A Great Notebook For Writers - A Real Keep All

When starting a new novel, or even after digging up one of your old ones that needs a little love and care, you need a way to keep up with lots of info. The believability of your story depends on it. Even after you finish the story and send it out, there's tons of stuff to keep track of, like when you mailed that manuscript, who you mailed it to, when it was rejected and by who, and when you sent it back out and to who, ect...

I've found a work in progress notebook that you can buy in print or in e-book, that helps keep it all together, and more. (Nope, I don't get a kick back and didn't even know the author of the book until someone explained what the Novel Notebook was. I just found it so helpful that I wanted to share.)

I've pasted the quote below that I gave Jeannie after using her notebook.

I have the e-doc version of Jeannie Ruesch's Novel Notebook. I'm not the kind of person who gives good quotes unless I mean them, so this is my honest opinion. I love the Novel Notebook because it's a complete keep-everything-in-one-place solution for your novel in progress, and even your completed and submitted novel.

Since Jeannie is a fiction writer herself, she thought of everything a writer would need to keep up with, and placed a section for each in this book. There's places to list everything from your working title and date started to the date completed who you submitted the manuscript to and when.

You'll also find plenty of space to fill in things like characters profiles, info on each chapter, sub plots, conflict, setting descriptions, a timeline chart, and more. Like I said, everything a working writer needs to keep up with about her newest baby, all in one place.

The e-doc version is in Word, so it's simple to make a boxed section bigger when you want to add extra info, or to delete and retype things when you make changes in your story. It's also easy to print up, save to CD or a zip drive, or even send to yourself as an attachment that you can save in an e-mail account that's not on your computer, so you won't lose all of that needed information.

Best Wishes and Happy Writing ~ Charlotte Dillon

Health Warning for Writers...

...Or for anyone who spends a lot of time on the computer.

I've spent years on the computer, and years before that with pen and paper or on my old Brother Word Processor. In between I drew and painted.

Needless to say, my wrists and hands have paid the price. I've had CT, corporal tunnel, for years and now I have a new little problem that's turning out to be a bigger one than the CT. It's known by most of us non-doctor types as something simply called Trigger Finger. It is in my ring finger on my right hand.

At first it started as just a little catch, a little ache at times. Then it got where I could reach and grab something small and the middle knuckle on that ring finger would lock up, kind of feel like it slipped out of joint when the hand closed into a tight fist. I could stretch the hand back open and I would feel the finger snap free, --where the name Trigger Finger comes from-- like the knuckle popped back into place or something, and the finger would open and be fine. It did hurt when it did it, but not bad. I was sure I must have just jammed my finger or hurt it in some other way. I was spending a whole lot of time on the computer then, even more time than normal. I have my RWC groups to deal with daily, my website, other e-mail, I was finishing up that non-fiction manuscript to send in and went right from it to trying to rewrite one of my romance novels. I was spending more times scrolling with the mouse sometimes than typing.

Then it got worse. The finger would lock up even when I wasn't making a tight fist. Instead of happening a couple of times a day, it began to happen four or five, then seven or eight. Then I started waking up at night with my finger hurting and realized it was locked and I'd have to make it open. It was starting to get where I couldn’t stretch the hand open and free up the finger sometimes. I was having to actually straighten the finger out with my other hand. Most of my hand was beginning to hurt more often now, kind of even felt sore. I wondered if maybe this was some new part of my CT from all the extra long hours on the computer. I finally asked on line. I got a few very quick replies from people with the same problem. Within minutes I had the name Trigger Finger. I did a little research on line...which hurt like H E double L since my right hand is my mouse hand and using the mouse had gotten almost too painful to even do by that point.

I learned from my searching that Trigger Finger had to be caught quickly and treated early, before the finger started staying locked. If not, it can lock in a closed position and stay that way. Surgery is often needed, especially if it isn't caught soon. I also found out that diabetics, which I am one of, are at a greater risk of getting both Trigger Finger and Corporal Tunnel, and both are harder to treat in a diabetic. A cortisone shot in the hand can help, but often doesn't.

