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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Guide to Major Book Revisions



Hi guys! 

I am thrilled to announce that I finished the major revisions on Blood and Dust. 
I’m now working through and doing a line edit, checking for areas where I pasted something together and got a stray word in there, and for minor inconsistencies with the new storyline. My goal is to have it polished enough for #faithpitch, #pitmad, and querying in general. 

I’m actually pretty thrilled with myself, as I’ve never done major revisions—or book surgery, as the gals at Go Teen Writers like to call it. Editing, yes. I’ve gone through a novel and tightened up prose and fixed major plot holes. But never have I taken the bare bones of a story and taken it in a totally new direction. Quite frankly, the idea was absolutely terrifying up until last week when I finished it. 

I learned a couple things along the way that made it easier for me, and might be of value to you guys with your own writing. 

I’m no master, obviously. I’ve only accomplished this with one novel, and the jury is still out on beta readers how successful I was. But finishing that first round is the first step. So if you’re terrified to take the first step, like I was, these tips might be just the boost you need. 

  1. Get feedback. It’s hard to know what to revise in a full length novel—especially a messy one—if you don’t have some outside eyes on it. Over the course of Blood and Dust’s life, it has been through several rounds of beta readers, I hired two editors to go through my first couple chapters, as well as hiring Kara Swanson to do some coaching sessions where we tore my plot apart. Due to my pregnancy causing exhaustion and lack of funds, I wasn’t able to continue those sessions as long as I would have liked, but the time spent with Kara was invaluable. She was such a help to this story, and in general a sweet soul all the way around. If you are in need of some one on one help with your writing, I would highly suggest her coaching services. I also entered the first two chapters of Blood and Dust in a contest, not because I thought it would win, but because I knew all entries got extensive feedback from multiple judges. I also had some feedback from an agent I had queried. 
  2. Assemble and prioritize the feedback. Now that you’ve got all the feedback, start going through it. I wrote my list out on paper, but you could do it on the computer too. Any issues that came up from more than one person I paid special attention to and set as a priority to resolve. Things that came up occasionally but were valid points got jotted down to try and resolve as well, and some critiques that just didn’t fit got discarded. Having the revisions prioritized gave me a clear vision of what needed to be done, on a full story scale or simply clarifying one scene. 
  3. Brainstorm and outline. I’m not a major plotter for first drafts, but Kara helped me realize that it’s kind of necessary for major revisions. We’ve got these major problems that need logical and exciting solutions. It takes some forethought. Kara and I brainstormed a whole bunch of ideas. I bounced them off of what I knew about my characters, as well as some of my beta readers that had read the full story and knew it well, then decided which ones I’d like to pursue. One thing I did that was super helpful was write a basic chapter by chapter outline of what happened in the current story. Then write a chapter by chapter outline of what I wanted to happen, noting old scenes that should be kept or discarded. Seeing what I had to work with helped me come up with good alternatives that stayed in character. It also helped me see unnecessary subplots and scenes, since one major issue agents had with the story was the length (123k). 
  4. Save the darlings. Before starting out slashing the story, I created a duplicate version of Blood and Dust and named it Revisions. I’ve got the full original in case there is a scene that got cut that I decide I want back. I also created a scrap file for scenes I was cutting out of their current place, but knew for sure I could use in a different place. That way they were all right there and I wouldn’t have to dig through the original story to find them. 
  5. Kill the darlings. Start writing. Or chopping. Whatever it takes. I kept my list of critiques handy, as well as my two outlines, and tried to weave in the new themes and plot lines string from the beginning. There were a lot of scenes and plot lines that I was fond of, but  that just honestly didn’t benefit the story. So I cried, said a few words, and hit delete. And told myself I still had the original version safe and sound. 
  6. Don’t worry. I set out to trim the story down and in the first few chapters it gained 25k words. That frightened me and I was hesitant to write the new material that needed to be included. But trust me. I’d you’re really honest about each scene, you’ll be able to chop it down to proper size as the story progresses. Currently Blood and Dust is sitting at just over 90K—over a 30k drop. Whatever issue you might be worried about, don’t. You’ve got yourself covered. You saved the original. No change is permanent. You can go over it again. Just keep writing. 
  7. Make notes. A couple times later in the story I realized there were some things I forgot to foreshadow earlier, so I made myself a note to go back and do so. Or to check the description of a character who is present in the beginning, but then doesn’t return until the end, to make sure I’m consistent. I won’t remember. You probably won’t either. Make the note. 
  8. Talk to people. I sent chunks of the revised story out every so often so the people I knew liked the original story could give me feedback on if this was staying true to the heart but improving the issues. You don’t have to send out chapters yet, but keep open dialogue with writer friends you trust to give solid advice as you encounter issues with plot and character. 
  9. Ta-da! That’s it! That’s what I did. Like I said, it’s not done, I’m still going through minor tweaks, but the major word chopping revisions are done, and I’m so happy. 

What about you? Have you undergone major book revisions? Any great tips that helped you through? (Coffee. Coffee helped me through.) 

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Book Spooktacular Linkup


Hi guys! 

Thank you to everyone who promoted and took part in my giveaway last week! 
The lucky winner is Jennylyn G! 


Ink Calamities and The Mad Dragon Hatter are having a blog tour this month called the Book Spooktacular and the first is a linkup of all the fall things. 
It looks like fun, and you can join the linkup on both of their blogs. 



Today I’m joining in and answering their autumn infused questions—though I’ll warn you, it’s going to be unorthodox. 

