By Cam
The title of this post is a rhetorical question, mainly because I don’t know any writer who doesn’t want to improve their craft. But this isn’t going to be me lecturing you about how to take your writing to the next level. No. Instead, I’m going to point you to someone much more capable than me — behold the tip master of all tip masters: MARGIE LAWSON.
Margie is a psychotherapist. A writer. An international presenter. She uses her psychologically-trained mind to help writers edit for a more page-turning experience. And since I’m currently in revisions, this is where my head has been lately.
Now, I don’t know Margie personally, or even in passing. But I came across an interview she did on the Andrea Hurst Literary blog’s new AUTHORNOMICS feature (which you really should check out, btw), where they interview various notable publishing people. Margie’s interview was so full of helpful material, giving clear examples that MADE SENSE TO ME, that as soon as I finished the interview, I immediately went to her site.
Y’all. This is a big fat cookie jar of writerly nuggets just waiting for you to devour. I spent my entire lunch hour on her Deep Editing Analyses page where she takes examples from NYT Bestselling authors (mostly in the thriller and romance genres) and provides an in-depth analysis of the techniques and devices the writer used.
Here’s an example taken from her site, where she analyzes a passage from Harlan Coben’s book, Caught:
Example: From CAUGHT, March, 2010, end of the prologue
And that w as when Marcia started to feel a small rock form in her chest.
There were no clothes in the hamper.
The rock in her chest grew when Marcia checked Haley’s toothbrush, then the sink and shower.
All bone-dry.
The rock grew when she called out to Ted, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. It grew when they drove to captain’s practice and found out that Haley had never showed. It grew when she called Haley’s friends while Ted sent out an e-mail blast—and no one knew where Haley was. It grew when they called the local police, who, despite Marcia’s and Ted’s protestations, believed that Haley was a runaway, a kid blowing off some steam. It grew when forty-eight hours later, the FBI was brought in. It grew when there was still no sign of Haley after a week.
It was as if the earth had swallowed her whole.
A month passed. Nothing. Then two. Still no word. And then finally, during the third month, word came—and the rock that had grown in Marcia’s chest, the one that wouldn’t let her breathe and kept her up nights, stopped growing.
Analysis:
Visceral Response Shared Through Anaphora: He threaded the rock growing in her chest through the passage, ending the passage when it stopped growing. He doesn’t tell the reader what that news of a difference means. But ending the prologue with those words, stopped growing, is as powerful as the soundtrack for Jaws.
Anaphora: Using the same word or phrase to start three (or more) consecutive phrases or sentences.
Compressed Time: The long paragraph compresses time by listing what they did during the first week to try to find Haley. The last paragraph compresses the passing of over two months into forty-one words.
Power Words: rock, bone-dry, panic, blast, protestations, runaway, FBI
White Space and Creative Paragraphing: Coben spotlighted the initial growing doom with white space around stand alone lines.
Varied Sentence Length and Structure: Used to enhance cadence, provide variety, draw the reader into the scene.
Cadence: The use of anaphora, sentence structure, and creative paragraphing contributed to a compelling cadence.
(analysis excerpt courtesy of Margie Lawson — www.margielawson.com)
Now, I don’t know about you, but I learn best when I can SEE real examples, and not just the definition of what something means. Margie includes more than 20 Deep Editing Analyses on her site and I read ALL OF THEM. And then I purchased her Empowering Characters’ Emotions lecture packet, which has more than 250 pages of material to it. When I’m through with that, I’ll be adding her Deep Editing packet to my homework queue. I’ve never been so excited to revise in my life.
So if you want a tip on how to fine-tune your writing, go check out Margie Lawson and her deep editing analyses series.
You’re welcome. 
(Note: I was not paid to endorse Margie’s site, nor did I receive any of her lecture packets or online courses for free. I just came across her via the blogosphere and wanted to share here. There. Disclaimer over. )
By Cam
Hey! I blogged over at Adventures in Children’s Publishing today and I’m talking about BLING. Title Bling, to be more exact. Stop by, leave a comment, and enter to win your choice of one of the 23 books I think has a spectacularly blingalicious title.
By Cam
This month I’m making a pledge.
Not that kind of pledge.
