Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
Prompt: When the ice coated the trees, the fairies came out to play.... Words: maid, soil, words, forest, dripped, garment My Snippet: When the ice coated the trees, the fairies came out to play. At least, that's what M'Dola always said. And she would know. M'Dola was my nursemaid, but I've far outgrown the need for nursing or maids. So I suppose now she's just a friend. Though it feels weird to think of her as that. I mean, do you really call someone a friend if they changed your soiled undergarments as a babe? She taught me my first word, 'fairy', because that's all the old woman spoke of from the time she was changing my undergarments to today as we walk through the forest of Nihlo, the branches weighed by dripping silver-white ice.
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Photo credit: Pixaby Developing story milestones are necessary to understanding the flow of your story as a whole. Some writers do this before the process, some do it during, and some do it after. Regardless, you should be able to identify those milestones and use them to improve your story. What are story milestones?You can think of milestones as simple or as complex as you'd like. For me, milestones are important events that occur within your story. This could be as simple as making sure the main character finds a cat, or as complex as planning out the subtle hints of political intrigue. You can look at milestones formally (think back to middle school English - the rising action, the conflict, etc.), or informally (he discovers magic at some point in the story). My milestones often look like this:
Sometimes I'll be more detailed than that, but honestly, those points help me write the whole story. Other times, I just know the ending. I know the character and I know what happens to them, but I have to get there! All of this depends on if you are a Plotter, a Pantser, or a Plantser. If you've been writing for awhile, you've heard these terms before. But for those of you who don't know, a plotter is someone who tends toward extensive planning. They outline, they write backstories of their characters, they develop their worlds, they know literally everything about the story before they sit down to write. Pantsers on the other hand write by the seat of their pants (hence the name). They just have an idea and start writing! Maybe it'll go down one bunny trail, but maybe it'll go down another. Heck, maybe it'll leap into outer space and start something totally new there! Plantsers are a mixture of the two, doing minor planning, and some writing without a guide. The way each type of writer uses milestones is different. Milestones for PlottersMilestones mean something different to each plotter. For some, they are precise moments they know must happen for the story to achieve its goal. For others, milestones are more literal, such as the rising action, the climax, and the denouement. Outlining these points is a great way to get an overarching view of your story before you sit down to write it. Think of these milestones like a roadmap. Each point is a different direction you have to make sure to hit, or you'll be going the wrong way! Just because you're outlining, doesn't mean it needs to be bland. Check out the snowflake method or do the traditional school outline - any way that works for YOU as the writer. Many plotters spend their developmental stages connecting the dots of their story so that they have a great overarching view before they even begin. I admit - I'm jealous of people who can do that! This is a great way to know your story and stay on track without getting distracted with rabbit holes that pop up. A word of caution for plotters considering their milestones: I do believe you can plot something too heavily, making the resulting narrative feel stilted and formulated. Make sure you still breathe life into your work and allow for little things to happen that you didn't expect! Milestones for PantsersMilestones for pantsers are typically discovered during the editing stages. Every story does have milestones - even for those who don't plan them out in advance! It can be extremely helpful for pantsers to mark down these big milestones or turning points during their editing process so as to see where they should focus their attention on. Pantsers are notorious for writing those scenes that really don't contribute much to the plot (guilty). When editing your manuscript after it's written, focusing on milestones is a great way to hone in on what you really need in your story! Go through your manuscript and mark places that contribute directly to the plot. Mark the point of no return for each of your characters. Mark the changes your character goes through. Take your manuscript and color it up with markings to help you better understand your story. Anything that isn't marked, cut. It means you've traveled too far from the plot. Understanding where those points are will help you round out your story and keep only the best parts. A word of caution for pantsers: Don't stray so far away from a plot that you end up not having one. And be brutal when editing. You may love everything you've written, every rabbit hole and rocket ship diversion. But make sure everything you keep is an important milestone that contributes to the plot. Milestones for PlantsersI've grown to discover that as much as I identify with pantsers, I do have a little bit of planner in me. I see an overarching ending, with a few plot points I would like to hit along the way (but if they don't happen, that's okay, too). These plot points help guide my story, but they don't define it. Big plot points are helpful to know in advance, because when you're writing, you can build up to that plot point you see in your mind. In my opinion, it keeps things exciting, because I never know where my story will go next!