If you catch it soon, take it easy on the hand, use ice, stretch the fingers, get help early, you might never really have a problem at all. Of course I let mine go way too long because I had never even heard of something called Trigger Finger. I'm hoping the right people will see this post and if it starts happening to them, they will know what it is right away and be able to take care of things before they get in the shape I'm in.

I'm still trying to use ice often, I have a splint for the finger, I've switched to one of the keyboards that's supposed to be better for people with CT, and I'm now using a touch pad instead of a mouse, but so far nothing is helping much. I'm really limiting my computer time and other things that hurt a lot, like pealing and cutting up stuff, or even stirring thing--limiting as much as I can anyway. I'm hoping something will help, but I guess only time will tell.

Rewrite Without Fear

I've put the manuscript aside that I've been working on, or trying to work on. The short story starter helped me accomplish a lot, but I think I'm still caught up in that sagging, dragging middle blues. In other words, I just felt like I needed a break from it, and maybe another long story would move along better for me right now. Instead of allowing myself to start something new, I decided the best use of my time would be to work on a finished story I have that I really like, but that could use some touch ups--some kind of big ones.

Each time I opened the file and started to make those deep changes I had in mind, I froze up. I finally realized I was fixating on all of the hard work I had already put in on that manuscript, and how it would be lost if I deleted big sections of it, reworked the story, and found it had worked better the way it was to start with.

I don't know why I hadn’t thought of this before, but suddenly I thought of a way to set myself free from that fear. It was so easy that it was just a duh moment. (Smile)

I simply copied and pasted the whole manuscript into a new Word file, renamed it so I knew which copy was which, and pulled out the word hatchet. I could delete, add, move around, or what ever else I wanted to do with the story with complete freedom without any worry of what was lost or messed up.

With that freedom I've made some big changes to the plot, to one of the main characters, and even added a few other characters. I’ve only reworked the first few chapters so far, but I don't think I'm going to need to go back to the old copy. I have a feeling the story is coming out much stronger in its new reincarnation.

So the next time you aren't happy with a story and you think it needs some deep cutting and some major reworking, free yourself to play around with it without fear. Make another copy and just let yourself go. You might come up with almost a totally new story, and one that is so much more interesting than the original. You don’t have anything to lose if you give it a try.

Recipe for Mailing a Complete Manuscript

Almost all big publishers and agents ask that completes not be sent in a box or bound. That means for a newer writer figuring out a good way to send a complete, printed manuscript that’s often three hundred plus pages, is enough to bring on nightmares and a case of the cold sweats.

It’s not that hard to do though, and still end up with a nice, crisp manuscript when it reaches New York—or where ever it’s heading.

Needed Ingredients:
Printed complete manuscript (include query, synopsis, ect…)
Two large Tyvek priority envelopes
Two large rubber bands
One page-size piece of cardboard
One medium point permanent marker and/or labels of your choice
One post office

Directions:
Even a thick manuscript fits nicely in one of those large priority envelopes that you can get free from the post office. A great support for that thick stack of printed pages is a simple piece of cardboard. When you order more than one book or move at a time from Amazon, they come with the perfect size piece of loose cardboard enclosed in the box. I save mine every time I get anything with that cardboard page-size piece precut in it. If you don’t have any, you can cut a page-size piece of cardboard off of any kind-of-thick brown cardboard box you happened to have around.

Before you put your finished baby inside that big priority envelope, stack the pages nice and neat on your piece of cardboard. Next, place one big rubber band length ways around your stack, and one more width ways around it—make sure they fit well, but not tight. (Don’t forget to add your cover page, query, synopsis, and anything else you were asked to include, on top of the manuscript pages before you put the rubber bands around them.) Slip an SASP (Self addressed stamped postcard) under one of the rubber bands on the top page, so it stays in place and won’t be over looked. This can be used to let your know the agent or publisher has received your manuscript.

* (I like to skip adding that SASP and just pay an extra fifty cents to the postal clerk to have a Delivery Conformation slip attached to the outside of the package instead. No one has to sign for it, so it's not a problem for the agent or editor. It's not really any extra money if you think about what you'd pay for a postcard and the stamp for it. You can use the tracking number from the Delivery Conformation slip to see that the package made it.)

