Kelly Abell Books

Okay, your manuscript is ready and you've mustered up  the courage and you are ready to submit to an agent or a publisher.  You do your research and you find one or two that you think will be a fit for your manuscript.  You go to their website and read the submission guidelines and THERE IT IS...THE DREADED SYNOPSIS.

You say to yourself, "It just took me a year to right this manuscript and now you want me to summarize a 300 page manuscript into HOW MANY PAGES???"  Okay, before you start to hyperventilate let's break this down into manageable chunks.  Its of all you need to think of your synopsis as the commercial for your book.  This is your written pitch. Your shot at a first impression.  So...You want to make a good one.  Here are a few short tips on writing an effective synopsis.

1.  A synopsis is a short summary of your book so you need to hit the high points.  Don't get caught in a quagmire of words.  Short and to the point is best.

2.  Keep your character description nice and tight.  Include it within the summary of the book and don't spend an entire page describing your characters

3.  Start at the beginning and go ALL THE WAY TO THE END.  Yes my dear writers, we submission editors do not like it when the author tries to include a clever little cliff hanger and not give away the end.  Publshers need too know how a story ends in order to make a decision on wanting the full manuscript

4,  Keep your adjectives and adverbs to a minimum.  If ever  there were a time for tight writing this is it.   

5.  Include the more powerful points of your plot. 

To get started try to make a few sentence summary of each chapter.  Then string all that together in a narrative that makes sense. 

It is easier than you think once you get started.  Good Luck...

Until next time...Keep On Writing.

I believe it was the movie Mean Girls that first introduced this term to me and I  thought it was a apt description of what I see a lot in the submissions I read.  Word Vomit is a phrase I use to describe a writer who literally spews forth words on the page and then does not go back to clean up the mess.  This is evidenced by the use of lengthy descriptions and narrative, unecessary adjectives and adverbs, run on sentences, and endless meaningless dialogue. 

Now I know when I write my first draft I do tend to "throw up" all over the page and let the hands just keep on typing whatever comes to mind.  But in the first round of edits cleaning up word vomit is the first task at hand.  Why use three words when one word will do?  Don't use the word "was" and my personal pet peeve "had been" to excess.  It throws your narrative into a passive voice and you want to remain active.  If you are using adverbs then in most cases you've chosen the wrong verb.  You should rarely have to describe the action of your verb with an adverb. 

Don't get too flowery with your prose.  I had a recent discussion with an agent trying to sell manuscripts and she told me that publishers are rarely taking anything under 70,000 words for a novel and NOTHING over 85,000 words.  Most rejections are due to word vomit.  Clean up those manuscripts, tighten those sentences, make it lean and clean and I bet you will have more success at getting someone to review your manuscript.  This is hard, I know, but well worth the pain. 

Until next time...Clean it up!  :0)

The definition, according to Dictionary.com, of cliche is :

a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.

Based on reading that definition above why would you, as a writer, ever want to use one?  We are all guilty of it, me included, but I must tell you it makes you look bad as a writer.  When you are describing a scene or a character you MUST avoid cliches.  You are a writer and putting together words in a creative way is what you do, so why would you want to use an old trite worn out phrase.  Come up with new comparisons and original thoughts for your manuscript.

When you are editing go back through your manuscript and look for cliches and where you find them, STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE.  They will bore your reader and if you are trying to get published, shut down the agent or editor who is reviewing your submission.  They will think "This author is not original."

Is there ever a time to use a cliche?  I would say Very Rarely and do so with caution.  The only time I would even recommend using one is in dialogue and it pertains to the way that particular character might speak.  Say they have a bad habit of using cliches as a character and you want to make your point through dialogue.  Then and only then would I use one.

Let's have some fun by naming our favorite cliches so our readers can get an idea of what we mean.

Old as Methusela

Strong as a horse

Stubborn as a mule

List the cliche that gets on your nerves the most!

Until next time...

In thinking about this tip I wanted to share with you some of my own recent experience.  I am an Editor In Chief for Solstice Publishing so I have experience with editing manuscripts.  Does that mean I don't make mistakes in my own work?  Absolutely not.  I am currently working on the second book in the In Lies series, Captured In Lies, and I just finished the first round of edits with my editor.  I would like to share a few brief thoughts from that experience with you.

First, you are too close to your own work to edit it.  As you write your brain fills in all the blanks and you find that words you think are there are missing.  You also get way too close to the dialogue of your characters and because you know them very well you make some assumptions that your reader won't recognize.  A good professional editor will spot these errors and be able to point them out to you.

Second, everyone forgets the rules of grammar.  No matter how experienced you are when you read your own work you view it through different eyes.  You are not as objective and you miss those habits that you develop over the years.  One of my weaknesses is using weak verbs.  My editor's recommendation to me was go back to what they taught you in high school.  Diagram that sentence and see if you have the subject and verb in agreement first of all, and then decide if you are using the proper verb that gives your passage the most active voice.  Ugh!  But he was right. 

