How to find the best Beta Readers for your novel

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When your book is finished, and you need some feedback, it's time to think about beta readers. What is a beta reader? I heard someone recently describe it this way: You, the author are the first reader. The alpha. Whoever reads it next is the beta reader.

Finding the right beta readers for your novel is important. You want individuals who won't just pat you on the back, yet you don't want folks who will criticize you to the point you'll never write again.

Fortunately, my fellow Pikes Peak Writers member, Deb McLeod, has written a wonderful post explaining why you might want certain beta readers at one stage of your novel, and other readers at different stages. Definitely check out The Beta Reader Love-O-Meter on the Pikes Peak Writers blog.

Have you ever used beta readers? How has it been helpful, or not-so-helpful to your editing process?

More Ways for Writers to Help Sandy Victims

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Some of you may have participated in the auction I wrote about last week. The items up for bidding in that event went fast. But it's not too late! The same group is hosting a second auction, beginning today. Check out the KidLit Cares auction items, open for bidding until November 22nd.

But that's not the only game in town. A group of inspirational authors has organized their own auction. Each of the twelve authors will provide a 50 page critique to the winning bidder (who will make a donation in the amount of their bid). Starting bids are $50, but a 50 page critique usually takes about three hours, and with many professionals charging $35 or more per hour, $50 or so it's a great deal. Check out the various authors and links to the bidding. The nice thing about this auction is that some of the authors don't have bids yet. Bidding for this auction ends November 16th.

Like the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, stories are beginning to emerge of extreme deprivation. Many people live in high-rise low-income apartment buildings in some of the hardest hit areas. Folks have endured extremely low temperatures, no heat, no electricity or water. They haul water up countless flights of stairs to flush toilets. A great number of people have serious medical and transportation issues. Let's give them a hand.

I'll be traveling to New York City during the Thanksgiving break, and I know it will be so much more difficult to see the devastation in person. Thoughts and prayers are going out to all readers who live in the affected area. Hopefully, many of us can help out, even if we're not there.

Searching for Betas? Check Out Ten Day Book Club

If you've revised and edited your manuscript, and your critique group has worked it over, it's probably time to get some feedback from folks who haven't been examining it through a microscopic lens. It's time for beta readers.

Beta readers (or first readers) are individuals who read your novel and let you know what's working, and which aspects could be changed. Betas won't always agree, and you as the writer must sort through the responses to decide what gets implemented.

Some writer choose among their friends and acquaintances for their betas. That can work, but one drawback is that people who know you sometimes are reluctant to sound negative. Your friends might also be dazzled just by the fact that you wrote a book, and won't find anything wrong with it.

Enter the Ten Day Book Club. Writers post part or all of their novels for ten days. Members of the site read the protected files and post comments on the work in forums or live chat. The cost to writers is $10. Here's a link to show how it works.

One author, Dax M. Tucker, posted his novel on Ten Day Book Club and ended up with a large number of fans, some of whom offered to help publicize his novel. Check out what other writers have to say about their experience with the site.

Ten Day Book Club also offers editing services, marketing, and social networking training for writers who desire additional help.

If you're worried about the safety of your manuscript online, here's a video explaining how it works:

Have you ever used beta readers for feedback? How did you choose them? Any advice you'd like to share?

Ending #NaNoWriMo: I Wrote a Novel. Now What?

November 30th. The last day of NaNoWriMo. You may have a complete book in your hands, or a good start on one. What's next? Check out this post from last year.

So, you accomplished one of your major goals this year. You wrote a novel. 

What do you do next?

Do you send it off to an agent or editor and sit back to wait for a contract? Do you start the sequel? Set up  a fan page on Facebook?

Typing "the end" is really just the beginning. When I began writing several years ago, I mistakenly thought that finishing my novel gave me the right to look for an agent immediately. These days, agents want to see work that is polished, not a first draft. And seasoned writers will tell you that the real writing happens in revision. It's when words are finally out of your head and on the page, that you can actually do something with them.

There are many things you can do once you finish your novel. But I've boiled them down to two essentials.

Revise. Set your manuscript aside for a month before you begin. You need a little distance from it. Writing teacher and author James Scott Bell suggests printing it out and reading it like you would someone else's book. It's surprising how much I miss when I edit on the computer. For more tips on revisions, check this Nanowrimo page.

Books like Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Manuscript Makeover, and Revision and Self-Editing can help you know what to look for in your manuscript. Once you've combed your manuscript several times, and have improved it to the best of your ability, it's time for the next step.

Other Eyes. This is where you step out (perhaps with fear and trembling) and let other people read your novel. Family and friends do not count. It's important to get honest feedback from people who already know how to write. Your friends will only be impressed that you actually wrote a novel, and most will think it's great, no matter how many problems there are with your plot.

No, what you need are people who are strangers. People who will give you the brutal truth about what works and what needs changing. People who aren't worried about hurting their relationship with you. You'll win in two ways: your manuscript will become stronger, and you'll develop the thick skin you need for the road ahead. If you're looking for a critique group, here are several to choose from.

Where are you at with your novel?

Till It Shines: Examining the Editing Process

I've been thinking about editing. Did you know that many publishers are spending less on editing manuscripts they publish? Even if you have the good fortune of being traditionally published, the economic realities mean your manuscript might not get the spit and polish you expect.