The Autumn List

1) movie with all the autumn vibes
So...I can’t actually think of one. But the movie I start craving come autumn time is Centennial. It’s a 24 hour mini series, and my family always watched it in the winter, but I’ve been pushing my viewing date up earlier and earlier every year. 

2) song that you associate with autumn
The Best Day by Taylor Swift 

3) book with ghosts
Christina’s Ghost by Betty Ren Wright terrorized me as a little kid. I loved it, and read it probably fifty times. 

4) scariest movie you've seen
Lights Out. Practically slept with the lights on, and turned on every single light in the office at work the next day. 

5) the best autumn quote
I’m so glad I live in a world where there are October’s —Anne of green gables.

6) book cover with all the autumn vibes
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. Those colors.


7) your favorite candy of the season
Peanut butter cups. Always. 

8) movie or book with themes on death and rebirth
Uh...let me look at my shelves. I don’t grasp themes easily you guys...I got nothing. My bookshelves are too young adult and straightforward. The Bourne Identity. Everyone thought he died. He comes back and makes life interesting for everyone. That’s obviously a death and rebirth theme. 



9) Youtube channel you associate with autumn
To be honest I haven’t kept up with a YouTube channel since 2013. 


10) your favorite fall beverage
Apple Cider!! Down with pumpkin spice! Anarchy!!!

So there you have it. My take on all things autumn. Hop on over to the participating blogs to read much better answers than mine. 

Monday, October 7, 2019

It’s A Giveaway


Hi everyone!

Recently I hit 500 followers on both Instagram and Twitter. 
I’m so excited, and to say thank you to everyone who supports my writing I’m hosting a giveaway! 

The prize:

One winner will receive—
One paperback copy of Five Poisoned Apples, with the cover page for my novella, Red as Blood, signed. 
A Halloween themed travel mug
A silver dagger necklace
A cute notebook



The Rules: 

US entries only. Sorry international peeps. Shipping is evil. 
Giveaway is open now till October 14, 2019, and I’m hoping to announce the winner that following Wednesday. 

Here is the Rafflecopter giveaway where you can enter to win. 



However, I am hosting this giveaway across all of my social media platforms, and each one has special instructions for how to gain extra entries, so check them out. You can find all the social media links on my contact tab. 

Thank you guys, and enjoy! 

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Hello October



Hello everyone! 

I can’t believe it’s already October. I thought I was so ready for fall, but it’s 48° outside. Two days ago it was 90°. I can’t handle changes that drastic. Especially when I have nothing to wear! 

I’m not a sweatpants kind of person. I think I own one pair. But I’m also in a weird stage where maternity jeans don’t fit well enough to stay up, and my regular jeans are too tight to wear. 

I think I’m going to start a petition to make all maternity jeans have belt loops. I’ll wear a belt low on my waist if it means I don’t have to hike my jeans up every thirty seconds. Also, they need pockets. 

Anyway, enough of wardrobe lamentations. On to the actual blog post. 




















We found out we are having a girl! Beyond excited about that. Everything has been checking out good and healthy, and we’re neck deep in the struggle of choosing a name. Apparently I’m a modern gal who married an old soul. Our name tastes are so different. He’s also got to deal with my writer side, and endure all the weird literary names I come up with. 



Canning. Lots of canning. Tomatoes, apples, you name it. My house has been a sticky, delicious smelling dungeon all month. They’re talking we might have record snows this year. Gotta stock up on salsa and jelly if we’re going to survive. 

We chopped silage and Henry and I got to be the cook crew. Casseroles and cookies and Gatorade, oh my! 
It’s one of my favorite and most stressful times of the year. 

Henry has been loving having a friend over every day to play. I love it too, except for the weekends when Henry asks where Lige is every ten minutes. 



My sisters, Henry, and I went Junk Jaunting, which is like state wide garage sales. Henry made out like a bandit, with new tractors and a spring horse, and I found a few treasures for the house we’ll be moving into sometime this winter. (The bear did not come home with us.)

We watched lots of Husker football. We laughed, we cried. It was intense. 



October started off raining. And it hasn’t stopped yet. I so want to get outside and hang Halloween decorations, because as fun as Christmas is, I firmly believe the other holidays should be enjoyed first—looking at you, Hobby Lobby. 




We did start on decorating inside the house. I’ll save the really insane decor for closer to the week of Halloween. My mother in law will be staying with us during that time, so she’ll get to appreciate the full extent of my weirdness. 

Weather permitting, there should be more harvesting and cooking this month. Cooking for the harvesters is a little more low key than for choppers, since they eat in the tractor to harvest. Sandwiches and chips are a staple, though I try to mix it up with runzas and sliders. 

I’ll be hitting the third trimester, which is exciting and horrifying. It seems like this pregnancy has gone so fast. I don’t have anything ready. 

I got a bunch of awesome books last month and I’m hoping to read some of them. 

Last month I revised Blood and Dust like crazy, and I’m currently forty pages away from the end. That number will fluctuate as I cut and add scenes, but I’m getting close. I plan to have it done this month, and rewrite the synopsis, etc, to start querying and pitching in November. 

Speaking of November, October may or may not be a prep month for nanowrimo. Though I’ll for sure be a nano rebel if I do participate and work on editing Bad Boy or Mad Hatter instead of writing a whole new draft. I’m not super inspired on any of my new ideas currently, so I need to get those old ones done before they go too long and stagnate in the swamp of unfinished stories. 


How is your fall going? Do you love fall? Hate it? Love it but need a slower transition into the cold weather? I’d love to hear.