THIS kind of pledge:
A NoRhym-O-ReMo pledge (aka: No Rhyme or Reason Month).
I found out about this challenge from my dear Twitsom (aka: Twitter Soulmate, Ricki Schultz) who runs The Write-Brained Network. She’s declaring May: NoRhym-O-ReMo. If you’re familiar with NaNoWriMo, then this concept won’t be new to you. But other than the fact that it’s May and NOT November, the nice thing about NoRhym-O-ReMo is that you can set your own daily word count goal instead of squirming over the 50K flames that make up NaNoWriMo.
If you’ve been reading my blog, then you know I’ve been suffering from a bad case of The Funk. There were so many helpful suggestions to get over this hump and it was a relief to realize I’m not the only sufferer of this malady. But I think my brain has had enough. I think it’s time for ME to tell IT that it’s time to move on and GET TO WORK. And I think NoRhym-O-ReMo is the kick in the butt I need to push me to get something on the page. ANYTHING on the page.
I’ll enter my official goal on the Write-Brained site, but I’m stating here that I pledge to write at least 500 words a day. I know I’m low-balling this goal. I mean, heck, I can usually knock out 2K in one day EASY. Of course, that was when I had Muse dust spewing out of my fingers. Now that I’ve had some time off, I realize I’d probably do better by easing into the pool rather than cannon-balling in.
So who’s with me? Anyone ready to be held accountable for their wordcount???
By Cam
I want to talk about FUNK today. As in: “I’ve been in a funk and I don’t know WHYYYYY.” (NOT: “You smell like funk please take this bar of soap before my nose hairs erupt in flames.”)
You see, I have — what I think — is a really cool idea for my WIP. It’s a contemporary love story (except when it’s not), with a twist (no sparkly fangs or anything). I’ve talked it out with some writer friends, researched for about 3 months, roughly outlined the plot, and even wrote out random scenes that popped up in my head (NOTE: I’m a total linear writer and end up a confused mess if I write out of order, so this last bit was pretty much outside the norm for me).
That’s all fine and dandy. But what’s really frustrating special with this particular WIP, is that I’ve written well over 20 versions of my first chapter. All of them are completely different. As in, different setting, different circumstances, and in some cases, different POVs. I was partially blaming this OMG SO FRUSTRATING educational writing process on cancerous subplots. So I simplified those subplots and focused on the main story line. You’d think the problem would be resolved, yes?
Apparently not. The main sticking point I had was with the inciting incident. I didn’t HAVE one, hence the spaghetti method of Chapter One Tryouts. I mean, I knew what key scenes I wanted, I knew my characters, I knew the ENDING…but that beginning was so freaking elusive! Like a cute boy who just won’t. make. the. first. move. I’m all about girl power, which is why I kept making the first move. But I think I was too aggressive. I think I ended up scaring off my own story. Can that happen? Can you scare off your story by being too pushy? I can’t shake the feeling that if I’d just backed off a teensy weensy bit, it would’ve all come whooshing out in a 70-80K document of literary perfection. The End.
Instead I’m banging my head against a cinder block wall going “WHY WON’T YOU COOPERATE WHY WHY WHY??????”
This. Is. Me. In a FUNK.
But what I’m experiencing isn’t just with my WIP — it’s with reading, critiquing, day-job-working, even SHOPPING. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve picked up over the last few weeks only to read a good 20-30 pages and then put it down. Not because they weren’t good — some were even freaking brilliant in those opening chapters — but because I’m just sorta like, Meh. About everything apparently. And this is so opposite from me. So opposite from how I usually am about EVERYTHING. I’m a Balls-to-the-Wall kind of girl. A Ready-to-Jump-Out-of-the-Plane kind of girl.
I’m not a Meh kind of girl.
I don’t really believe in writer’s block, but I don’t know what else to call this. Maybe my writer’s confidence has been ambushed? Maybe my brain needs a vacation (17 days until Punta Cana, but who’s counting?)? Maybe I need to put this idea to the side and work on a different one? Maybe I need some tips on how to de-FUNK myself?
So what about it? Have you ever been in a LIFE FUNK? How’d you get over it?
