If we happened to win the contests we entered, we had the added bonus of padding our writing resumes.
However, one phenomenon emerged from the contest trend. New writers would polish and revise the first three chapters of their novel over and over again, making them perfect for the contest, yet never actually finish writing the book.
JILL: The first book I wrote will NEVER see the light of day. But I finished that sucker and the one after that. Each story I completed put me one step closer to learning about the craft of writing and what works best for me. That doesn’t mean you should finish every novel you begin. But the first one? Yes. You will learn so much by completing your first novel. How to push through to the end. How to build a bridge between your beginning, middle and end. How to transition between each individual scene. When to add emotion or delete narrative. When to quicken or slow the pace. So finish the first manuscript and learn what you need to know to begin the second.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 233
Food for Thought
Think about the scene you are writing today and ask yourself these questions:
How does this advance my plot?
Does this raise the stakes?
Does this impact my characters in some way?
If I remove the scene, will my story flow better or will there be a hole?
Make sure the scene is important, advances the plot or develops a character. Also make sure it is layered with description and emotion.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 234
Ready to Throw in the Towel?
As we mentioned, there will be days you hate your book, your characters and every word you’ve written. We understand. We’ve been there!
We challenge you to press on, anyway. If you stop now, all your hard work would be for nothing. Keep going! You can do this! Focus. Magnify. Accomplish. Triumph!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 235
Rethink Setting Your World in a Real Place?
People know their facts. Medical workers will know when you mess up medical details. Historians will know when you mess up historical information.
If you haven’t spoken to a professional or researched the job, disease or site—or a multitude of other things—you might want to make something up instead.
Similarly, we live in Oklahoma, so we know the weather patterns, the streets, when traffic is bad, and a thousand other things. If someone gets the facts wrong, we—always—know.
Using a maps app can help, but it won’t provide the little details. That is one of the reasons we prefer to create fictional towns/realms.
GENA: In my Original Heartbreakers series, I created Strawberry Valley. For The Forest of Good and Evil, I created the magical kingdom of Enchantia. In my Lords of the Underworld series, there’s a made-up realm in practically every book. I make up jobs, holidays, superpowers and more—heck, I make up everything I can!
Your assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 500 words for your novel.
Day 236
Ask the Professionals
Don’t be afraid to reach out to professionals in the same field as your characters to ask questions.
GENA: I once rode in a two-seater plane for research, and I hated to fly! I was writing a hero who flew those types of planes, and I needed to know what he experienced up in the air. I got to sit in the cockpit and speak with the pilot who sat right next to me. It was fun. It was terrifying. But mostly, it was informative. And terrifying. Did I mention terrifying? Oh, the things we do for our characters.
Your assignment: Write roughly 20 words for your novel.
Day 237
Keep Your Characters In The Dark?
Remember, just because you know something story-wise doesn’t mean your character should know it.
You might recognize a Rembrandt on sight, but should the character who’s never seen one?
Cooking might come naturally to you, but should your character have those same skills?
Someone who’s never worked on a car might not know the name of the part or tools.
Give your character a reason for knowing what they know!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 238
Reflect and Catch Up
As you’ve written more and more pages of your story, you’ve learned more about your process as an author. It’s time to ask yourself some hard-hitting questions.
What will you do differently for your second book?
What feels easier?
What do you think you still have left to learn?
How will you handle your pre-writing?
What to focus on and magnify?
Day 239
Use Your Pet Peeves To Your Advantage
You have a story to tell which makes us think you were a reader first. Do you recall any pet peeves you had with other works? Make sure those same annoyances aren’t making their way into your novel!
JILL: My grandma had grocery sacks filled with romance novels that I would take home and read. Those books were like a microcosm of the sexual revolution. In the earliest ones, the heroines took pride in their virginity until marriage, which happened some time after the book ended.
