Wednesdays
Question for y’all: I’m thinking of fazing out Writing Advice Wednesdays. What topic would you like to see covered on Wednesdays?
Tag: writing advice
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This week, I’m covering a reader requested topic: how to actually start writing your novel. I’m going to start with some basics on outlining a book and then move on to the truth about starting a writing routine.
Outlining is a very long, frustrating process where you hash out the contents of each chapter. My outlines usually look like this (example taken from Chapter 1 of TFG):
- Prince Xuan (璇) of the Han Empire wakes for his coronation as Crown Prince.
- His servant, Zhen (真) enters to give him breakfast and to dress him, but the prince complains of never having enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance given to him.
- Zhen notes that it has always been in his nature, and that the prince has enjoyed simpler hobbies since he was a boy.
- At the ceremony, Xuan argues with his older brother Yang about being chosen to be Crown Prince
- Even through all the praise, Xuan finds the ceremony stifling and boring
- He returns to his study afterward to read and drink wine, but he falls asleep easily
- In his dreams, he meets a golden-skinned woman who claims to be a fairy messenger sent by the Jade Emperor to give Xuan a challenge
- The challenge is that Xuan must purge all earthly sins and matter from his body by abstaining from food, drink, sex, and killing of any kind. If he should do so, they will grant him the title of god.
- Xuan complains that if he abstains from eating and drinking, he’ll die
- The messenger claims that if he should die in his quest, Xuan would most likely be granted access to Heaven anyway
- Upon waking from the dream, Xuan finds the golden scroll with his instructions in his lap and decides that he will decide his own fate by taking on the challenge
Nothing special, and this format works for me because it tells me exactly what will happen in the chapter chronologically, but still gives me a little wiggle room to add more should I feel like it. My way doesn’t work for everyone, but I find my method simple enough where I’m not too bogged down with little details, but I have a map of where the story is going to go. I also like writing ideas up on a whiteboard. Some authors use note cards and organize them in order and make their outline off of that, some don’t use an outline at all (I would highly recommend you use one, especially for your first novel…not like I tried to write my first novel without an outline…what? Who, me? Never…..) Also note that your outline is not set in stone while you are still writing. Something doesn’t work out for you that’s in your original outline? Change it so it works better. Also if you have no idea on how to start outlining, I recommend searching “How to Outline a Novel” in Youtube. There are gems of videos that helped me and I know they can help you. I highly recommend Jenna Moreci’s outlining series because it covers from the idea phase all the way to the final outline.
But…what about the writing part?
This next bit is going to be some tough love for all my writerly friends out there. How do you start writing? Let me ask you this: Do you have an outline, note cards, whatever, to give you a roadmap? No? Make one.
You have an outline already? Awesome! I’m proud of you. Now get to writing. I believe in you.
“But, Julie,” you ask, “I thought you were going to tell me how to do that.”
I am, dear writer friend of mine. The secret is: WRITE. Just write. If you have an outline or even a clear picture of how this book will unfold, just write. Sit your butt down, put your fingers to the keyboard or pen/pencil to paper and just write. If you don’t write, it won’t get done.
…………
What’s that? You’re afraid to write badly?
Everyone writes badly. I write badly. Let me tell you that my first drafts are garbage. Horrible, nonsensical garbage. But guess what? You can work with garbage, you can edit garbage. You can write, re-write, and edit until that story of yours is everything you hoped and dreamed. Some more real talk: The Moon-Eyed Ones went through seven revisions before it was published, this includes the developmental and copyedits. SEVEN. I rewrote that gosh darn book seven times before I deemed it publishable. The Four Gods has been rewritten three times already, and it’s getting ready for a developmental edit in a few weeks, but that won’t be the last of the edits it will have to go through. Novels aren’t one and done deals, they take patience, dedication, and hard work to get done. I’ve heard many authors quote John C. Maxwell: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
Whenever someone asks me how to write or they tell me that they feel bad they only wrote a paragraph today, I tell them that a paragraph or even a single sentence is more than you had yesterday, and that is better than nothing at all because you’re WRITING. I also recommend creating writing goals that aren’t specifically word count based, as word count goals stress me the hell out. Maybe set a goal that you’ll start writing today, and maybe your next goal can be that you’ll complete a scene. After you get in your habit you can move on to multiple scenes or chapters if you want to. Set reasonable and realistic goals for yourself so that no matter how little or much you write, you can still feel proud of the work you’ve done. And if you didn’t meet your specific goal, at least you can feel good knowing you wrote something. I also recommend writing between 3-5 days per week. Not every day, but enough to get a habit formed to where not writing feels weird but also to give you some days to decompress a little.