By Cam
So I got this crazy idea last week (as if that NEVER happens to me, right?) to make a more conscious effort of getting physically fit. You see, I’ve been feeling rather sluggish lately. And while it could be the weather or the late night writing sprints that are pushing my energy levels to the max, I realized it probably had more to do with diet and activity.
Truth is, for about 120 hours a week, I live a very sedentary lifestyle (this estimate includes time spent at my day job, writing at home, and sleeping). And while I wish I could be more active during my writing time, I’ve learned it’s pretty hard to type on the computer while running, biking, swimming, lifting weights, or really doing anything that involves more than wiggling my fingers at the keyboard. It’s also very easy to fall prey to late-night Sour Patch Watermelons, chocolate, and coffee.
So to combat this downward spiral, I started a new workout program on Saturday: P90X. It’s a monster of a program which will require me to commit to not only the workout regimen, but also the nutrition plan. I’m doing the Lean version so my first workout was with the Core Synergistics DVD. Let me tell you, I about DIED with a move called SUPERMAN BANANA:
Don’t let this silly name fool you!
The SUPERMAN BANANA is in no way a superhero nor a potassium-rich treat. No, no, my friends. This move took down my name and slapped me senseless, all while reminding me to stay hydrated. I was beyond sore the next day. But no rest for the wicked! On Sunday I did the Cardio workout and, again, SUPERMAN BANANA laughed in my face, along with his friend WACKY JUMPING JACK.
Anyway, I can honestly say that today, my body HATES me.
BUT.
I already feel more alert (although it could be the Motrin), and my muscles (although screaming like a little girl) are thanking me for using them again.
Now, I’m not promoting P90X or getting money from them or anything like that (and as a disclaimer, if you’re ever going to take up a fitness program, you might want to check in with your doctor first), but this program got me thinking more about writing and how SIMILAR it is to any kind of extreme fitness regimen (for obvious reasons, I’m using P90X as an example):
P90X is a 90-day program. You’ll see results if you commit to the fitness AND the nutrition side of the program.
Writing is a commitment. This isn’t a secret. But you can’t just slap some words on the page and call it day. You have to commit to both the writing AND the revisions if you want to see a cohesive story form.
P90X relies on something called “Muscle Confusion,” where essentially it’s mixing up the workouts every day to the point where your muscles don’t have a chance to plateau.
Writing uses a different kind of “Muscle Confusion,” where essentially your brain needs to be open to the unplanned actions of your characters so they don’t seem static or one-dimensional.
P90X offers 12 different kinds of workouts ranging from Yoga to Shoulders/Chest to Cardio to Abs to Kenpo (kickboxing-like moves). It concentrates on all the major muscle groups as well as elements you wouldn’t necessarily consider in a sweat-producing regimen for a package that’s fun, full of surprises, and complete.
Writing has loads of steps — outlining, drafting, revising, revising, revising, querying, etc. You have to concentrate on the macro elements to your story (story arch, character development, plot threads, etc.) as well as the “smaller” details (active words, tight sentences, grammar, formatting, etc.) for a package that’s fun, full of surprises, and complete.
If you cheat in P90X, you’re not going to get the results you set out to accomplish.
If you cheat in writing (sloppy writing, sending out queries before you’ve finished the MSS, not revising enough, not writing at all!), you’re not going to get the results you set out to accomplish.
P90X produces a lot of sweat and tears. It’s important to eat right, stay hydrated, and BREATHE or your body will cry mutiny.
Writing produces a lot of sweat and tears. It’s important to eat right, stay hydrated, and BREATHE or your body will say ” Screw you, fancy Writer Pants!”
Bottom line is this: You don’t get by easy. If you don’t put in the hard work with your story, characters, research, craft, etc., how do you expect to see results? The simple answer is: You don’t.
I’ll keep y’all posted with my P90X progress. I’m really hoping that in addition to toning my body, I’ll be toning my mind and increasing my stamina and overall energy level. And my writer’s goal is to write a book (at least the first draft and one round of revisions) within this 90-day time line. Hopefully I’ll make it to then…? WISH ME LUCK!
By Cam
Want to know how I tie THIS picture to writing?
Visit me at Adventures in Children’s Publishing to find out!
