Word Posse

Here’s some writerly advice that some of us seem to be handing out a lot lately: punch up that beginning!

Rob Chilson talks about the three rules of the first page. They are:

• Shoot the sheriff on the first page;
• Grab your reader by the nose;
• Give your reader somewhere to stand.

That is, you’ve only got a few sentences—perhaps only a few words—to get your reader’s attention. So you can’t wait for chapter 2, or even page 2, to get the plot going or to let your reader know what’s going on, and to start the action. All that has to happen right up front.

It’s not easy. But it is essential. Power up that opening sentence. Make the opening paragraph grab that nose. And maybe your reader will agree to enter your world with you, and read the rest of your words.

But first those words have to sing. And be punchy.

We all live in world that makes demands on our time. Whether you have a full-time job or you go to school, whether you watch over and take care of children or elderly or sick family members we all must balance how we spend our time. As writers we all commit time to writing, but what about reading? Writers need to read. With everything else that’s going on how do we find the time to read? For some the solution might be audio books.

Our Word Posse writing group members have different ideas about audio books. Tom and Mark are probably the two greatest proponents within the group. Tom listens to audio books in the car and at the gym – in fact this becomes an incentive to go the gym (have to finish that book!) Mark listens to audio books on long car trips and at other times. Rett occasionally uses audio books, but she has a skill set that the rest of us find stunning. Rett has the ability to listen to two books at the same time! She does not do this often, but when she does one is usually a non-fiction and the other a fiction. Talk about mulit-tasking! Other members of the group try audio books every so often, but generally do most or all of their reading visually.

Audio books are available through public libraries. Also Audible has reasonable enough rates through their membership plans. Or, of course, you can buy books on CDs at book stores or through Amazon. If you are having trouble finding time to read all those books on your-gotta-read list you might consider audio books as a way to multi-task.

We sometimes get the question how does our writers group manage to critique a whole novel in a single meeting. Part of the answer lies with the process, but another part lies with a few time saving devices we have developed over the years. Voting is a major time saver.

So most of what we send through our writing group these days are novels that a member has written and wants to pass through the group for a critique. Our meetings occur once a month. A work to be critiqued must be submitted in advance of the meeting, allowing enough time for the members to read and review the work (usually this means the book is delivered at least three weeks in advance – especially for longer works). So members are on the hook to read the book before the meeting begins. We never read any work out loud during the meeting (as some groups do). Each member brings his or her own marked-up version of the work to be critiqued (sometimes this is on paper, sometimes electronic). We move sequentially through the book. This goes something like this: Does anyone have anything on page one (there are always comments on page one of any work we do!)? How about page two? Who has the next page number? Sharon has something to comment about on page 10. Debbie has something on page 12. Marella has something on page 5. Okay, Martha goes first.

Let’s say Rett has an issue with something on page 85. Say for example Fruitloop the loveable one-winged, one-eyed, one-clawed bat, has been attacked by a 50-foot tall robot off stage and has met his maker (yeah, this example is so made-up). Rett thinks we have a lot invested in Fruitloop and so we need to see this scene or maybe we need to learn more about the 50-foot robot and this is a great opportunity. Rett makes her case for showing this scene. Other folks may chime in with their thoughts on this issue. After a brief discussion (and I mean brief – usually only a minute or two) we ask for a vote. Let’s say Mark agrees with Rett, but no one else wants to see this scene. So the vote shows two people would like the scene added. Four people are fine without it. That ends the discussion and we move on. The point is that the group has provided feedback, but ultimately it’s the author’s work and author’s decision on whether to take the advice or leave it. That decision can be made by the author outside of the meeting. We don’t need to spend more time on it unless the author requests that we do so.

We use this voting technique very frequently and for various reasons. For example let’s say the author started a particular chapter with a time shift and Tom didn’t pick up on that so he says he was bothered by that. We poll the group and find that only Tom had a problem with it. Everyone else thought the time shift was pretty obvious. So we have a one in six or 16% bother factor. Or maybe the author talks about a dog on page 124, but there have been two dogs mentioned earlier in the text. The author thought it was pretty clear which dog he or she was talking about, but everyone in the group was confused by this. So the voting goes six of six or a 100% bother factor.

Logically the author may figure that if six out of six readers thought the work should spell out which dog is referred to on page 124 then the odds are good that an editor or another reader might have this same problem. So maybe this change should be made. Likewise the author may think that if only one of six readers had problems with the time shift maybe that could be left alone. At the end of the day though these decisions reside with the author. The vote provides guidance, but the author is a dictator and can (and should) do whatever he or she feels is best for the work. The vote does however achieve the twin goals of providing feedback to the author while keeping the critique from getting bogged down in time-consuming minutia.

One of the many fun things about being in a writer’s group is talking about writing and learning how other people in the group approach the craft of writing. We were sitting around the table at Sharon Shinn’s house (our writer’s group Super Hero headquarters) earlier this year critiquing an absolutely brilliant new mystery from member Rett McPherson, author of the highly popular Torie O’Shea mysteries and Word Posse’s own Sleeping the Churchyard Sleep. We were all mesmerized by how effortlessly Rett had kept all the suspects in play. So what was her secret? 

She told us that while writing her mysteries even she does not know who did it, who the murderer is. So she has to keep all her options open, giving her the most flexibility when she gets to the end of the story and really has to pick the murderer. Then she goes back, during the editing stages, and tightens up the story around the ending. This approach allows her to present all the suspects as though each one committed the murder. It keeps everyone fresh and in play. What a wonderful writing tip! If you want to see this technique used by a master, grab a copy of Rett’s Sleeping the Churchyard Sleep.

Absolootely.

Precicely.

Unkwestionablee.

Yes.

In honor of the passing this last week of author P.D. James, I thought I’d write a few sentences about some writing advice she dispensed. Besides advice like don’t just plan to write – write, and read widely, she also had this advice: Open your mind to new experiences. Nothing that happens to the writer…is ever wasted.

This, I think, is one of the key components to being a writer. It reminds me of a conversation I had last month with someone I do volunteer work with. We were discussing bucket lists and I admitted I had one, but that most of the things on it were travel-related. The person with whom I was speaking said, “Oh, but you already write books.”

So…if you “already write books,” does that mean you can’t have a list of goals you want to accomplish in life? Is it that writing books is already such a rarefied adventure, you couldn’t possibly have anything else you want to do?

The reason the P.D. James quote and the comment stick in my head, I think, is that writers have a tendency to look out at the world a little differently. We’re always looking for more to learn, more to explore, and more to do. Whether it’s taking up a new hobby, listening to books on tape, attending lectures, traveling, or engaging in volunteerism, writers seem to manage to fill their lives with, yes, jobs and kids and housework, but also so many other things that water the soul and grow the raw materials for plots and characters. Other people know this, and for whatever reason, rate it more highly than whatever it is they’re doing in their life.

Whether you write or not, I hope, for 2015, you figure out what waters your soul, and you go out and do it. Life is so much more interesting when you can chart your own course toward something that engages you. And none of it is ever wasted, even if you’re not a writer.