As I moved through the books, they got steamier. The virginal heroine would have sex on the page with the hero, but usually only with a lot of guilt. In the next round, the heroine was no longer a virgin, but in no way shape or form did she enjoy the sex previous to meeting the hero of the book. And that’s where my pet peeve came into play. It may be hard to believe, but even just ten years ago it was controversial to write women characters with fully realized sexually satisfying pasts. Now, women and all their various life experiences are shown on the page.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 240
Use Special Sentence Construction At Special Times
Try not to overuse run-on sentences and sentence fragments. Too many can be distracting, like, seriously distracting, I mean, run-on sentences just go on and on and on, and they never seem to stop, and all you want them to do is make them stop stop stop stop dang it. Right? Your readers. Might want. To pull out. YOUR hair. (See! Distracting! And annoying.)
However, when used in moderation these tools can be highly effective. Seriously!
Your assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 500 words for your novel.
Day 241
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
If an object means the world to your character, what would it take to make them sell it? Or give it away?
One favorite example is The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Both characters will gladly part with their most cherished possession to make the other happy.
The more your character loves the item, the more emotional the giving of it will be for the reader.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 242
Grab a good book!
Before you started writing, you were a reader. At least, that is our best guess, considering your desire to become an author. Between the writing of your books, be sure to read, read, read. Note and look up any words you don’t understand and grow your vocabulary.
Did one of your favorite stories evoke certain emotions that spoke to you? Consider rereading it to study the author's style and wordcraft. How did they do what they did? Can you consciously or unconsciously pick up the rhythm of their plotting?
Also, it’s important to study the genre you plan to write in even after you’ve taken the plunge. Notice the tropes and themes. What resonates with you most? What leaves you cold?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 243
This Business of Cursing
If you’ve invented a new world or society, the citizens might not know c
ommon words and phrases we use in everyday life, like ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell.’ Is there an afterlife in your fictional world? Religion? If not, using “hell” as an expletive might not work.
For the people of your new world, you might need to create an original set of curses for them.
GENA: In the Everlife series, the heroine is obsessed with numbers. So, a curse for her is “zero.” In the Forest of Good and Evil series, one of the heroines is from a land that blooms with roses all year. A curse to the citizens is “withering roses” or “weeds!” On the other hand, a proclamation of delight could be “blooming roses!” In the White Rabbit Chronicles, the heroine doesn’t want to curse, so she uses the phrase “good glory.”
Think about your characters and your world. Are there any specific words or phrases that would work as a curse or an exclamation of delight?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 244
Give It Everything
Many writers worry about being the best author ever. Stop! To some, you will amaze and delight. Others you’ll never make happy, no matter what or how you write it. All you can do is your best. Just write!
GENA: For the longest time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life career-wise. I dropped out of college three times. I worked for my mother—and got voted worst employee ever multiple years in a row. (Trust me, I earned the title!) I would start projects, then stop them halfway. Nothing was a great good half way decent fit for me. Then, I started writing. In my stories, I found my passion. Love what you do, and it can love you back!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 245
Reflect and Catch Up
I thought it would get easier. When I say “it” I mean everything relating to writing and my writing career. Almost fourteen years in, the books would be easier to write. I wouldn’t be worried all the time about sales or being dropped by my publisher. I would feel secure and the words would flow…and, wow, was I wrong.
This career stays hard and frustrating. It toys with your insecurities regardless if you’re new or have been in this game for forty books, whether your sales sputter along or you’re a bestseller. But there’s a good thing. Not really good, I guess, but something that should make it bearable: You are not alone. You will feel like you are. You will think everyone else has an easier time setting goals, writing, selling and sleeping at night.
Wrong!
A lot of us (most of us?) feel those prickly doubts and worries. The idea that “it” gets easier, you’ll be able to write for X hours a day no matter what disaster hits and you’ll sell every idea—Nope. That is a lot of pressure and since so much of this career happens in silence, in our own spaces with limited contact with others, we feel alone.
You’re not alone and once you realize that, the other uncontrollables won’t seem so daunting.
–HelenKay Dimon
Day 246
As The Saying Goes…
There’s a popular saying: Write what you want to read! Is there something you’ve always wanted to read, but no one has written anything similar? Consider writing it yourself. You may kick-start a new subgenre that others didn’t know they needed.