Keeping those milestones in mind as you write really helps to focus your writing while giving you the leeway to diverge from the path. While no way is the right way, I adore writing this way. I have focus, but I have freedom and I find that's when my best writing occurs. Keep a notebook with you to jot down milestones that come to you during the day, even if they're small. I always have a notebook with me and I'll jot down things like "she could meet him at the pub" or "add a dragon attack scene." Then the next time I sit down to write, I have something to look forward to. My word of caution for plantsers: Watch out for both of my cautions for plotters and pantsers! What kind of writer are you? Let me know in the comments how you look at milestones in your stories! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
Prompt: How long had this place been abandoned? Words: fragrance, paint, porous, shape, holy, must My Paragraph: How long had this place been abandoned? There was no stench of the dead, no fragrances of the living. Statues had toppled and doorways now looked more like frames missing their paintings. I allowed my hand to linger for a moment on the porous lava rock before snatching my hand to my chest. I mustn't touch. The gods would be angry that I desecrated their holy temple. I steal a glance to the sky, but I do not see their shapes emerging from the low-hanging clouds. Photo credit: Pixaby Developing a story is where most writers stumble. Heck, it's where most would-be writers are even afraid to begin. Somehow, people think that a bolt of lightning will strike them and a glorious story that needs no editing or formalizing will appear in their minds. Sorry, that's not how it works. But you know what can work that way? Ideas. Ideas are the foundations of developing a story. They don't have to be earth shattering. They don't have to be profound. To develop a story, simply start with an idea. Today, I'm sharing with you the way I develop my stories (and I've got a lot of them). This is not the be-all-end-all and may not work for everyone. I am a self-proclaimed Pantser (with a little bit of plantser in there) which means I write by the seat of my pants. I do extremely little pre-planning and just let the story flow. That said, take a look at how I develop my stories. Start with an ideaIdeas come in all shapes and sizes. There's no true "bad" idea. I mean, I just saw a romance book about falling in love with the Coronavirus... so you can't do much worse than that! Personally, my ideas come in mental images. Sometimes I just have the face of a young boy, or a dragon with a severed wing. Other times, I get the idea of a location and I want to know what happens there. My ideas often come to me from experiences (like the raccoons that trashed our camping neighbor's site at 2:00 a.m. the other night), prompts, or images. Experiences are the best way to write, in my opinion. There are elements of my travels in all of my stories. But you don't have to travel the world to have experiences. People-watch and make someone into a character. Think about a time when it seemed like the world was ending for you and build a fantasy world around it. I think sometimes people believe fantasy has to be entirely fictional, when most times, there are ties to the author's real world. I am a huge proponent of writing prompts to generate a story idea (it's how I won the Write Michigan contest last year). Write your own prompts, get a prompt book, or check out my weekly prompts to get those imagination juices flowing. Pinterest is fantastic if you're not one who imagines frequently. It's great if you're a visual person, too. I have so many potential story ideas just by browsing fantasy art on Pinterest! These are a great place to start. Check out my Pinterest for a ton of fantasy landscapes, creatures, and characters to spark your story! I've heard of others listening to music (Hans Zimmer is a personal favorite - you can't help but feel epic writing to his music), but that doesn't work for me until I have developed my story a bit. Do you have your idea yet? Focus in on a momentOkay, so you get an idea, but where do you go from here? For me, I focus in on a moment next. This means, I take the idea (or mental image) and put it in a scenario. If I see the dragon with the injured wing, I want to know how that happened. Is the dragon afraid? Or is it angry? I picture the moment what the dragon comes to me and play it like a movie in my head. Most times, this is enough to get me going. You can take a character and plop them into a "what-if" scenario. Especially if you like people-watching! Why is that girl alone eating ice cream? What are those kids doing out on the boat? I know - I hear what you're saying. "But real life doesn't help me write a fantasy." False. Take that character and imagine their situation in a fantasy world. Are the kids on a pirate ship fighting a leviathan? Is the girl ingesting a Fae poison? Take the character you've imagined and put them in a fantasy world. You can take a setting you see and start writing about the world it is in. If you look out your window and see snow-capped mountains, think about a time when suddenly all the snow disappeared. Or a time when the mountains burst apart and a snaking dragon destroyed the neighboring village. The possibilities are endless. Truly, writing is all about training your mind to think of possibilities. If you can do that, you'll never hurt for a story idea again. Don't make it epicWhatever you do, don't take your idea and spend hours fretting about how to make it epic. That'll just ruin the whole thing for you. Ideas need to be carefully peeled apart. You don't know what's at the heart of the story yet and that's okay. You don't have to have all the answers to start writing. So many new writers I talk to are stuck in the school-mode of writing where they have to plan an outline and research and only after they have a clear view can they write. That may be great for research papers (and maybe you're a hardcore planner), but for so many writers, that doesn't work. And guess what? That's okay. You can be a pantser like me! You can just write and see where it goes! I'm giving you formal permission to toss out everything your high school English teachers taught you. It's okay if you don't know everything about the story going in. The temptation is to make this idea into the next Lord of the Rings. Don't. My best ideas come when I just let the story live and breathe. I don't plan for it to be a trilogy or even a novel. Maybe it'll just be a short story. Who knows? I definitely don't. The rest will come. For now, focus on your idea in a solitary moment. Just write.Yup. Advice for the ages.