So what are you waiting for? Get started on that outline or that novel of yours! I know you can do it! It will be frustrating, it will be hard, but no one ever said that writing a book was supposed to be easy.
That’s all for this Writing Advice Wednesday! Stay tuned for next week’s post which should be my next round of Quarterly Goals! Woo!
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Writing Advice Wednesdays: What do you want to see?
For this WAW I just have a simple question: what would you all like to see covered in future WAWs? Let me know in the comments! 😀
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Hey all! I’ve just gotten back from Gen Con and there were TONS of writing seminars there, one being how to write alternative history. Historical fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy have become so intertwined lately and a lot of writers are delving into the genre to start meshing more popular genres with historical backdrops. Seeing as how The Four Gods is a historical fantasy and alternative history and how relevant those panels were, I thought a review on some basics of historical fiction writing would be in order.
1. Pick Your Poison
First and foremost, choose your time period and area of historical fiction you will be writing in. Don’t you know, historical fiction has multiple sub-categories like all genres! Are you writing traditional historical fiction that only encompasses an event that could have happened in a given time period? Are you writing speculative fiction that involves fantasy, sci-fi, and a lot of what-ifs with famous events? Whatever you choose, pick your time period, get an idea of your characters, and get your time machine ready.
2. Research
Research is key to demonstrating sufficient knowledge of the period you have chosen to write about. Look into books, articles, and if you can, interviews– or as I like to call it, “hands-on history.” You also have to know how to research. Wikipedia is a good springboard, but should never be used by itself. Look into the source list of the article you’re reading, or if you pick up books or physical articles from academic sources, look at their sources. Of course, it is up to each author to how much research is necessary, which depends on how deep your manuscript goes into the time period you have chosen.
If you are still in college and have access to online libraries, use them! JSTOR and EBSCOHost were invaluable research tools that I had at my disposal since I began writing The Moon-Eyed Ones when I was still in my Master’s program.
As for my “hands-on history” approach, museums and primary sources are wonderful tools. For instance, The Moon-Eyed Ones takes place in 1835-38 Tennessee, which was based on the area my family lives in. I used the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in North Carolina and Conner Prairie Interactive History Park here in Indianapolis as two of my big resources, as the Cherokee Museum has artifacts and tidbits I had missed, and Conner Prairie as an interactive setting let me use all of my senses and completely immerse myself into what it may have been like to live in the mid 1830s (and have a little fun on top of that :P).
Note: Also be prepared, depending on your subject matter, to run across sources in multiple languages.
3. Character Construction and World Building
Characters are the lifeblood of a story, and when writing historical fiction, you may have more restrictions than if you were writing in another genre. Your characters must conform to the time period you have chosen. For example, Silas in The Moon-Eyed Ones is affected by laws at the time that forbid him from voting or having a voice in public hearings. Because of his race (or perceived race), he is forbidden from certain activities that he would have no problems doing if he lived today. Be careful to not include references or abilities to modern privileges or luxuries. If you are writing speculative fiction, then you have a little more free space to run around and mess up the space-time continuum or include inaccuracies.
Same goes for your setting. What do houses or buildings look like? Did your character have access to electricity, running water, or transportation other than their own two feet? How accessible were stores, towns, or other gathering places? What occupations were available? How does your character eat, dress, or bathe, and how often? Keep an eye on modern amenities trying to sneak their way into your manuscript, as you may be shocked to find out that your dashing male lead may have only bathed once every week or two.
