means I'm moving into the revise and rewrite stage. Actually, it's the part I enjoy the most when creating a story. Getting words on the page is sometimes a challenge, especially if the story has lots of twists and turns. The revision process allows the plot to take shape and the characters to come alive. For me, that's fun and exciting!
DeleteYeah, I responded to your response under Glynis's post, so if you want to know what I think, and who doesn't, scroll down a little. Sigh. The sentiment is still good.
DeleteSandy, revising is great once you get the hang of it. There's nothing like polishing your baby until it shines. (I wouldn't go after an actual infant with silver polish, but you know what I mean.)
DeleteI've yet to write something I've loved enough to revise. And my reading life has been abysmal the last few years, so at the beginning of January I decided to start reading again, in different genres to see if something would stick. I've begun to really enjoy reading again which in turn has given me inspiration to write. I still haven't made any decisions yet, but I know I'm getting close! Thanks for a great back-to-basics post!
ReplyDeleteI went through a non-reading phase before COVID hit--and I didn't like it. Thankfully, it ended and I started reading again. Now I look forward to spending time each evening with a good book. One of life's little pleasures.
DeleteGlad you're reading again, Glynis. Have you tried reworking an older story? Or perhaps digging into what you've already written to find the parts you could develop into a new story? Sometimes what we don't like just needs some TLC to let the real story take shape.
Debby, I also like revising. Most of the time. It's thrilling to see a story become better! It's the old iron sharpening iron thing. And there's nothing like jnowing you've finally got it right.
DeleteGlynis, I'm getting back into reading too. COVID for me was way too much TV and I'm trying to wean myself off of that. It was a tricky time and affected us each in different ways.
DeleteThank you Debby for the step reminders. I got away from writing for a good long time but am slowly returning. Basically, I'm starting over but am excited to get back to it. I'm the middle of a sandwich right now caring for my grandbabies as well as an elderly parent so progress is slow. I wouldn't trade it for anything at this time:) During this time, I'm relearning who my characters are and reminding myself where they came from.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for you, Pat! You have a lot on your plate...but I'm so glad you're finding time to write! And grandbabies are always wonderful. Bless you for taking care of your elderly parent. He/she is so fortunate to have you for a daughter!
DeleteHi Debby:
ReplyDeleteAnother inspired post! Thanks.
Very helpful to me are contests. It's great to get critiques from those who know enough to be published and who don't know who you are. They can level with you.
Contests have been the most helpful of all other means of getting feedback. In critique groups I've found that the same people often tend to find the same mistakes…all the time. That's not too helpful but it is at least predictable.
In contests it is best to have three judges. I've received an A and a D in the same contest. Even published judges can differ -- especially when you are writing something that might be expanding the envelope of expectations for a given genre. One judge 'got it' and the other one didn't.
As far as reading goes: I found it very helpful to read in as many different genres as you can enjoy. It is important to cross-pollinate ideas in your own mind to establish your own fresh voice.
Reading only LS Inspirational, for example, can be as limiting as only writing in one genre all the time. Such genre sameness can mitigate against freshness in voice and approach.
Indeed, it can be too easy to use all the conventional genre shorthand methods without even noticing it. I've mentioned before how almost every car is an SUV. That's it. No other information.
How many other 'SUVs' are being written that writers are not even aware of? You probably could pick up this over use of genre shortcuts in a new genre before you would in your own particular genre.
In short, don't become your parents! :)
Hi Vince,
DeleteI gleaned so much great info from contests before I sold. When you receive two critiques that are so very different, it often means you're writing outside the box, which is good. Some folks "get" what you're trying to do and like it, others aren't excited about something new. So those varying scores are a good thing, IMHO.
Book clubs are a great way to be exposed to new genres. I love the varying reads my book club selects, many of which I never would have found on my own. And they're all good.
Funny that you mentioned SUVs. In LIS, some of the editors don't want specific car brands and prefer generic cars. SUVs are great for navigating various terrains. An even bigger plus is they provide another "noun" to substitute for a vehicle. If the heroine has a sedan and the villain drives a SUV, it's easy to differentiate between the cars. My wonderful editor doesn't mind car brands, but some of the freelance editors she uses and some of the copy editors prefer generic cars! Go figure!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Debby:
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, I am on the side of the editors who do not want brand names in the story. First, to me, it reeks of product placement. Second, it makes the story flow seem to be interrupted by commercials -- like a Hallmark movie on tv which has an abusive amount of advertising interruptions.
I was thinking more in terms of car features which can tell a lot about the driver/owner. For example: fire engine red gets in the most accidents and also gets the most speeding tickets. White is easy to see which is great for safety. Black is also interesting as to who would buy a black car a color which also gets into more accidents.
The condition of the car is important. How you keep the car up often indicates how you manage your life. Age of car is also important as a indicator of income/expenses, maybe even something about "keeping up with the Joneses" when you really can't afford to do it.
Where the car was made can also make a statement. A German car often speaks of high quality and durability at a premium price.
Mary got into her eight year old, faded red, SUV, and thanked the Lord when the engine started on the first try.
Mary got into her SUV and headed to work.
Ruth hopped into her blazing red three-year old, SUV which was so well cared for that it still looked brand new.
Ruth got into her SUV and headed to work.
I've shown a lot more about Ruth and Mary by using a little longer sentence and revealing a little more about the SUV.
Now, of course, when I was in high school, the number one question girls asked about a new boyfriend was, "What's he drive?"
I think that says it all. :)