By Cam
So I’m so sorry I’m a few minutes late posting this. You see, Toddler Trouble decided she wanted to sing ROUNDS and ROUNDS of Hickory Dickory Dock before bedtime and so now I’m all Hickoried out. BUT. We have a winner!
I already expressed my thanks in my post this morning, but I wanted to tell y’all one more time how AMAZING this week has been and how GRATEFUL I am that so many of you celebrated it with me. It’s my extreme pleasure to announce the winner of:
A premium membership to QueryTracker
A copy of Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
A copy of Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
A query letter critique by me
A five-page critique by Vickie Motter, Agent Extraordinaire from Andrea Hurst Literary Management
……IS……
COREY J. POPP
CONGRATULATIONS COREY! I’ll be in touch with details on all the fabulous prizes which are now YOURS!
I’m sorry I couldn’t provide these goodies to everyone, but I’m already thinking about my next giveaway…maybe in April…and most definitely open internationally.
Until next time…Adieu!
~Dillon OUT <3
By Cam
Several weeks ago I posted some news. And since then, I’ve completed a few rounds of revisions, attended a conference, celebrated good news with friends, and dusted off my WIP. It’s taken me this long to figure out what I want to say because, truthfully? My journey to getting an agent isn’t anything spectacular. It’s not full of lightning fast response times, or overwhelmingly positive responses, or multiple offers, or anything like that. My story isn’t really a story. It began with the slush and ended with the slush…and you know what? I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
But that would make for a pretty boring post, yeah? (ETA: I really should’ve just stopped here because HOLY MOTHER this post ended up long!)
So here are the details — I sent my first query for LIFE AFTER SEND at the end of August 2010. This was way too early. And I know, I know — EVERYONE and their mother tells you not to send out your story until it’s so polished you can see that huge zit popping up on your forehead in the glare of your computer screen. I’d heard this before. I’d given this advice before, too. But when I got a partial request during WriteOnCon for the first fifty pages, did I listen? HECK NO. This is where I tell you, “Do as I SAY, not as I DO!” BUT…in my defense, I didn’t send out the partial right away. I told this agent that I needed to make a few tweaks before I felt comfortable sending it out, and she told me she preferred I wait until I was ready, too.
THIS was the big push I needed to really get me into the querying game.
THIS is also where I made my first mistake. Because I sent it out two weeks later. Two weeks is NOT enough time to revise the latter half of your book. Two months probably isn’t enough time. But it’s like when you see a cute guy sitting on a bench and you waffle back and forth on whether you should or shouldn’t strike up a conversation with him, only to keep on walking before realizing (three blocks later!) that you totally should’ve gotten his number, and then when you go back to that bench, HE’S NOT THERE. Yeah. I didn’t want THAT to happen.
Surprisingly, sending off that first query wasn’t so bad. Call it liquid EMAIL courage. For me, it was like stuffing your mouth full of Pop Rocks and then waiting to see what happened if you took a sip of Coke. Querying was DANGEROUS and I wanted to feel that thrill of hitting the SEND button again. So I sent out ten more. Just to test the water, I told myself. Well, after I sent out that first batch, I went to Louisville, KY with BicycleDude so he could compete in the Ironman and practically kill himself, but that’s not relevant to this story (Sorry, BicycleDude). What IS relevant is that while I was there spectating and sweating bullets of valuable moisture in hundred-degree heat, I got two full requests. So my query seemed to be working…but then I panicked. Like, BIG TIME, because I didn’t really mean to start querying. Those queries I sent? They were just to test the water. There were still things in my story that needed ironing. Things I always figured I would have time to fix. Later.
LESSON NUMBER ONE: There is no later. Just like celebrities should always be ready to answer who they’re wearing on the red carpet, you should be ready when you’re taking the plunge in the query pools. I always find it a bit ridiculous and annoying when some celebs don’t bother remembering their designer’s name because the whole time I’m thinking, REALLY? They’re letting you borrow everything for free and you don’t remember?!? So I repeat: “‘Do as I say and not as I do” and really — don’t query until you’re totally ready because you never know when an agent will want to read the whole thing!