Address one priority envelope to the agent or publisher, and the other one to yourself—after you pay for and attach the postage, this will become your SASE. Put your prepared manuscript into the correct envelope, but don’t seal it. (If this work is requested, make sure you write the word requested on the outside of the envelope and enclose a copy of the request letter on top of the manuscript. If the request came over the phone, through e-mail, or after a meeting, make sure you mention how, when, and where in the query.) Fold your large SASE and place it inside the first one.

Now head to the post office. Once there, ask them what it will cost to mail your envelope. After they weight it, take your SASE out and tell them you need the same postage on both envelopes so the pages inside can be returned to you if needed. Place the SASE in with your complete manuscript, seal up the envelope addressed to the agent or publisher, don't forget Delivery Conformation slip if you are using it instead of a SASP, pay the postal worker and hand that baby over.

*(Some publishers are willing to destroy the MS if you don't want it returned. If you are okay with that, and the publisher or agent is too, just add a note giving them the okay and a business size SASE for them to send you a letter about the MS. I have gotten a rejected complete back with edits from the editor written on it to help me, but that isn't the norm. The choice is up to you if you want the pages back or just the letter.)*

The hard part comes at this point. You have to trust that manuscript with these strangers and turn around and leave it. Worse of all, you have to go home, go on with your life, and wait and wait and WAIT.

By the way, the best thing you can do while you wait—which could be for months and months—is to get to work on that next story.

Keeping Up With Characters

I have a number of important characters in a couple of stories that are going to cross back and forth -- some not so important ones who will too. It can get really hard to keep up with all of the names, not to mention the hair colors, eye colors, cars they drive, jobs, and all of the rest. I’ve used a storyboard for a long time, but it was across the room and hard to put every thing on.

So…I decided to try something new, and it’s working out great.

I save pictures from sale papers and magazines, or even sometimes print some up from a website. I use those pictures to find my characters. When a picture yells out a character’s name to me, I glue it to a sheet of paper, write the character’s name on the top of the page, and then other needed details at the bottom or down the side, like eye color, height, weight, hair color, character traits, ect… on another sheet I can do a whole character chart if I like, on another I can write a little of the history or such of this character. On another sheet I can glue a picture of his home, his car, his pet, something that is special to him, ect…

I slip each page into a thin plastic sheet protector, then put them in a notebook. I can flip through at will, move order as I like, add anything new, and never have to worry about keeping up with all of those characters’ information again. If in chapter one of my story Uncle Charles has a bald spot, clear blue eyes, drops g’s on the end of words, walks with a limp, and has a brown and white dog named Puddles, I know Uncle Charles will still be the same in chapter twenty or book number two, and so will Puddles.

Sure saves me a lot of back tracking and trying to remember. (Smile)

Proofreading Your Own Work

I entered a writing contest a while back. It was a free contest held by a large on-line RWA chapter I belong to. (If it hadn’t been free with entry sent by e-mail, I probably wouldn’t have worried with it because of when the deadline date was and the things that were going on.) I did enter though, and in a rush, the day after I was finally able to move back home after Katrina, but still, I proofread the pages more than once before I hit send. What I didn’t do was have the time to ask anyone else to read over them for me, which would have been a really good thing. (Smile)

I got my results back this week. Gosh, the stuff I missed that the judges found! I will admit my nerves were a little frayed when I was getting those pages ready to send, and I only had a few hours to do it in, but still, I made some big slips that I should have spotted. Like using interred when I meant entered, on for own, ties for tires, and periods in a couple of places where there should have been question marks.

Those are some pretty big slips to over look in a manuscript that’s supposed to show your professionalism. Each mistake was something I knew better than to do and should have caught, but for some reason I didn't see them at all. I try to be careful even with blog entries and e-mail, but I’m not much on proofing them, but those aren’t going out to a contest, an agent, or an editor. I’ve always considered myself really careful when proofreading manuscripts that I’m getting ready to send anywhere.

The big mistakes I over looked just proved to me again how important critiques are, even if it’s just a read through done by a friend who isn’t a writer.

Does Research Sweep You Away?