Just write. Don't think. Definitely don't edit. Don't worry about all of the contradictions you made between the first two paragraphs. That's all for later. To develop a story, you must let it live. And the way to do that, is to write. Once you understand this (and I mean truly understand this not just say, "okay Michelle but what's the REAL key?"), your writing will be so much better. It might suck at first, yes. You will write horrible things and you may have to delete a huge chunk of things. But deep down, I guarantee you you'll find some diamonds. And then you'll never again doubt that all you need to do is just write. Happy writing and may October give you endless words and dreams of fairy magic. -M. M. Kastanek Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Prompt: He emerged from the earth, clawing at the roots and stems and trunks until he felt the sun on every inch of his body.... Words: dark, stupid, touch, hand, felt, find My Paragraph: He emerged from the earth, clawing at the roots and stems and trunks until he felt the sun on every inch of his body. The sun was warm. Of course it was. Stupid of him to think otherwise. But there was something about the warmth, like the light touch of a woman's hand. It made him smile. And that felt good because he couldn't quite remember the last time he had smiled. He'd been so long in the dark and cold of the earth. But he had found his way back as he always said he would. Let me see your practice below! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Prompt: Legend spoke of a path, as plain as a boardwalk through the woods, that led to the world of the dead.... Words: clutch, thud, layer, burst, footfalls, motion My Paragraph: Legend spoke of a path, as plain as a boardwalk through the woods, that led to the world of the dead. That was the only thing that gave Ipseel pause as she saw the path curve into the forest of bamboo. She clutched the sunburst pendant at her breast, feeling the thud of her heart through the layers of silk fabric. Gods protect me. Heavy footfalls echoed behind her, jolting her into motion. If this was indeed the path to the world of the dead, then she was about to be the first person to enter and come out alive. Comment your practice below! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Prompt: His hands trembled at his first glimpse past the cerulean doors.... Words: brass, shut, swirl, handling, ward, wild My Paragraph: His hands trembled at his first glimpse past the cerulean doors. He almost shut them. He shouldn't look. He shouldn't have even opened them in the first place. But as his hands reached for the brass handles, he paused. Wind swept the sand in spirals across the dunes that lay beyond the doorway. Prioress Vreyda had told him and the other wards that the sand swirls were made by wild kitsune. Would he see one if he waited just a bit longer? Comment your practice below! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Prompt: An amber light pulsed ahead, beckoning me forward.... Words: child, pressing, ankles, worst, forward, away My Paragraph: An amber light pulsed ahead, beckoning me forward. I paused, the water rushing around my ankles, pulling me away. To go back or to press on? I bit my lip. I knew what lay behind me. A town in ashes. A child in the ground. But what lay ahead? It couldn't be worse than what was behind. I gripped my staff and dragged my feet through the rushing water. Forward. Comment your practice below! I've met so many amazing people during my writing journey who have supported me and helped promote me as a writer. I'd like to pay it forward!
In the month of September, I'm holding a writing contest. The rules are simple: 1. Comment on one of my writing prompt blog posts (at mmkastanek.weebly.com/blog) with your micro-fiction or the beginning of a story (max 500 words). Make sure to include your Instagram handle so I can tag you! 2. Follow me on Instagram @mmkastanek 3. Comment "done" on my Instagram picture (the one used in this post). That's it! I'll pick three winners throughout the month of September and post their story on my blog and Instagram! Good luck! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Prompt: His frostbitten hands unrolled the map.... Words: cloak, quest, pad, spots, comparison, broken My Paragraph: His frostbitten hands unrolled the map. The pads of his fingers pulled painfully on the parchment as his breath warmed them and the arctic wind froze them again. He glanced between the map and the vast expanse before him, though there wasn't much to compare against a broken tundra of ice scraps. He resisted licking his cracked lips as he gazed at the sky. A thin line of yellow and pink rested on the blue horizon. Soon the god Obsidian would wrap his cloak over the world, pinpricks of starlight illuminating what would be the end of a five-year quest. If he was in the right spot. If. Comment your practice paragraph below! I get it. You gave your firstborn child to someone to read and critique and it came back littered with comments, suggestions, and edits. Now, you're on to the horrid task of editing it. Pause. Stop. Breathe. We will get through this. Step 1: Read all the comments.
