CRAFT

Writing is one of those things.  You know, those things.  Those things that can be anything from a time-filing dalliance to an all-consuming obsession.  From a cute hobby to a high-powered career.  It’s also one of those things that can’t be summed up in a single post, or even an entire website.  So, since you’re here, I’m going to make a few assumptions: (a) You’re writing novel-length commercial fiction; and (b) You want to sell into print or e-publishing.

If neither of these apply to you, you’re lost – turn around and go back the way you came.  I can’t tell you how to write literary fiction, or short stories, or magazine articles.  This section of my website is not intended to be an A to Z on how to write, but rather a Cliff’s Notes version of my own  journey.  I strongly encourage you, at all stages of your career, to be involved in organizations full of like-minded people, to read every How-To book you can get your hands on, and to attend classes and workshops on a regular basis.

If the two assumptions above are true, you’ve probably figured out by now that (a) and (b) are on two opposite sides of the known universe and ne’er the two shall meet.  Writing is a business, sure, but before that it is an artistic endeavor.  This section  focuses on (a) – the writing – crafting the best novel, query, and pitch that you can.

Three Levels of Writing

It’s easier for me if I break writing into three different levels: mechanics, structure, and story.  I do this because in my experience reading, writing, and critiquing fiction, a writer’s strength or weakness can generally be narrowed down into one of those three areas.  I’ve provided more in-depth descriptions of each level below so you can familiarize yourself with my jargon.

Mechanics: This is the nuts and bolts of writing:  grammar and vocabulary.  You should have a solid foothold on both if you ever plan to sell.  The simplest solution is to read, read, read and write, write, write.  But if you keep missing questions on “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader” you might want to go back to basics.  I recommend A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker for an overview of the general rules.  I also recommend a word of the day widget on your homepage.  Keep a notebook with you and when you encounter a turn of phrase in a book or article that you like, jot it down to reinforce it in your memory.  Taking mechanics a bit farther, I recommend Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style for a review of the basics of story composition and common grammar errors.  And the full original text is available for free online.  Remember that the cleaner your writing, the more critique partners can focus on the more complicated stuff.

Structure: This comes into play when writing crosses over from “writing” to “story.”  This is the level where issues with POV, pacing, and description come into play.  If mechanics is the nuts and bolts, structure is all the other parts required to make a story go – from the hoses and fans to the side-paneling and buttons.  How do you build a novel?  We’ll go over the basic components later, but if you’re interested in what makes a novel go and what separates an aspiring author from, this is the level that concerns you most.   (More on Structure)

Story: Story is the inspiration, the design drawings for our novel “machine.”  It’s also the battery that makes it go, and the purpose of the whole thing.  Story is the idea that inspired you to write this novel – the message inside of you burning to escape and be shared with the masses.  Because of its almost ethereal nature, it’s also the hardest thing to explain.  Let me put it this way: Have you ever read something that the writer clearly had a good grasp of the English language and story structure.  Everything in their story is laid out and executed logically and with style, but for some reason, it just doesn’t reach you?  What’s missing is story.  Story is what hooks a reader, grabs them by the gut and drags them through your prose.  (More on Story)

Now that you’re up to speed on where I’m coming from, let’s talk about how this applies to you.  Once you’ve written your book and passed it on to critiquers for feedback, there are few other tools you’ll need in order to get your packet ready to start querying and/or entering contests: your pitch, your query, and your synopsis.  It’s important to note that published authors usually don’t have the luxury of writing their synopsis AFTER they’ve finished their book.  Instead, they have to present the synopsis along with 3 chapters as a part of their proposal package.  Because of this, I recommend writing your synopsis first to get in the habit, but not everyone works like that, and especially in the beginning.  Therefore, I’ll assume you’ve got an excellent handle on your story when I discuss constructing a pitch, query, and synopsis.