4. Say what?!
Language is important when your characters are speaking, especially if your story takes place many centuries in the past. I myself find this one of the most challenging aspects of writing historical fiction because while I would like everything to be accurate as possible, I would also like my story to be readable. For example, back in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Melungeons have been noted by some sources to have spoken a hodgepodge of Elizabethan English and the American English we know today. The language patterns are still apparent in many dialects of the Southern American accent, but how far is too far? Tread lightly here, and pepper in what you can, but use beta reviews and other reader opinions to gauge if your characters sound too modern or if they can’t be understood at all.
Another note on this is that depending on your time period, the people in your story may have a few things to say about certain things that would seem racist, offensive, and downright horrifying to our modern sensibilities. The “How far is too far?” question arises here more than ever, and while I personally don’t like sacrificing historical accuracy to make everyone sing Kumbaya, it all depends on your manuscript. But in this regard especially, should you run into this problem, be prepared to make your readers uncomfortable.
5. Read!
Yes, read! I personally like reading books with similar subject matter and in similar settings when I am writing, but reading, in general, is a given (especially because you’ll be researching). When I was writing the first draft of The Moon-Eyed Ones, I went for any fiction that involved Melungeons, Cherokees, or the American South in the 19th and early 20th C. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy every single book I picked up, but reading gave me insight on what I enjoyed, how the writing was executed in regards to the points above, or even what not to do. Reading makes you a better writer and can give you a better idea of what you want your manuscript to accomplish.
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And there you have it, the top 5 aspects of getting that historical fiction novel written! Of course, these are true with any piece of fiction and keeping your writing on track.
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Hi all! A few days ago I posted my current profile for Gen, the protagonist of The Four Gods: Prince of the North. Today, I’m going to cover how you can make your own profiles for your characters! Think of profiles as an optional, but extremely helpful tool to help you get to know your characters better. It’s like an outline, but for a single person in your book.
The Basics
To start off, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions about your character:
What’s their name?
How old are they and when is their birthday? Where are they from?
What is their race and/or ethnicity?
These are questions that don’t require very detailed answers and will open up to the next section, which is…
Physical Appearance
Some authors like to leave their character’s appearance up to the imagination. I’m not personally a fan of this, especially because my characters’ appearances are usually one of the first things I come up with. Some questions you might want to ask yourself are:
What is their hair color/length/style/texture?
What color are their eyes? What eye shape do they have?
How tall are they?
What is their build/body shape?
What does their skin look like? Do they have blemishes and/or scars?
What distinct features does your character have? (These are things like facial features, tattoos, etc.)
These will help you paint a picture of your character if you haven’t already, and it should also help you flesh out your character a little more. For example, in this section I might mention that Fengge has tattoos on his upper body or I might have said for Silas that his smile is always crooked. You can be as detailed as you want here, but unless you already have a good picture of your character, the more details, the better.
What’s going on in there?
So your character has a name and their physical appearance, but now to cover the true meat of the profile: what’s going on in their head?
What hobbies do they have? What other skills do they have?
Likes/dislikes?
Fears?
How do they handle pressure?
Strengths? Weaknesses?
Do they have a religion? If so, what is it, and how devout are they?
This is just a basic intro to some questions you can ask yourself. You can get as detailed as you like, but as with the physical descriptors, the more detailed you can get, the less your character will succumb to inconsistencies.
What else is there?
You can add as much or as little as you want to this! I like to put their social relationships and backstory in mine, but it’s completely your decision on what you think needs to go in a profile because it’s for you and your personal references. There is no right or wrong way, and it’s an option to make your writing journey a little easier.
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Today’s writing advice is something that is a crucial part of the writing process and can seem like the most terrifying: how to find a professional editor. And before anyone asks: getting your work professionally edited is mandatory if you want to be published in any sense. No exceptions.
Finding an Editor
When looking for an editor, the first thing you should consider is if your book is even ready for an editor. I would recommend self-editing and sending your book through at least one round of beta reads before you shoot your MS off to someone to edit. Please please please do not send your first draft to a professional editor.