Just read them!! That's it! Read. Don't you dare do anything else! Okay, you can grab a glass of wine, but otherwise nothing else! Step 2: Read all of the comments again. Read the comments again and fix the obvious ones (such as spelling. No matter how much you want to fight it, absence is not spelled absense). Fixing the obvious ones first helps you find value in what your beta reader gave you. If you trust this person, chances are they at least slightly know what they're talking about. Step 3: Evaluate. Now, look at those comments and think, is this true for MY story and MY characters? After all, no one understands your story and your characters more than you. As is often the case with inexperienced or non-professional editors (read: friends and family and sometimes even fellow writers), they will make comments about how they think your story should go. Sometimes they're right! But with every comment you need to take a step back, not take it personally, and ask yourself, 'would I make the same critique?' and 'is this a valid critique knowing what I know about where this story and characters are going?' This is one of the hardest things to do, but you need to toughen your skin this way before going out into the publishing world (where, word on the street is, it's much more cruel). Accept that some people just won't like certain things of your book. And that's okay. You cannot please every single person. There is no universal book that everyone adores and thinks is perfect. Imagine your ideal reader and write to that person. If your critiquers don't fit into that guideline, that's okay, but take their comments with a grain of salt. Don't take the comments personally. I know, I know. As writers, it's what we do. We empathize and we feel things deeply. But try to set yourself apart from the comments. They aren't directed at you, they're there to help your manuscript become better. You are in control of your story. Just because someone says to change something doesn't mean you have to! And that's a comforting thought if you take that to heart. Step 4: Seek clarification If there are certain comments that still have you unsettled, ask the reader. Sometimes further explanation is necessary and can help not only alleviate the hurt you might feel, but it can also help you see the readers side. You know so much. They only know what you put on the page. There is often breakdown between what the writer expects the reader to get and what the reader actually gets. Ask tons of questions! But don't guilt your beta reader into seeing things your way. Chances are, they either won't read for you again or their comments will be half-hearted, people-pleasing comments. Thank your beta reader! Step 5: Make appropriate edits. After understanding your readers point of view and assessing the comments to make sure they fit your story, make the changes. I cannot tell you the number of times my beta reader and I have had a fantastic discussion, then I put it away for a few weeks and when I pull it back out, I completely forgot why it was I should make certain changes. Do the edits soon after you talk with your beta reader. I hope this helps! As writers, we've all been there with the hurtful comments or the rude re-writing. Just think, every comment, no matter how personally it cuts will help us grow as writers. We'll need to get used to negative feedback, no matter how good our books are! Let me know in the comments how you deal with negativity in the writing world. Are you a reader looking to grow as a critique partner? Check out this article for How to Critique! Photo credit M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Prompt: The vines had eaten a path through the stone. Words: marvel, chamber, grit, saying, history, describe My Paragraph: The vines had eaten a path through the stone. It wasn't beautiful like the stories described - you know, those futuristic stories where humans marvel at the power of nature. No. It was gritty. Like watching urchins fight over refuse that smells worse than a lord's two-day-old chamber pot. I guess destruction begets destruction. Wasn't that the old saying? I'm not much one for sayings myself. For history neither. But I do remember stories. Especially stories of destruction. Comment your paragraph below for feedback! This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Welmerink, local West Michigan author and good friend of our family. I met Pete at my family's comic book store a few years back during one of our local artist and author events. Since then, I've followed his journey as an author. He's published many books and recently launched a new endeavor - his first authoring of a comic book series, called Big Jack! Somehow interviewing someone I know makes this whole writing/publishing journey seem so much more reachable! So many thanks to Pete, for answering all of my questions and being my second-ever author interview! I hope this helps all of you take a peek into the world of published writers. If you have questions you'd like me to ask future guests, comment below! By the Way: You can check out the Kickstarter for (and go support) his Big Jack series here. You can connect with Pete on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Patreon, and Blog.