I was working away on my MS today, and then I ran into a little snag. I needed a few more details and info for a scene to make sure it seemed real to the reader. I got on line and did some searches, then some more, finally began to find some bits of the info I was looking for, but it's never good enough for me.

So much searching, more info, more links to follow. I finally had to just yell, “Enough!” to myself.

Does research pull you in? It sure gets me unless I put a tight hold on my curiosity. (Smile) I guess we just have to remember that too many details in a scene can be as bad, or maybe even worse, than not enough of them.

Should You Enter a Writing Contest?

I see this question asked a lot on e-mail groups. There is no complete right or wrong answer, since it depends on the person, the type of writing, the contest, and much more. If it’s a contest that a publisher is running, the first thing to ask yourself is if that publisher is one you’d like to publish your book with.

If the answer is no, you need ask nothing else. Don't enter.

If the answer is yes, then see if the publisher is charging an entry fee. Big publishers usually don’t. If it’s a small or new publisher and they are charging an entry fee, then give it a second thought, since they might be holding the contest only to raise money, or even to bring in writers and then charge them for publishing. There are sharks in them there waters, people, so be careful. (Smile)

RWA contests. These always charge fees, but there are good reasons to enter one. Many have published judges or experienced judges. That means for a small fee you can get some feedback from strangers about your writing. Even if the judges aren’t that experienced, they are still romance readers and they know what they like and what they don’t. They might not be able to explain as well why chapter three works for them when chapter two put them to sleep, but they can let you know there is a problem. And since they don’t know who you are, and you don’t know who they are, there’s much more freedom for them to tell it like it is. Family and friends often won’t.

The biggest reason I think there is to enter an RWA contest, or any contest, would be for the hopes of reaching the final judge. Of course that judge should be a top agent or top editor that you really want to reach. Winning or finaling in a contest is also good fuel to add to any query letter. It tells an agent or editor that your writing was good enough to get you that far.

And that ain’t chicken scratch. (Smile)

Do note that just because a manuscript doesn’t do well in a contest doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. There are bad judges out there, and there are great stories that just aren’t formatted to do well in a romance writing contest. Like say, if your hero and heroine don’t even meet in those judged pages. Or the story is more single title than romance. Or maybe it’s not romance at all. Or maybe your hero is a jerk for the first fifty pages -- which could be dangerous even if you are sending to agents and publishers. We do like to like the characters we read about in a romance, at least the ones that we are supposed to cheer for.

See, told you there was no complete right or wrong. You’ll have to look at where you are in your writing, how quick does your story hook the reader -- which really should always be quick if you ask me -- is your story romance, can you afford to enter the contest, do you want to reach that publisher, editor or agent that will be doing the final round of judging, and many other questions.

In the end, you are the only one who will be able to decide if entering a certain contest, a number of them, or none at all, is in your best interest as a writer.

To Plot Or Not To Plot

I hear other writers talk about detailed plot outlines, a long detailed synopsis, all done before page one of the manuscript is typed in.

Now there have been plenty of times when I was stuck in the sagging middle of a novel that I wished I had some kind of plotting map to go by, so I’ve tried. Even when I was stuck in the middle I’ve tried, and it’s hopeless. This is one thing I just have to say uncle on. There’s no two ways about it, I’m a write-by-the-seat-of-my-pants author.

That’s okay though. I think that's the way I write because that’s the way I get the most joy out of my writing. And even when it’s not joy, it’s still the way I write.

I like the journey. I like finding out things about my characters that I didn't know, slowly, one page at a time. I like it when the plot takes a turn that I would have never thought of if I hadn't just been letting things go how they would. I guess I like the surprises.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do know how things will start, who the characters are, how things will end, and even have an idea, or a few, about what will happen along the way.... but most of the fun is putting all of that together with all of the stuff that I find as I go.

At least it is for me.

Just Getting It Written

I’ve heard many well-known writers say that it’s best to just get it written, that even bad writing on a page is better than a page with nothing on it. I went back and forth through the years, sometimes agreeing with them, and other times not agreeing with them at all.