But where to start looking? Searching for editors in your genre online is a good start, but I found my current editor through word-of-mouth via Goodreads. Other writing communities are a great start to see if other writers are pleased with an editor’s work. If they are willing to recommend them to other authors, then you know you’re on the right track.
So your book has been beta read and you’ve edited it to the best of your own ability? Yay! Now it’s time to find an editor that edits your genre. If you are writing fantasy, you wouldn’t send your MS to an editor who specializes in non-fiction, so be sure to check to see what their specialties are. Some editors will even edit across different genres.
Your next plan of action is to find out if your editor is credible. Once you find their website, they should have a page that lists their editing credentials. They may have a degree in English or a related field, but usually they will also have separate editing certifications and will be part of editor organizations. If they don’t have their credentials listed or refuse to give them to you, or even worse, say they have none, then you don’t want them as your editor.
Types of Edits
So you’ve found an editor you’re interested in contacting that fits the above criteria for you? Great! What kind of editing do you need for your MS?
Developmental edit– This type of edit will cover your plot and characters. Developmental edits will find plot holes, characterization problems and inconsistencies, and ways your story can improve. Even if you had beta readers, this type of edit is usually required before you can move forward with a copyedit, and depending on how edited your story is so far, you may need more than one of these.
Copyedit– This is essentially the proofread. Any punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors will be found here.
When I got The Moon-Eyed Ones edited for the first time, I wasn’t sure where the story stood because most of my beta reviews were highly positive. Don’t be afraid to ask their opinion! Most editors will provide a “test run” edit where they will edit a small segment of your MS for free or for a smaller charge to see if they are a good fit for you. My editor for TMEO and TFG actually won’t do a copyedit before she does a developmental edit. After the developmental edit, she will go through the edits with me personally over the phone and we can discuss how we want to proceed. Most strong books will only need one developmental edit and can then move on to the copyedit, but most editors won’t stop you if you want more developmental edits before you continue with the process.
Price
And now we come to the part that I’m sure most authors are worried about: price. How much does an editor cost? Most professional editors are expensive to an author’s budget. Another red flag is if your editor’s price seems too good to be true. But remember, too good to be true and affordable for you are not the same thing. A super cheap developmental edit is a huge red flag, as a developmental edit will usually run several hundred dollars to a thousand depending on how long your MS is, as most prices are based on word count. Copyedits are always cheaper than developmental edits, but that doesn’t mean you can just skip straight to the copyedit because you don’t think you can afford a developmental edit. If you’re serious about publishing, start saving so that you can give your MS the treatment it deserves. And remember: you get what you pay for.
The Aftermath
To be completely honest: when you get your MS back from the editor for the first time, it will hurt. Your pride may take a hit when seeing all that red and all those comments on that Word document, but take a little time to breathe and decompress, then get to hacking and reworking your story. Your editor should want you to succeed as much as you do, so remember that you are both on the same team! You may not agree on every single change, but at least think about their comments. Their job is to make your book better than it was when you sent it to them, so after the sting dies down, hopefully you’ll feel better knowing that you are improving and one step closer to your goal.
Finding an editor may seem scary, and it definitely is, but trust me when I say that getting your book professionally edited and seeing how much your book and your craft can improve is definitely worth it!
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Hey there, everyone! So I’ve decided to start this weekly segment on writing advice, each week focusing on issues I’ve personally run into in my journey and questions I’ve been asked. For this week, I’m going to cover a few ways to insert foreign languages into your MS.
Method 1: Inserting simple phrases in said language.
Example from The Moon-Eyed Ones (Cherokee):
“I don’t want you going to the white settlement anymore. Do you understand?”
I must have looked like I didn’t catch what she had said, and I was distracted with my thoughts on top of that.
“Holigatsv, Nvdodikani?” She repeated, slower, this time.
“Vv. Goliga.” I said.
This method is good for simple sentences or phrases like the ones I presented above, providing you actually know these phrases in the respective languages you are using and are 100% certain of their meaning. And with the context of the dialogue before that, the reader knows that the characters are confirming that they have an understanding between them. I usually like to pair this method with the following, being…
Method 2: Write dialogue in your native language, implying that they are speaking in another.