Or, the book could just be the “book of your heart” that only a handful of people will read. Success is how you define it. Maybe you needed to get that one story idea out of your head, and now you’re done. Each time we finish a new manuscript, we’re stretching our creativity and hopefully learning more about the craft of creating fiction.
Often writers will take the book of their heart and later add in tropes and themes that will make their book more commercial and appeal to a wider audience of readers. Whether the book goes public or gets shoved under your bed, you’ve accomplished something. Be proud of your triumph, we are!
Your assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 247
The Jargon of Professional Writers
Whatever your field of business, you probably use unique words only your coworkers understand. The publishing world is no different. Here’s a list of common words and terms used by authors and editors:
ARC: This stands for Advance Reader Copy. (Sometimes mistakenly referred to as Advanced Reader Copy.) These are copies of the book, often uncorrected proofs, given to reviewers and book promoters. These can be both bound/ printed copies or electronic. Traditional publishing houses usually handle distribution, while also giving a limited number of copies to the author.
ARC Team: A team of readers organized by the author or author’s assistant who are given an advanced reader copy in exchange for voluntarily leaving a review.
Back Matter: The pages after the last word of your story. This includes endnotes, a list of your other works, invitations to join your newsletter or follow you on social media.
Backlist: The books you published before your newest release.
Blurb: The blurb refers to the back cover copy on the back of the book or on the online bookseller’s website. There are several wonderful books out there about blurb writing, so we won’t delve deep here—that comes later—but it can be one of the most important aspects of publishing because these few words can sell your book to readers or drive them away.
Distribution, aka Wide Versus Exclusive: When you self publish, you have the option to go exclusive with one platform (such as Kindle Unlimited) or wide on any and all platforms available to you. This is a very personal choice. Going wide may fit your marketing plans at one time and later you may change your mind–self-publishing allows you the flexibility. Read your terms of service carefully.
Front Matter: The pages before your story begins, including dedication, acknowledgements, copyright notices, table of contents, etc.
ISBN: This is short for International Standard Book Number which is usually 13 digits long. It’s used by bookstores, libraries and publishers to track inventory etc. It is your responsibility as an author to understand when and how to apply for an ISBN.
ASIN: The Amazon Standard Identification Number.
Piracy: When someone posts your book online without your permission, allowing others to read it for free. It is theft of your intellectual property and a violation of your copyright.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 248
The Jargon of Publishing
Yesterday we discussed jargon for writers. Today we’ll discuss jargon for the publication of your novel.
Advance: An advance is actually an advance against royalties. Meaning, a traditional publishing house will give the author money up front, an amount based on what they think the book will earn back. If your book does not earn its full advance, authors are usually not expected to pay that money back. But, your next advance might be lower.
JILL: On the topic of advances, I want to share the best piece of advice I ever received: Think of that advance as the only money you’ll ever be paid. That is the money you can live on, using it to pay your taxes and maintain your business. When—if—you receive royalties, well, that money is icing!
Galley: A printed copy of your manuscript used for editing purposes.
Mass market: Small, printed paperback books.
Option: If you sell your book to a publisher, your contract will probably ensure that the publisher has the right to read and buy your next book before anyone else.
Print on Demand (POD): Print on demand has changed the landscape of self-publishing by allowing authors to publish books as needed at more reasonable costs.
Proofs or Page Proofs: A copy of your book before publication, usually at the final stage when you are only hunting for typos.
Query letter: A letter you send to editors or agents, telling them a little about your book and asking if they’d like to read more. Think of this as the blurb for yourself and your project.
Rights: The manuscript you have crafted is your intellectual property. You sell your
publishing rights when you contract with a publishing house. They might also acquire your film, audio, gaming, foreign markets rights, as well as mediums we don’t even know of yet. You can negotiate your own contract, hire a lawyer for contract review or work with an agent. We cannot stress this enough—Selling your rights is serious business, so always read the contract. You do not want to rue the day you agreed to the terms.
All Write Already: Year Of Your Book Page 19