So the moral to this story?  Find yourself a professional editor or a good critique group that has professional editors as members.  Before you present that manuscript you've so lovingly slaved over to a publisher make sure it is the best it can be to a cold set of eyes,  because those eyes belong to a submissions editor.  The idea is to reduce the number of rejection letters you receive, not increase them. 

Join me over the next few weeks as I share more of those tips I've recieved over the years and watch for Captured In Lies to come out in June. 

I know it has been a while since I posted an entry but I've been very busy writing and learning all sorts of editing lessons with my newest book that is set to come out in June.  And you will never guess who I learned these lessons from.  My 15 year old son.  He is quite the visionary and plans to be a movie director and for a teenager he is quite insightful about the movie and book industry.  Very often he reviews my books and gives some very good suggestions.  Well here is what I learned...

I, like most authors, get very excited about what I write.  I love my books and my characters and  I can't wait to share them with my readers.  I really like gettting my books out so people can be as excited about them as I am.  So...because of this I tend to rush the editing process.  I have read other authors say that they allow the manuscript to marinate for a while and then go back to it.  Well little Miss Impatient here didn't want to do that.  Then I ran into a wonderful editor.  His name is Frank and he made me realize that good things come to those who wait.  Now I knew this already but just had blinders on when it came to my own work.  After backing off the rush to get this book out I did just what I should have done and put the book aside.  Let others review it and offer some suggestions.  Just slowed the process down.  And you know what?  I found things that really needed to be changed.  Personality quirks in my characters that weren't consistent.  Errors with military equipment that my son pointed out that I overlooked. Little things that some readers my not have picked up but they were errors still the same. 

I really have learned a valuable lesson.  Slow down and let that cake bake a little longer.  Let the manuscript rest and then go back to it with fresh eyes.  This is nothing new to more experienced writers who have perfected their craft but it was a lesson I wanted to share.  Don't rush a good thing.  Make it the best it can be - Don't work it to death - that's what your editors job is so give them something to do, but give it the time and attention it deserves.  You'll be glad you did.

I was working on a story the other day and spending some time reflecting when an email came in from a fan.  The question asked of me was, How do you find time to read for pleasrue?  I'll share with you what my answer was to her.  I make it a point to find the time to read for pleasure.  I think one of the greatest things a writer can do to continue to develop your craft is to read!  Reading books in the genre I write is so helpful.  I like to learn about how other authors, much more widely read than me, build their characters, play with word usage in their dialogue,  and craft their plot.  I don't do t his to copy what they are doing but to learn how to tighten my manuscript and build my writing muscle. 

One of the writers I envy the most is Dean Koontz.  I just love the way he paints a picture with words.  He places me right in the middle of a scene and I can visualize what is going on around me.  He can describe the moon in such a way that I feel I can just reach out and touch it.  I find that extremely valuable to learn from.  I learn about plot twists and I challenge myself to see if I can figure out what the writer is going to do before they do it.  Many people ask me if that doesn't ruin reading for me, but it doesn't.  Especially if I'm spending time with a good writer.

So read your fiction.  Take time to enjoy reading in the genre you write in.  You will begin to develop your craft in a way that will surprise you and you'll have a great time doing it. 

I'm sorry for the large gap in entries but I was busy finishing up the sequel to Sealed In Lies.  The title will be Captured In Lies and as I was writing the final climactic scene I got stuck.  The scene was not going in the direction I wanted it to go in, my characters who were both tough guys were sounding like whiny children, and I just couldn't get it to work.  My son, an aspiring movie director, was giving me advice and I was a little amazed at his wisdom.  He suggested that instead of writing from the hero's point of view, switch the pitch and write it from the villains point of view.  "Think like a killer and mass murderer," he said.  Well hearing this come out of the mouth of my son was more than a little startling, but I did as he suggested. 

I couldn't tell you what a difference that made.  I began to see the action from the villans point of view and the entire scene fell into place.  I put myself in the villains mind and even indulged him with a brief monlogue. The scene took off and I'd finished before I realized I'd started!  Sometimes my brain works like that, in tandem with my fingers on the keyboard until BAM! it's done.  Kind of like driving home and you don't remember actually driving, you just pull into your driveway and go, "Hmmm, I'm home."

I guess the moral to this story is, if you get stuck, change whose eyes you are viewing the story through and it may loosen up those trapped words eager to spew forth.

Until next time.  Happy Writing.

I was conversing with a fellow author last night and the subject of character development came up.  We talked about how we developed our characters with full profiles before we even began to write our novels.  I have about a page of questions that I ask myself but when she sent me hers I knew I just had to share it with you.  Her profiles are in depth and it shows in her novels.  Her name is Jude Stephens and she writes paranormal romances.  She has a series called The Evolved and the first two books are out Scent of a Vampire and Touch of a Vampire.  I've read both and they are a definite Do Not Miss.  After reading her method of character development I can see why her characters are so believable.  I hope you can learn from her methods.  Here they are:

1. Character Name.

2. Siblings? Relationship with parents and siblings? Good/Bad?

3. Where did character grow up?

4. Choose three clubs/sports the character was involved in in high school.

5. What is a quirk (such as spinning hair around a finger when nervous, etc.?)

6. When decorating an apartment, where would your character shop (Pottery Barn or Wal-Mart?)

7. What role does money play in your character's life (is a 20" b/w TV just as good as a 50" flat screen?)

8. What does the character look like?

9. How do you see the character (i.e., sterotype, caricature)

10. Possible conflicts in personality (i.e., likes to watch sports, but hates to PLAY them.)

11. Possible need for change.

12. Values and beliefs (church-going, would the character steal if starving, etc.)

13. How beliefs and values clash (would the character steal if sufficient reason? What is that reason?)

14. What do they need in a mate?

15. Who is the worst person for them to fall in love with?

16. What makes the character emotionally dangerous (seeing someone strike a child, etc.?)

17. What is it about the character that makes it impossible to simply "walk away" from the crisis of the plot?

18. What does the character most admire about their best friend?

19. What drives the character insane about their best friend?

20. How does the plot help the character learn a lesson or grow?

21. What is the error in thinking during the plot (thought they could trust someone, so didn't spot danger?)

22. Why did they think this?

23. As a result of this mistake, what do they need to learn?

24. What is keeping them from learning it?

25. What are the ways the character tries to "cheat" to keep from having to grow?

26. What event in the external plot forces the character to either grow or change?

27. What is your character's greatest fear? (afraid of the dark, commitment, spiders?)

28. What is your character's greatest secret?

29. What is your character's best childhood memory?

30. What is your character's WORST childhood memory?

Now you may look at these and say HOLY COW!  I know I did, but for all the right reasons.  These are questions that build to a better character and help you if you are writing a series and need a reference point.  I for one have these saved and have them ready to go for my next novel.  Please share your thoughts on character development as well.  Thanks for sharing Jude.  If you want to check out her books go to www.judestephens.com

I was having this discussion with a fellow author today and thought it would be a great topic for my next tip.  To help my discussion along I looked up the definition of Prologue on www.dictionary.com.  This is what they have as the definition. 

–noun

1. a preliminary discourse; a preface or introductory part of a discourse, poem, or novel.

2. an introductory speech, often in verse, calling attention to the theme of a play.

3. the actor or actress who delivers this.

4. an introductory scene, preceding the first act of a play, opera, etc.

5. any introductory proceeding, event, etc.: Appetizing delicacies were the prologue to a long dinner.

Now that we know what it means when would you use one.  I would be careful with a prologue and not let it be confused with the first chapter of your work.  If you are trying to truly introduce something that will be separate from your main story, but explains something that relates to the story then I would use a prologue.  For example I use a prologue in my novel Haunted Destiny.  In the main part of the novel Amy (antagonist) receives some furniture that is haunted by a trapped ghost and the demon who is holding her.  In order to explain how the furniture became haunted I used a prologue set back in the 1800's with completely different characters than appear in my novel.  The prologue explains how the furniture becomes haunted.  Then the first chapter is in modern times introducing the main character Destiny Dove and how she comes to live in a new town with a strange grandmother.

If you find yourself writing a prologue that is about the same characters that your book is about you probably don't need it.  I would just turn that into your first chapter instead.  A prologue is truly something that preceeds your story -something that comes before.

Please add your thoughts and ideas on when to use prologues. 

I just spent a sleepless night finishing up James Patterson's newest book of the Maximum Ride series, which was excellent, and then followed it with Steven King's On Writing.  In a section of the book called Tool Box, he talks about basic grammar.  This is something that I really hadn't given much thought about as I always thought I had a good grasp of the English language.  I can write complete sentences and string together reasonably coherent paragraphs but I've never really given much thought to "The Rules".  All those long words that describe the parts of a sentence and words like participle never really enter my mind as I'm writing.

In previous posts I've referred to the Little Brown Handbook, an excellent resource for the basics in grammar.  I think I need to revisit my old friend and brush up on some of the basics.  I know my writing is good, but will revisiting some of the Rules of Grammar make it fantastic?  Steven King seems to think so and I think I agree.  Can an author take some license with the rules and fill a paragraph with short one or two word sentences to emphasize what is happening to a character or with a particular scene in a story?  Yes, but to a point.  It must be coherent to the reader who, I might add, has also studied the English language and will be quick to yank the rug out from under you if you go too far out of the box.

My opinion is basic grammar is very important and also the correct use of words in the correct context.  Use of a word like "irregardless" is inexcusable if a writer wants to be taken seriously.  Here is a note from a popular site www.dictionary.com:

Usage note:

Irregardless is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir- and -less. It was probably formed on the analogy of such words as irrespective, irrelevant, and irreparable. Those who use it, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a desire to add emphasis. Irregardless first appeared in the early 20th century and was perhaps popularized by its use in a comic radio program of the 1930s.

It may have become common practice but if you look at the word under the basic rules it makes no sense.  Neither does using "your" when you mean "you're" which  is also a common mistake I see and tend to commit from time to time.  From what I've found in both my writing journey and my brief editing experience, it's the little things that will trip you up.  Making your work stand out among the vast sea of wannabe authors is critically important and you need every tool you can carry. 

I have to agree with Steven King!  Brush up on the basics.