IntroductionMK: Tell us about your newest project! PW: The comic book adaption of my BIG JACK character and his post-apoc environs is my current project. He is part of my TRANSPORT “universe” as it’s my locally-based (West Michigan) post-post apoc world. All the “bad stuff” has already happened and Humankind continues trying to move forward… a common theme in my writing btw. I don’t focus on the doom and gloom so much as I focus on the action-adventure and humanity pushing onward… though sometimes the characters get a bit battered, bloodied and bruised along the way. The BIG JACK comic book adaptation came along when friend and comic creator/scripter RYAN CUMMINS asked me what other TRANSPORT-esque stories did I have out there. I told him I was working on a new character and his storyline that takes place several decades AFTER my initial TRANSPORT storyline. Big Jack Galloway, husband, father, salvager and bounty hunter, just trying to survive, runs afoul of thuggish murderous ne’er-do-wells, and poop hits the fan from there. Ryan got excited and said HOW ABOUT WE DO A SHORT COMIC BOOK SERIES WITH THIS CHARACTER? As I am a very visual writer and would love to see my material in THAT medium, I said LET’S DOOO EET! In Jack we trust. It’s Jack or bust. LOL
About Welmerink's Publishing JourneyMK: Why did you choose the route you went with publishing? What are the pros and cons? PW: I started out by submitting my work to anthology book publishers and online e-zines to get my foot in the door, and get to know and network with people. From there, I followed new writer friend’s experiences and publisher suggestions, looking for the “right one” to publish whatever the specific genre my work fell into. I also pursued a few SELF-PUBLISHING opportunities. Pros and cons… If you simply want to get your work out there, I found it best to go with even a small to medium-sized small press publisher who will give you a cut of sales and opportunity to stock your own inventory with author-discounted book buying option. Unless you work with a BIG DOG publishing house, don’t expect an ADVANCE IN SALES check. Take what they offer (reading the contract thoroughly) and then do your own PROMOTING THE PEE OUT OF IT approach. I make more and better sales selling out of my own author stock than waiting on a teeny tiny amount of cash from the publisher. The PROS of working with a publisher: they pay for most of the activities: cover art, interior art, editing services, INITIAL promotions. The CONS: you don’t see much cash flow unless you hit it big. With SELF-PUBLISHING, it’s all you, baby. BUT you can control costs and how you promote and distribute. Again, networking and lots of self-promoting hard work… with sometimes little reward at day’s end. MK: What challenges with publishing did you face along the way? PW: The challenges in getting my work published was simply being patient with finding the right people/publisher/venue to get my work into. Patience is key. NOTHING happens overnight nor does it happen without YOU pushing it or putting in the blood, sweat and tears. REJECTION can grind you down to a stump of hopelessness. Patience and perseverance are key to finding that good, true home for your work. MK: What advice do you have for authors who are struggling to make that final step toward publishing? PW: If you are simply doing it for FAME AND FORTUNE, Good luck. If you’re doing it because you simply love telling a tale and want to share it with others somehow, someway and eventually, pursue getting your material completed, polished, polished, and out there. About Welmerink's editing experiences
About Welmerink's comic writing experienceMK: How does writing for comics differ from writing your books? PW: Bottom line, you have to boil down the big picture into something that can be visualized in “free standing” bits that still tell the story and get your character(s) and story across. You can’t put EVERYTHING in the visualization of your book(s) into the comic or graphic novel. You have to take that whopper of a book and trim it down into bite-sized bits while still maintaining the main gist of your story and characters. MK: What adjustments did you have to make to your writing when it came to working with an artist? PW: Same as mentioned above: I had to pair down my grandiose views and story to fit into the framed pages that the illustrator would be doing… while still maintaining the story and characters presented. MK: What has been the most rewarding part about writing for comics? PW: Most rewarding part of writing comics: GETTING TO SEE MY CHARACTERS AND FICTIONAL WORLDS VISUALIZED. BAZINGA!! I can only draw mean stick figures and scribbly adaptions of my stuff. Seeing a real illustrator bring my story and character concepts to visualized life… it is humbling and exciting. Wrap-UP
About Peter Welmerink
Peter Welmerink grew up in pre-apoc West Michigan, and enjoys writing fictional post-apoc adventure yarns about West Michigan. Why should Atlanta, LA and Tokyo have all the fun. He is co-author of the Viking berserker novel, BEDLAM UNLEASHED, with Steven Shrewsbury, and author of his first solo novel series TRANSPORT. His first major comic book project is BIG JACK: ANIMALS, and he hopes this opens the doors to more visual adaptations of his written work. He has a day job, and is married with a small barbarian horde of three boys and two cats. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BIG JACK Kickstarter | Blog | Patreon Insane Asylum: Top Secret Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Don't forget to comment with your practice! I give feedback to every paragraph posted! Prompt: I remember the marvels that once stood in this valley.... Words: luster, separate, steam, oil, close, bathe My Paragraph: I remember the marvels that once stood in this valley. When I first arrived here, the land smelled of lavender and lemon and ginger. I can still smell it if I close my eyes. Just over there grew cypress trees that framed pink granite pillars carved with images of the Goddess Eipo. Silk hung between those columns, separating the outside world from the steam baths and lounging rooms of royalty. The mosaic floors were always damp, but it gave them a sort of luster when the light from the oil lamps flickered. So a writer has just asked you to review their manuscript. Congrats! That says a lot about you as a person - this writer trusts you with something into which they have poured countless hours and love. Reading a writer's work and giving feedback is a huge gift and a big part of the publishing process for the writer. They've given you the story. Now what? Step 1: Learn what the writer wants out of your feedback.