So while more agents requested to see my story, more rejected it. But then there were some agents kind enough to reject me with really encouraging, helpful notes. Notes I could use. So I revised. And revised. To the point where I finally felt comfortable with my MS. This was probably late October/early November. So looking at the time line, I queried about two months too soon. And then I basically threw myself into the pool and trolled Twitter for agent query comments, combed through Absolute Write posts, (over)analyzed QueryTracker stats, and constantly refreshed my email. I also stayed true to my rule of ‘One Rejection In, One Query Out’ (at least). I never stopped researching agents and always visited Mother. Write. (Repeat.), Literary Rambles, and Guide to Literary Agents. These blogs helped me gain a sense of what agents were looking for and I would’ve been completely lost without them. I also don’t think I would’ve stayed sane without QueryTracker. It’s free, but I highly recommend upgrading to the premium membership to take advantage of additional reporting and other analytical ways to drive yourself crazy.
Fast forward to December. December 20, actually. A “New Agent Alert” for Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management popped up in my Google Reader from Guide to Literary Agents. Because it was almost Christmas and the publishing world had pretty much shut down, I took a chance and queried the next day, even though I still had a bunch pending. BEST DECISION. Seven hours later, Vickie requested a partial. Twelve days later, she asked for more pages and a synopsis and bio. Ten days later, she asked for the full…and the synopsis and bio that I thought I’d sent, but apparently hadn’t because Gmail ate my attachment. *Stupid Gmail*
LESSON NUMBER TWO: Double-check what you’re sending! Make sure you’re not copying every agent on your query list. Make sure you’re following sub guidelines from the agent’s website. Make sure you didn’t copy and paste the wrong thing into your email or that you copy and paste the entirety of what you mean to send. (In addition to NOT actually sending my syno and bio when requested, I also looked back and saw that I ended my partial in the middle of a sentence. Yeah. *headsmack*) That said…
LESSON NUMBER THREE and THREE AND A HALF: Mistakes will happen and agents are human. Sometimes fonts get screwy in the email. Sometimes you send an extra page or two. Agents don’t spit fire. Agents don’t sprout horns at midnight. Most of them will understand if you make an honest mistake because that’s sort of what humans do. We make mistakes and we move on. So if you happen to make a mistake, don’t dwell on it. Look at who’s next on your list and refer back to LESSON NUMBER TWO.
So lucky for me, Vickie was completely understanding. At least, I assumed she was because she emailed me on February 4th saying she’d like to set up a phone call to “discuss a few things.” I might have passed out at this point. I remember I was working from home and had a conference call scheduled fifteen minutes later, but to this day, I have no idea what that conference call was about, or who was on the phone, or what I may have said. Obviously, I was excited and nervous and totally NOT thinking Vickie was calling to offer representation. See, in my day job, when I say I want to “discuss a few things,” they aren’t necessarily good things. In fact, they usually aren’t. So I paced around my house, eating my daughter’s Scooby-Doo fruit snacks like they were going out of style, until the time came when I had told her I’d be free. And when she finally called, I figured she would talk about my story, point out major areas that would need revising, and then send me on my merry way. I was not expecting her to say how much she loved my story and my characters and how she would like to REPRESENT ME.
Come again?
All the excitement (and Scooby-Doo sugar) I’d kept contained during the first part of that call, came screaming out all over the phone and I think I asked her, “Are you serious?” about ten dozen times. Then we talked shop and I loved all the revisions she suggested and I also asked her a ton of questions (thank you Martina for your awesome list of Agent-y questions!) and she was so helpful and thorough and I felt at ease. I can’t tell you how much that last part is important. You want to feel comfortable with your agent. You want to know that you can approach him or her with whatever question or concern you have because communication is SUPER important. As writers, we get used to internalizing everything, but you shouldn’t keep things from your agent that directly relate to your writing, your online presence, your career. He or she is the champion of your work. Trust them to do their job unless they’ve given you reason not to trust them. And if that’s the case? Find someone else.
These past few weeks have been incredibly awesome. The camaraderie of the writing community always amazes me and the support I’ve gotten from my dear writing friends touches me to no end. I’ve also met new writing friends — including two awesome agent sisters (Carolina and Kristine) who I’m excited to share this journey with.