Examples from The Four Gods (Yue and Korean):
In the seating area were Caixia, Fengge, and another
woman Gen did not recognize. They were all talking in a language he couldn’t
understand, but it sounded like a tribal language of the southern coasts to him.
He neared them anyway to see if he could decipher any of their conversation.
Chonglin nodded, his hair pulling at his nape
from the tightness of his topknot. “Your kingdom is a fine one, Your Majesty.”
The language still felt new on his tongue, and he admitted he wasn’t as fluent
as he would have liked to be, “I am just glad that I had a chance to speak with
you in person. I was worried that my intent would not be properly expressed.”In these examples, I am implying that Fengge and Caixia are speaking a dialect of Chinese that Get has heard, but doesn’t understand. In the second example, I mention that Chonglin is speaking to a royal figure in a language he can speak (Korean, or what would be Korean at the time), but he is still adjusting to it. I recommend doing this method if the language is one you do not personally speak or is one you are not confident in using in order to prevent translation mistakes.
I did this one in The Moon-Eyed Ones as well, considering I am nowhere near fluent in Cherokee, but a good chunk of the characters are speaking Cherokee the majority of the time. It’s the same in The Four Gods, that since the book takes place in China, the characters are speaking a dialect of Chinese. This brings me to the third method, being…
Method 3: Writing complete phrases, conversations, and sentences in the language.
Example from Eidolon’s Eden [WIP] (Myaamia):
When the train hissed to a stop, Martin led the group onto the platform, but they were suddenly greeted by an
older man waiting by a dusty Model A. The man rushed over to Martin, who had
barely disembarked from the train car and pulled him into a tight hug.“Aya aya, Mihcalaankwa! Neehahki-nko kiiwayi?”
The man exclaimed, patting Martin on the back.The priest pushed up his glasses, which had been
knocked off the brim of his nose. “Neehaki
niiyawi, Akima.”The man’s grin
spread across his entire face, but he soon noticed the other people behind Martin in blacks and looked
them up and down inquisitively.“Ah…awehniiki
oneki?” He asked.In this example, there is no English dialogue between the characters and no offerings of any kind of translation to the reader. Granted, these are still simple phrases anyone could learn, but unless the reader speaks Myaamia, they wouldn’t understand the conversation. However, in this particular instance, this conversation between characters continues on to reference that the other characters present also do not speak Myaamia and are just as confused as the reader. I do not recommend using this method unless your goal is to leave your readers lost and confused with what is happening, and 90% of the time, that is not what you want to accomplish…unless you want your readers to search for a dictionary or translator app every time your characters speak with one another. (Pro tip: That’s a bad thing. Don’t do that.)
Out of all these methods, #2 is my preferred method of choice, as it is probably the most foolproof and mistake-proof out of the three, since #1 and #3 can sometimes end up with translation mistakes. And depending on who your editor or beta readers are, they may not speak those languages either, so you better be sure you know what your characters are saying to one another (unless you yourself are fluent in that language or you have access to ask native speakers). But my personal experience is that peppering in small phrases can make your book and characters a little more well-rounded and can make dialogue that much more realistic.
For writing bilingual or polyglot characters mixing up their languages, reference this post. The above advice is intended for characters carrying a conversation in one language that may not be your own native language.
And that’s all for the first WAW! If you have any topics that you want me to cover, you can comment here or shoot me a message. I hope some of you found this useful and I’ll be back on Friday to start special Q&A sessions for The Four Gods. 🙂
Until then, everyone!
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Greetings! In this post, I’m going to cover some basics on writing historical fiction novels. Granted, this is my personal approach, but many of these things are key to writing a successful historical novel.
1. Pick Your Poison
First and foremost, choose your time period and area of historical fiction you will be writing in. Don’t you know, historical fiction has multiple sub-categories like all genres! Are you writing traditional historical fiction that only encompasses an event that could have happened in a given time period? Are you writing speculative fiction that involves fantasy, sci-fi, and a lot of what-ifs with famous events? Whatever you choose, pick your time period, get an idea of your characters, and get your time machine ready.
