Revision Friday: Creating Resonance

You pause after a paragraph and say to yourself. That's it! And you're sure the author wrote it just for you. 

What is that?

That is resonance.



You've just finished reading a great piece of fiction. As you close the cover your mind pulls all the words into a savory bundle that simmers for days...even weeks. 

What is that? 

That is resonance.

Okay, but what is it really? This is where it gets tricky. I know what it feels like when I read it. Can I describe it? Sort of. The difficulty comes because just as you are the sum of all your parts,  resonance is what comes through when plot, story arc, character, conflict and theme work in harmony. The author that can orchestrate that kind of symphony is a master.

I'd love to hand you list of steps or a recipe that would guarantee that your novel or piece of writing will resonate with your readers. I can't, I haven't found one. If you have one, I'd love to get my hands on it. 

In the meantime, I'd love to hear about a recent book that resonated with you.

Revision Friday: Why Research Is Cool

     When I was earning my degree I fell in love with research. I totally loved rolling up my sleeves and diving into primary sources on microfiche and culling from old publications. The great thing was, as a student, it was all free and access was simple and quick. Now that I'm no longer affiliated with a university getting my hands on great sources is a bit challenging. But it isn't impossible and I still believe my writing is always better if I do the research.

When:

I don't think it makes a difference whether you write your draft or do the research first. I do a little of both, Steven King does his entire draft first and still others do most of their research before they write a single word. 

Why: 

Research adds credibility to anything you write.You can lose your readers if you have even a small part of information that is incorrect. Historical novels obviously require research to be sure that their settings and characters are authentic. I believe fiction also needs to be authentic even when it's fantasy. The ability to "suspend disbelief" is grounded in the skill of a writer to present fantasy in a way that is believable. 

How:

By now everyone is an expert when it comes to the Google search. While this isn't all bad, writers need to be sure that what they use is a source that is reliable. Anyone can create an official website, that doesn't make the information it holds accurate. Here are a few sources that are worth checking out.

Write To Done has great list of links that have been invaluable to me.

Sheryl Clark on her blog Books and Writing has 10 research tips for fiction writers.

Attorney Leslie Anne Budewitz is a great source for everything legal and 

 lawyer-ly.

Don't discount the simple interview of an expert. Most people are very willing to spend time with you if they know you are a writer. James Scott Bell has a great section on interviewing in his book, Revision and Self-Editing.

Fiction Writers Review has a "Flip-book" on research here.

Click To Enlarge

In closing I'm going to borrow a page from their website:

Is research an important aspect of your writing? What is your process?

Revision Friday: Having My Very Own Revision and Giveaway Winner

I'm going to warn you right up front, this may be a bit of TMI, but I'm going to do it anyway because I think it applies to the process of revision.  Yesterday, I had a hysterectomy. For you to understand the correlation between that and the revision process, you need some brief back story. (Notice my understanding that less is more when it comes to back story.)

    I had my first child at 19 and by the time I was 35, I had given birth to five beautiful children and inherited a wonderful step-son.  So you could say, my uterus had served it's purpose and I wasn't going to be needing one anytime soon. The strange thing is, an emotional grieving came over me the weeks leading up to the surgery. Why? It didn't make sense to me. It took me awhile to reconcile those feelings, but here is what I came up with.

1) I have an emotional attachment to something that is part of who I am. 

2) There is a sentimentality surrounding this body part. My children were first
    introduced to me there.

3) My doctor assures me that this will solve several problems with my health

    and well-being.

4) To get to that "well-being" I will have to endure some pain associated with

    the procedure. 

5) I'm going to need some TLC for several weeks.

Are you seeing the correlation? No? Here it is:

1) We're attached to the words we work so hard to create.

2) There are memories and feeling attached to the way the words are organized. We like how they sound in our heads.

3) Often it takes one of our critique partners, beta

    readers, agent of editor to diagnose what will make the story stronger.

4) Removing them will require blood, sweat and perhaps tears as we wor and 

     rework scenes.

5) After the process, we may need a break, a nap or even chocolate to get us

    through the recovery. We have to be kind to ourselves so we can roll up our

    sleeves and get back to work. 

The bottom line is I'm still me but healthier. Your story is still there but stronger. 

Have you ever experienced your own Revision Grief?

So, keeping in line with #5, I will be taking the next week off from blogging. :(  I will meet you on the other side on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday when I will review Kevin Henkes, Junonia.

Last but not least the winner of the drawing for the copy of Plain Kate by Erin Bow is....... Brooke Favero 

Revision Friday: Fixing a Dragging Middle

You've done your first read through and find yourself bored in the middle. If you're bored, your readers will be too. What can you do? Here are some great ways to ratchet up your middle to carry the reader through to the end. (Resource: Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell

1) Strengthen Your Opposition

     What gets you to turn the page? For me, it's my concern for the protagonist. How is he/she going to prevail? This is accomplished by having an opposition powerful enough to really mess up your main character. If your opposition character isn't powerful enough it's going to be hard to convince the reader to keep reading. That said, be sure not to make your opposition so strong that he becomes unbelievable or stereotypical. An opposition character needs to be complex enough to show layers. The why of his evil deeds. 

 2)Add a Subplot

     Romantic: Love interests always complicate things for a lead character.

     Plot complication: Another plotline comes in to mess up your leads quest.

     Thematic: This not only deepens the theme of the novel but usually requires the lead to grow or learn.

  

   

3) Raise The Stakes

      Plot: Brainstorm new events that could bring in more trouble for your characters.

      Character: If your character doesn't find himself in a delimma chances are you have a sagging middle.

      Societal: Is there some larger issue that involves the community? Try upping the ante so that your lead has to consider the needs of the society in which he/she lives. 

This is what I'll be looking at this weekend. Where are you in your revision process?

Revision Friday: Dialogue

Photo Credit

I'm neck-deep into revising my WIP. I'm going over all my dialogue, because it's one of the "fastest ways to improve your fiction," according to James Scott Bell in chapter six of his book,Revision and Self-Editing. 

Bell does a wonderful job of breaking dialogue into eight essential characteristics. One of these is to make your dialogue full of subtext. He explains that dialogue should be like an "iceberg",the part we read on the page and the part underneath the surface. There should be layers beneath the surface of story,character,and theme.

1- What has happened in the story so far will affect the present. This is the back story...whether it's presented in the story or not it should effect the dialogue.

2- It's important to "know your character's deep background-the events that shaped her from childhood on." In Susan Collin's, Hunger Games,we don't fully understand why Katniss is so curt with her mother until later. 


3- Often writers say that theme doesn't emerge until much later in the writing process. So once your themes have shown themselves you can go in and tailor your dialogue. Then when the reader discovers the theme, the conversation is more meaningful in retrospect.

Bell, James Scott.Revision and Self-Editing:Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft into a Finished Novel.Ohio: Writers Digest Books,2008.

So now you know what I'm busy working on. What's on your plate today?