Sometimes authors want line edits and sometimes they just want to know what you think about the overall picture. Be respectful of what they want and plan to provide that. Sometimes an author will give you a list of questions to answer after reading. Step 2: Read the entire section (or at least one entire chapter) making only obvious edits. Allow yourself to read as a reader would, first. This helps you understand the flow of the story. If you must make edits or if there is a glaring issue, make a small mark to remind yourself to come back to it later. Otherwise, just enjoy the story. Step 3: Re-read the entire section making notes about what you think; about the characters, the direction, and your questions, marking places that were confusing for you or places that you had to re-read to understand. Make sure you keep the author's questions or feedback requests in mind as you go through the manuscript a second time. If something just feels off to you, but you can't explain it, mark that and say it. But overall try to give solid reasons as to why you felt the way you did. Step 4: Go through your notes and make sure there are positive comments as well as constructive criticism. I bold constructive because nobody, no matter how tough your writing skin is, wants to hear "this sucks." Channel some kindness and look at why you don't particularly like it, make some suggestions! Support your arguments for changing something or use examples as to why a particular choice doesn't work. Without reasons, some criticisms can be interpreted as hurtful or rude. One mistake I often see from new-critiquers is that they'll give comments such as, "no, the story shouldn't go like this" or "this is how the character should feel" or "this is what the character should be doing." As well-intentioned as this may be, your author-friend does not want you to re-write the story for them! Comments like these often come across as arrogant and disrespectful. Chances are, the author has a purpose for where the story is going or how the characters are feeling or what they are doing. Rephrase these types of comments by suggesting or giving reasons why it is not cohesive (ex. Comment "two paragraphs ago, she was smiling and happy, now she is screaming. Would this character switch emotions that fast?" instead of "She should stay happy. She needs to go back to the castle instead of arguing. This is pointless."). And no matter what, give some positive feedback. This author just gave you their child. Be kind to it. There is always something about writing that is good, whether it is the concept of the story or a phrase they said that resonated with you. There is always something to compliment. I can't stand readers (or other writers) that sit on their pedestals and condemn everything about someone's writing. Chances are, word will get around and you won't critique many more manuscripts. Step 5: Meet with the author and discuss your edits or notes. This is a simple, yet incredibly helpful step. I, personally, am able to take criticism so much better as an author when I can ask questions or clarify what my readers mean by their criticisms. As a beta reader, it also helps me ensure I keep my comments kind, because I'll be reading them to the author's face! That isn't to say I'm not honest (and sometimes deliver hard truths), but I'm still kind about it! My biggest advice in all of this is be kind. The author just gave you their baby! They're trusting you! Chances are, they know their book needs work (which is why they gave it to you in the first place), but don't make all of your comments criticisms! Be honest and supportive. Rarely do people grow from constant negativity. Review in the kindest way possible by supporting your critiques and finding good things about their writing too! Next time, I'll be looking at How to BE Critiqued for my fellow writers out there! Because sometimes no matter how nicely someone says they hate something, it still hurts. Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Don't forget to comment with your practice! I give feedback to every paragraph posted! Prompt: The clay shingled roofs shone with flecked bronze as the sun rose.... Words: tendril, muscles, hours, attention, haze, flit My Paragraph: The clay shingled roofs shone with flecked bronze as the sun rose. Though the city below him gradually awoke with the light, Orme had been awake for hours. He rubbed the backs of his hands, massaging the muscles and joints. His eyes flitted over the rooftops, scanning, searching, inspecting. A pink-breasted bird flitted into the corner of his vision, pulling his attention for a moment before he saw it - the thin tendril of pale smoke that barely contrasted with the morning haze settling on the roofs as the sun rose higher. I am so excited to share with all of you an interview with A.E. Winstead, author of soon-to-be-published Fate of the Fallen on sale September 12, 2020! We met on Instagram and I have been so excited following her journey toward publication! As a writer, I was curious about her publishing journey - and she graciously filled me in! I hope you all enjoy the interview and learn a bit about the world of self-publishing! A huge thank you to her for being my first-ever author interview! BY THE WAY: You should totally go pre-order Fate of the Fallen. The softcover is available for pre-order at Target and the hardcover and e-book can be pre-ordered on Amazon. You can even visit aewinstead.com to read the first five chapters! You can connect with A.E. Winstead on Instagram @aewinsteadbooks, Facebook @aewinsteadbooks, Twitter @ae_winstead, and TikTok @aewinsteadbooks. About A. E. WinsteadM.M.K: Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey! A.E.W: About me? Oh dear…I don’t want to bore your readers right off the bat, so I’ll make this part brief. I was born in Illinois and grew up in Tennessee. I’ll be forty this year, which I am really looking forward to! I have two children, one who is about to start his senior year of high school (so pray for me). I’m married to my high school sweetheart, going on twenty years now. And I work full time as a social worker advocating for the elderly and disabled in our community. My love for storytelling came from the hundreds (maybe thousands) of books I read as a child, but I didn’t start writing until high school. I wrote more poetry back then because I was an angsty teen, but did write a short story for my then-boyfriend as a birthday gift one year. Back then (in the dark ages) we didn’t have cell phones or social media, so we communicated a lot through notes and letters. My boyfriend at the time always told me I could paint the most beautiful pictures with my words, so I married him! Even though I enjoyed writing for fun, I never even dreamed of writing a novel until I was in my thirties. I read a ton of books and often joked with my husband about trying to write one myself. I truly meant it as a joke, but my husband seemed excited about the idea and was extremely supportive (I told you he liked my letters). That was when I began to think seriously about giving it a try and researching exactly what that would entail.
MMK: What do you hope readers take away from your books? AEW: The overarching theme of both books is forgiveness and the damage that can be done when we harbor hate and resentment in our hearts. Publishing Journey
Editing Experiences
Wrap-UpMMK: If you could do this all over again, what would you do differently?
AEW: This is a great question! I hope you aren’t looking for a deep, philosophical answer here, because my one regret is very basic, actually. I would’ve hired someone to do my formatting up front (especially my ebook). I tried to do as much as I could do myself (trying to save money, you know). But after days wasted and lots of tears shed, I ended up hiring someone anyway. In hindsight, I would’ve just hired it out to begin with. One word of warning I wish I could shout from the mountaintops to new authors is this: Expect delays! Once you get your edits back from your editor, you’d think it would be smooth sailing from then on, but you’d be wrong! That’s when you really have to hit the marketing hard and everything that can go wrong, will go wrong! Believe me. So, set your release date far enough out (I would suggest 5-6 months) to get all those wrinkles ironed out. MMK: How has social media helped (or hindered) you during this writing and publishing process? Any tips? AEW: Social media is a necessary evil, I think. I do enjoy it and have met some wonderful and kind people through Instagram and Twitter, but it does distract, and sometimes I find myself spending more time checking how a post is doing or responding to comments than I do actually writing. I have no advice here because I still haven’t figured out how to balance it all! Tips? Hmm… I guess I would have to say: try not to make your social media about you…if that makes sense. My approach to social media has not been to say, “Hey, look at me! Look what I did.” Or “Hey! Go buy my book.” I’ve looked at it more from a fan POV. I try to think about, “What would a reader want to see when they come to my Instagram page?” With my TikTok, I’ve taken on more of a role of a helper or mentor—giving writing tips and answering questions about self-publishing. I don’t pretend to have any of this figured out. I’m just winging it, really. But people seem to have responded well to that. Thank you so much, A. E. Winstead! And congrats on your book! Be sure to check out Fate of the Fallen, available for pre-order at Target and Amazon! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
(If you're new to my style of writing prompts, head over to this blog post for more information. Feel free to use just the picture, just the prompt, just the words, or a combination of any of the three write your paragraph!) Don't forget to comment with your practice! I give feedback to every paragraph posted! Prompt: She pursed her lips and let the dirt fall through her fingers.... Words: shiver, general, foothills, rose, grace, discovery My Paragraph: Preyva pursed her lips and let the dirt fall through her fingers. The alchemic properties here were unbelievable. She could smell it flitting through the air like pollen in the spring. What Dorsta wouldn't give for alchemic powers such as this.... The thought sent a shiver down her spine. What Dorsta wouldn't give to the person who brought her alchemic powers such as this.... That thought swelled a prideful hope in her chest. "General Ormaya, is everything alright?" Preyva stood, dusting her hands on her tan britches. "Yes, captain. Return to the men. Have them set up base at the foothills of that mountain." "Right away, general." Unclasping a spyglass from her belt and holding it to her good eye, Preyva bit her lip, looking over the valley to where the clouds touched the rising mountains. This discovery would be just what she needed to fall back into Dorsta's good graces. And, Goddess help her, she would not mess this one up. A lot of writers struggle with building a character. One thing that has really helped me navigate my huge cast of characters is making brief character sheets. I've included a picture below, but you can also download a copy here (plain white so you can print on the colors you like). I like to change the color based on the characters so that when I'm flipping through, I can pick characters out by their color.