2. Research
Research is key to demonstrating sufficient knowledge of the period you have chosen to write about. Look into books, articles, and if you can, interviews– or as I like to call it, “hands-on history.” You also have to know how to research. Wikipedia is a good springboard, but should never be used by itself. Look into the source list of the article you’re reading, or if you pick up books or physical articles from academic sources, look at their sources. Of course, it is up to each author to how much research is necessary, which depends on how deep your manuscript goes into the time period you have chosen.
If you are still in college and have access to online libraries, use them! JSTOR and EBSCOHost were invaluable research tools that I had at my disposal since I began writing The Moon-Eyed Ones when I was still in my Master’s program.
As for my “hands-on history” approach, museums and primary sources are wonderful tools. For instance, The Moon-Eyed Ones takes place in 1835-38 Tennessee, which was based on the area my family lives in. I used the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in North Carolina and Conner Prairie Interactive History Park here in Indianapolis as two of my big resources, as the Cherokee Museum has artifacts and tidbits I had missed, and Conner Prairie as an interactive setting let me use all of my senses and completely immerse myself into what it may have been like to live in the mid 1830s (and have a little fun on top of that :P).
Note: Also be prepared, depending on your subject matter, to run across sources in multiple languages.
3. Character Construction and World Building
Characters are the lifeblood of a story, and when writing historical fiction, you may have more restrictions than if you were writing in another genre. Your characters must conform to the time period you have chosen. For example, Silas in The Moon-Eyed Ones is affected by laws at the time that forbid him from voting or having a voice in public hearings. Because of his race (or perceived race), he is forbidden from certain activities that he would have no problems doing if he lived today. Be careful to not include references or abilities to modern privileges or luxuries. If you are writing speculative fiction, then you have a little more free space to run around and mess up the space-time continuum or include inaccuracies.
Same goes for your setting. What do houses or buildings look like? Did your character have access to electricity, running water, or transportation other than their own two feet? How accessible were stores, towns, or other gathering places? What occupations were available? How does your character eat, dress, or bathe, and how often? Keep an eye on modern amenities trying to sneak their way into your manuscript, as you may be shocked to find out that your dashing male lead may have only bathed once every week or two.
4. Say what?!
Language is important when your characters are speaking, especially if your story takes place many centuries in the past. I myself find this one of the most challenging aspects of writing historical fiction because while I would like everything to be accurate as possible, I would also like my story to be readable. For example, back in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Melungeons have been noted by some sources to have spoken a hodgepodge of Elizabethan English and the American English we know today. The language patterns are still apparent in many dialects of the Southern American accent, but how far is too far? Tread lightly here, and pepper in what you can, but use beta reviews and other reader opinions to gauge if your characters sound too modern or if they can’t be understood at all.
Another note on this is that depending on your time period, the people in your story may have a few things to say about certain things that would seem racist, offensive, and downright horrifying to our modern sensibilities. The “How far is too far?” question arises here more than ever, and while I personally don’t like sacrificing historical accuracy to make everyone sing Kumbaya, it all depends on your manuscript. But in this regard especially, should you run into this problem, be prepared to make your readers uncomfortable.
5. Read!
Yes, read! I personally like reading books with similar subject matter and in similar settings when I am writing, but reading, in general, is a given (especially because you’ll be researching). When I was writing the first draft of The Moon-Eyed Ones, I went for any fiction that involved Melungeons, Cherokees, or the American South in the 19th and early 20th C. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy every single book I picked up, but reading gave me insight on what I enjoyed, how the writing was executed in regards to the points above, or even what not to do. Reading makes you a better writer and can give you a better idea of what you want your manuscript to accomplish.
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And there you have it, the top 5 aspects of getting that historical fiction novel written! Of course, these are true with any piece of fiction and keeping your writing on track.
Feel free to ask any questions, comment, or just say hello. I am going to try to post once or twice a week and maybe I’ll even post some excerpts. 🙂
AUTHOR | HISTORIAN | ARTIST 