I've found there are actually two kinds of bad writing though. The kind I did years ago when I wrote my first two romance novels. And then there’s the kind I do now when I’m taking part in a writing challenge or just pushing myself, allowing the words to come and blocking that editor from my mind--and sometimes knocking her off of my shoulder. (Smile)

I’ve tried to rewrite those first couple of novels, and I’m going to do it one day just because they were my first. But there’s nothing easy about it. No matter how I try to justify it when I look at those choppy scenes and cut-out characters, I find it hard to think that starting with a blank page would be harder than saving these dear-to-my-heart-but-oh-so-bad novels. To be honest, when I wrote the first one, I had no idea what plot was, what real conflict was, or even point of view. Thankfully, I’ve come a long way baby. (Smile) So maybe really bad writing from someone who doesn’t know what she is doing--at all--can be worse than a blank page.

Then there’s the story I’m working on now, that I’m trying to just get written. I’m not allowing myself to go back and rewrite as I go, or to over think every little detail. When I’m done though, that rough draft will no doubt be better than those polished first efforts of long ago. So now, at the place I am, bad writing is definitely better than the blank page. Of course I do a lot of prewriting in my mind before any words hit that screen, which helps.

Do I regret those first couple of manuscripts I completed?

Not on your life!

Those were my schooling. Those were the stories that carried me to where I am now. I learned as I went. Each page, and sometimes each word, was a lesson.

Hmmm, maybe anything is better than a blank screen. Without those learning efforts, no matter how rough, I wouldn’t be the stronger writer I’ve become. I guess anytime you have the choice to sit there and stare at that little blinking spot on that blank screen, or to type words, typing words is the best choice. At least that’s my story on the subject for this moment on this day, and I'm sticking to it. (Smile)

Characters That Pop Out of The Shadows

My first romantic suspense is also a paranormal story; it’s hard for me to write any story without something paranormal showing up in it. While I've been working on this newest manuscript, all of these other paranormal type characters have stepped out of the shadows. Suddenly my three main characters for this story, who were each going to have a book, now have friends who all want their own books, too. I've taken a break from the writing to get to know these new guys and gals. And what fun it is.

I’m getting to write my own rules for these characters, who aren’t your normal everyday people. In the mix there is a vampire, a werewolf, a witch, well a few of each really. And then there are these guys who were genetically altered. I can make them each able to do, or not do, what ever I like. (Smile)

I want to get to know these new and unusual characters well before I write any more for now, since at least a couple of them are going to show up in this first book of the series.

So I’ve been clipping out pictures, filling out character charts, and making my family wonder why I’m talking aloud sometimes, saying things as if I were someone else. I’ve also been walking around mumbling to myself, things like... "That would never work.” or "He would never do that." or “That would be perfect and pull all of the tension and conflict together.” After which I usually run toward the computer or grab the closest thing I can write on and anything I can write with. Honestly though, they should be used to such actions out of me by now. (Smile)

I think these stories should be a whole lot of fun to write! I’m going to be spending the next year, probably longer, with a number of really great characters. I hope I get to share them one day.

Making Writing a Habit

Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting in the habit of it. I used to start at least five -- often six, and sometimes even seven -- days a week off by sitting down in front of the computer, opening Word, and writing. I didn't think about it, didn't make plans for it, I just did it. I took breaks during the day to be a mom and a wife, but when I managed to gather a little free time, right back to the computer I went.

It stayed that way for a long while, until I found out my mother had cancer. During the months of caring for her, writing was the last thing on my mind. After her death, writing still stayed out of reach. It took me more than a year to find my way back. By then I was our of the habit, and it was a battle every time I sat down in front of the computer and tried. It took months to get back into the flow -- into the habit.

Working as a full-time freelance for years after that should have made the habit of writing one that I couldn't break. But instead, it seems to have made it more breakable. When I stopped freelance writing, suddenly there was no weekly deadline, no editor watching and waiting for my words. And somehow writing non-fiction just didn't feel the same as fiction.

Getting back into the daily writing, the fiction writing, has been a war, and I've lost a lot of battles along the way for many reasons. It seems like just as soon as I'm doing well, something else happens to throw me off. And since the habit isn't set in yet, it's easy to throw me off. Even with really little things like not feeling well or extra stuff to get done during the week.

I'm not giving up though. I know if daily fiction writing was a habit I had for years, I can make it a habit again.