Silja Swaby

Don’t MS the little things

2009-12-03T01:38:00.000-08:00

For those of you who didn’t know, or weren’t sure, the abbreviation of manuscript is MS, not ms, and definitely not Ms for obvious reasons. OK, so what is the plural? By some old convention that doubles the last letter - it’s MSS!

Names

2009-11-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

A character name, like your own, says a lot. But what if your character is of foreign descent? Giving them a first or middle name that reflects their origins will make them much more interesting. www.babynology.com churns out names from every country and is well worth exploring.

Free critiques - at a price

2009-11-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

Getting a rejection letter is never a happy event. My advice is to scan it and put it away for a few days. Look again when you are less raw. If an agent has taken the time to comment then be grateful – you’ve got a free critique!

ALCS

2009-11-12T05:08:00.000-08:00

Every writer should belong to the Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society – www.alcs.co.uk. You pay a one off lifetime fee of £25 which is taken off your first royalty payment so there’s no money to pay upfront. They ensure you get any secondary royalties and other benefits too.

Marketing

2009-11-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

It's never too early to think about marketing. If nothing else, keep details of people who say they want to buy your book. Put a star by the ones who have lots of friends. These are your hubs that talk and the best marketing is by word-of-mouth!

How-to books

2009-10-29T02:37:00.001-07:00

Seek out all the how-to texts, read them, and keep re-reading them. You will pick up advice and tips that once went over your head.

Genre

2009-10-22T00:17:00.000-07:00

Genre is the French word for ‘type’. It’s an easy shorthand to brand work. If your novel is cross-genre or doesn’t fit the current list, don’t panic. Novels that mix and, even better, transcend genres are gaining in popularity.

Character flaw

2009-10-15T04:30:00.000-07:00

Every well-drawn, appealing character has one or more weaknesses or flaws. This flaw may be physical, emotional or spiritual. Pip in Dickens' Great Expectations is a snob. Humbert Humbert's flaw is his monumental passion for Lolita. The job of the author is to build a complexity of motives, desires and needs, and ensure the character faces them head on!

Repeated phrases

2009-10-08T01:45:00.000-07:00

When editing your manuscripts check you’ve not repeated a phrase within three to four lines. More often the repetition happens in a descriptive passage, but be careful about removing repeats from dialogue. We naturally mirror speech.
‘We do?’
‘Yes we do!’

Keeping at it

2009-10-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

The one thing all published novelists have in common is the ability to keep going.

Numerology

2009-09-26T02:48:00.001-07:00

Google numerology to find out more about your and your character’s personality traits. While I believe most readings could easily apply to a large percentage of the population the ‘off the beaten track’ results might prove useful.

Settings

2009-09-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

On arrival at a new location write down the first 20 things that strike you as being characteristic. This will help you focus on vivid details you can use when lengthy descriptions are inappropriate. Don’t forget to use all your senses. Sometimes smell is the first thing you notice.

Enneagram

2009-09-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

It sounds like embarrassing surgical procedure but is actually a way of dividing the population into nine psychological character types. The first being Type 1, a critical perfectionist who likes things to be orderly and fears corruption and evil. Type 2, is a loving carer, proud and nurturing, who hate to be unloved or unappreciated. Google the term for the rest and see if you gain any insights to characters you are 'getting to know'.

Highlighters

2009-09-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

While your word choice is also part of your style, overuse of common words isn’t good writing. The words ‘it’, ‘was’, and ‘there’ are the biggest culprits. Check your manuscript for these and other overused words by using the ‘Find’ command in the Edit menu. Tick the ‘highlight all items found in:’ box (bottom left) and select ‘Main document’.

Once each is marked in black go to your highlighter button in your formatting tool bar (looks like an old-fashioned rubber) and select a colour. Each occurrence of your chosen word will stand out in glorious technicolour. Then get editing!

Characters and conflict

2009-08-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

The two ‘C’s of good story-telling, so don’t forget to check each chapter has the finest examples of both. Take a look at how other writers handle these crucial elements (well or abominably). It's well worth the time.

Play it again

2009-08-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Dialogue is critical to bringing your characters to life. Take a look at speech flow and content in screenplays and stage plays. It'll add depth.

Chance exposures

2009-08-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

Exposing yourself to new situations will inevitably fuel the creative process and when opportunities arise don’t be shy - take them. A chance to observe how any work, social or public event works close up is invaluable. Capturing the atmosphere, characters and dialogue will give you details that make a scene solid, tangible, real.

Don’t forget competitions

2009-08-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sarah Hall’s career took an up turn after winning the Crime Writer’s Association Dagger Award and Julie Myerson in her YouTube video states her ‘lucky break’ came from a winning writing competition in SHE magazine. Go for them all, you’ve got nothing to lose.

It was…

2009-07-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

…a dark and stormy night! The worst opening words for a novel or so the adage goes. A sentence beginning ‘It was…’ can be almost always re-phrased into a better one. Use find (Ctrl-F) to hunt them out.

Style

2009-07-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Because there are only a few absolute rules of punctuation, style can also mean how you use commas, semi-colons etc. Being consistent is one way of showing an agent or editor you are professional and might well give you the edge over a writer who isn’t.

You’re OK. I’m OK

2009-07-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

OK is a term that comes up in modern dialogue a lot. But which is the correct form to use? That (as always) depends, OK?

Ok, ok are not OK.
Okay and okay are OK in the US.
OK, O.K. and o.k. are all OK, but OK is preferred (mostly).

Each publishing house has its own style which you’ll be asked to follow, but whichever you plump for – be consistent, if for no other reason than it will make the find and replace command a one shot deal.

Plant your own garden

2009-07-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Other people’s snide comments or (seemingly humourous) jibes can undermine your confidence. When this happens go back to something you’ve written that makes you say ‘Hey, this is good stuff!’ or even,’ This isn’t bad at all.’ Plant your own garden. Don’t wait for others to give you flowers!

Breaks away

2009-07-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

Getting away from it all is great for the creative juices. If you have a nagging problem at the start, give yourself a couple of days to work it though, but then bin it! Try not to waste your creative energy.

Bury your first book

2009-06-18T01:55:00.000-07:00

This advice came from top literary agent Jonathan Lloyd. He says your first novel is where you make mistakes, a learning ground, and sometimes first attempts should never see the light of day. Your second novel will be better and you can always resurrect the first if you need to.

Be specific

2009-06-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

The more detailed your description the clearer the picture. The car or the red hatchback with the cracked windscreen? But remember don't make them long or it will slow your story down.