Up top, I've included the Character Name, Age, Fantasy Race, and Major/Minor/Main categories. These should be easy. Please let them be easy for you. It only gets harder from here. Next, I have One Word/Phrase Descriptor. As odd as this addition is, I personally like it because it keeps my characters in focus. For example, I have a phrase descriptor of one of my characters in my current WIP as "Cinnamon Roll." (For those of you who don't know, a cinnamon roll character is one who is just too good for the world and the troubles that get thrown at them. They're the character that make readers go "awe" and love them from start to finish.) This section helps me more than any other. I think it's because it's my focus for that character; it sums them up completely and reminds me how they should act, react, and think. Other basics you should know about your character are their Homeland, Occupation, Language, and Physical Attributes. Again, please know these. They shouldn't be a struggle. Next, we get into territory that's a bit more complex. Think about your character's Mental/Personality Traits. Are they friendly? Shy? Passionate? Alluring? This section is where you start to get into the heart of your character. Even if you haven't dove into what makes your character tick yet, you should know how they act at least on the surface level. Do they like to make others laugh? Do they learn things easily? Don't think about the "why" of this yet (that comes later), just spend some time observing your character. Then, we're at that "why" I told you not to think of yet. The Goals/Motivations of your character stem from their personality, their history, and their current situation. What propels your character forward in the story? Why do they do what they do? Why do they want what they want? What motivates them to keep going and not give up? There are many questions here. Only you know those answers. A Fatal Flaw is something about a character's personality that makes them less than perfect and that often stands in the way of their success. This could be something like stubbornness, arrogance, anger, or ambivalence. This could also be looked at as an Emotional Wound (if you're using The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma by Ackerman and Puglisi. And if you're not, you should. This has helped me so much even though it's aimed more at general fiction than fantasy). I sometimes find it easier to look at the emotional wounds of my characters and see how that contributes to their flaw. Sometimes as the "parent" of my pretty little characters, I find it difficult to see their flaws and looking at it backward helps! Then, of course, if a character has something less than perfect, we need something that redeems them to the reader. This is known as the Saving Grace. Maybe your character is stubborn, but they are kind to a fault. Something needs to strike the heart of your reader that says this character is worth caring about. Every character has a backstory (even if they don't remember it). Their History is important in learning why they are the way they are. Characters are no different than real people regardless of what fantasy world they live in. Experiences in their life shape who they are during your story. Did your character grow up in a home where they were physically abused? Did they have a plush childhood with everything they ever wanted? Were they raised by an aunt who turned out to be a witch? Think about how these events in their life might impact the way they see the world during the present. Are they jaded? Do they think they deserve to be served by anyone they deem "lower" than them? Do they have trust issues or a passion for herbology? Everyone is afraid of something. Fears take a look into another scary part of your character. What are they most afraid of? More importantly, why? How do their fears propel them forward? How do they hold them back? Fears can motivate but they can also internally destroy a character. Think about how fears manifest in their personality as well. Do they get angry when someone they love does something dangerous because they're afraid of losing them? Each of these sections builds off the others. Jot down your ideas and then connect the dots, leading you deeper into your character's soul. And finally, we look at their Entrance into the Story, Growth Points, and (if necessary) Exit from the Story (because who doesn't love killing off their characters?). I'm not a planner, but once I write the story out, I go back and fill in these parts so I can remember in my hundreds of pages where certain characters came in and went out. It helps me pace their growth during revisions and also helps me pace other characters' reactions to their exits from the story. As always, here's the link for a downloadable file of the picture below. I hope it helps you on your next character development adventures! Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
Prompt: I saw him on the ridgeline.... Words: slink, grass, plum, chew, cross, pale My Paragraph: I saw him on the ridgeline. He watched me for a moment as the colors of the clouds shifted from pale blue to plum. I couldn't quite see his eyes at that distance, but I'm sure those eyes followed me. Even as I slunk lower into the tall grass his head turned to follow my movement. And then he slipped out of sight behind the ridge as quickly as he had appeared. I chewed my bottom lip. No one crossed that ridge. Goddess Ipsil had cursed it. So who was this man? And how did he have the power to cross Ipsil's Ridge? |
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