My book just went on sub this week and it’s a terrifying and thrilling thing, and I know the publishing process isn’t a fast one…and I know there are never any guarantees, but I’m still pinching myself that I even got to this point. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and genuine love and respect for the craft in order to bring words to life. This is my life’s dream that I can see forming just around the edges. It’s blurry and still far away. Sometimes I want it to get closer…and sometimes I want to tell it to go loooong just so I can savor every moment. So that brings me to…
LESSON NUMBER FOUR: Savor and enjoy the journey. It can be a long one. It can be a short one. It can be a bumpy one or free of all obstacles. However your journey develops, it’s specific to YOU. And it’s up to you to embrace it, learn from it, and grow bigger from it.
So to celebrate the start of my journey, I’m giving stuff away EVERY DAY NEXT WEEK! And some of the dear writer friends I mentioned above? They’re giving stuff away too!
Here are the rules:
- You must be a follower of this blog.
- If you want to be eligible to win a prize pack sponsored by one of my writing friends, please stop by their blog and follow them, too, because their generosity blows me away and their blogs are amazing and I promise you won’t be disappointed!!!
- Come back and visit! There will be an entry form each day to enter and win that day’s prize pack. You can earn extra points for blogging about this contest (include a link in the Comments) or tweeting a link back to this post (@reply me on Twitter — @CambriaDillon — and make sure to leave your Twitter user name in the Comments).
And now for the prizes!
PRIZE PACK #1: MONDAY (3/21)
A 5-page critique by Ricki Schultz, founder of The Write-Brained Network!
(You’ll need to subscribe or follow her RSS feed)
AND
A copy of Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
PRIZE PACK #2: TUESDAY (3/22)
A 5-page critique by Carolina Valdez Miller, fellow Agent-Sister!
AND
A signed copy of Feed by M.T. Anderson
PRIZE PACK #3: WEDNESDAY (3/23)
A query letter critique by Kristine Asselin, fellow Agent-Sister!
AND
A signed copy of The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
PRIZE PACK #4: THURSDAY (3/24)
A 30-page critique by Martina Boone, of Adventures in Children’s Publishing!
AND
A copy of Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
GRAND PRIZE PACK: FRIDAY (3/25)
A premium membership to QueryTracker
A copy of Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
A copy of Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
A query letter critique by me
A five-page critique by Vickie Motter, Agent Extraordinaire from Andrea Hurst Literary Management
Contest winners will be announced every morning starting on Tuesday, and entrants from each day will be added to the drawing for the Grand Prize Pack on Friday. So even if you don’t win one of the daily prizes, there’s still a chance for you to win an awesome critique from Vickie (and the other goodies)! The Grand Prize winner will be announced Friday night at 9pm EST. Unfortunately, I have to limit the contest to US residents only. 
Sorry international folk!
Thanks for stopping by and GOOD LUCK!
By Cam
You GUYSSSSS! I got a blogger award! Do you know what this means???? It means 1) I am stylish (it says so right on the award, you know), and 2) I REALLY need to blog more often so I don’t go out of style.
Thank you so much to Chris Ledbetter at The Oracle and The Muse who crowned me with this blog-bling. As part of the award, I’m supposed to reveal seven things about myself and follow these rules:
1: Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2: Share seven things about yourself.
3: Award ten recently discovered great bloggers (except I only listed eight because my brain quit on me!)
4: Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.
So here are Seven Things about Moi:
- My daily after-school snack in high school was a bowl of frozen strawberries and pickles (not together because Eww!)
- I once was a telemarketer for a cemetary
- I have a debilitating fear of sharks and snakes and won’t swim in water I can’t see the bottom of or go traipsing through bushes or wooded areas without a big stick on-hand
- I once went sky-diving and after watching the video, realized my cheeks flap more than any one human’s cheeks should
- When I was a kid, my living room used to be bare of furniture except for a 14-foot (in diameter) trampoline
- Ball pits at fast food restaurant playgrounds give me a severe case of the heebeejeebees
- I love scary movies but can only sit through them with my fingers plugged in my ears and my eyes clamped shut
Here are the Bloggers I am passing this Award on to:
So there you go. Spread the Stylish Blogger love and remember to check out these FAB writers!
By Cam
Hey! I’m over at Adventures in Children’s Publishing talking about writer’s butt and life after the agent. Come see me!
Cambria Dillon - YA Writer represented by Vickie Motter, Andrea Hurst Literary Management