And in this new world inundated with ebooks, it's essential to stand out. Quality will do that, but you'll need to take a bigger part of the responsibility.

What's an author to do?

First, become an active part of a critique group (or two). There are different kinds out there. Some are 'fluffy', where no one will speak a critical word, and everyone's manuscript is 'so nice'. That's not what you need if publication is your goal. You're looking for a group that will toughen up your rhino skin. That won't let you get away with a half-effort. That will put you on the spot till you get it right.

Second, work hard at critiquing your fellow members. Read books on craft. Read lots of fiction. These activities will hone your own editing skills, enabling you to spot more inconsistencies in your own manuscript. You might even start getting requests from other writers to edit their stories. Imagine that--getting paid and learning at the same time.

Third, learn about the different types of editing available. Rachelle Gardner shared a fantastic article recently that details the different types of edits you might expect. Even more helpful, she posts a list of comments she's made on contracted books. It's a great visual for prepublished writers to see that even multipublished authors get the same kind of critique comments we do.

So, with all my thinking about editing (maybe it's because I'm in the middle of a client's big editing project), I thought I'd begin a weekly series, called Red-Letter Days. Each Monday, I'll post a snippet of writing that exhibits a particular writing issue, along with ways it can be fixed. I'd love for you to chime in with your ideas. After all, I'm still learning, too.

Question: What is the biggest editing issue that trips you up?

Guest Post: Finding Your Writing Allies, by Randy Ingermanson

Don't forget to link your favorite writing article to this post. I'll be choosing some to put up as guest posts next week.

 

 Allies, by Randy Ingermanson

From Randy Ingermanson's fabulous newsletter. (if you haven't signed up yet, the info is at the bottom of the article)

There's an old saying, "Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate."

That may be true in some worlds, but in the world of writing, I'd replace it with this: "Books come and go, but Allies accumulate."

What are "Allies?"

Allies are your writing buddies. They are a combination of friend, colleague, mentor, encourager, and butt-kicker.

My opinion is that you won't get very far in the publishing world without Allies. The reason is simple.

Publishing is a tough industry, and the writer is the engine that drives the machine. If you don't have a support system, the machine is going to break you eventually. Your Allies are a crucial part of your support system.

Of course your support system also includes other people -- your editor, your agent, your family, and your non-writing friends.

But your editor and agent are business partners, and it's generally not their job to be your friend.

Whereas your family and non-writing friends can love you to pieces, but they generally don't really understand the wacko world of publishing.

If you don't have Allies, that's a problem, or it will be a problem eventually.

I should emphasize that Allies are not tools that you use or rungs on the ladder. They are, first of all, friends. Friends who'll be around for a long time.

But Allies are more than that. You will have plenty of writing friends who will never be Allies. Allies are also your equals or nearly your equals. They're usually at roughly the same level of success you are – at least when they become your Ally.

It may happen that your career takes off and your Ally's doesn't, or vice versa. It's quite possible to maintain your alliance for a very long time when that happens, as long as you're both good with it. Of course, jealousy or snobbery can kill an alliance
pretty quickly, but that's true of any friendship.

An Ally can also start out as your mentor, or vice versa, but if it's a real alliance, then that relationship will grow into something more symmetric, in which each of you mentors the other in some way.

The main reason you need Allies and the main reason they need you is that you both need encouragement from time to time, and you both need to be confronted from
time to time. Encouragement is for when you know you have a problem. Confrontation is for when you don't.

Who are your Allies? Do you even have Allies yet? If you haven't been writing long, then you may not have any. Or you may have only a few. Don't panic. You'll find your natural Allies as you progress in your career.

Allies start out as writing friends, but friendship is not enough to form an alliance. Some friends may grow into Allies. Others may always remain just friends.
That's normal. You will always have more friends than Allies.

When a friendship turns into a professional mutual dependence, then you have an alliance. Not until.

How many Allies do you need to get along in life? I don't know. I'm pretty certain that you need at least one. I doubt that you could possibly keep up with more than a couple of dozen. So I'd guess that somewhere between three and ten are the normal number of Allies.

You can, of course, have hundreds of friends. Friends are good. The more, the better. There's no need to be picky about friends.

I think it makes good sense to be picky about your Allies. You'll be joined at the hip with your Allies for a long time. Ten years or twenty or thirty.

Choose them well. It really helps if they get along with each other, but that's probably not an absolute necessity.

There's no action item here. I don't recommend that you go out and start choosing Allies willy-nilly. But it makes sense for you to think about who your Allies are
(if you have them) and which of your friends might eventually become an Ally.

This is not something you can push. An alliance has to be good for both parties, or it's not an alliance. It'll happen or it won't happen, and the best you can
do is to be aware of it and guide it gently as it matures.

I think there's really only rule to live by with your Allies: Do the right thing by them and they'll do the right thing by you.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 26,000 readers, every month. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

Do you have writing allies? Leave a comment and tell us where you found them.

The Big No: Surviving and Thriving Through Rejection

Can rejection actually help you get published? Think about it. When success comes without a lot of effort, it's easy to ride the wave and not push for perfection.

Take Kathryn Stockett, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Help. She was rejected by a stunning sixty agents over several years before landing an agent. What did she do during those years of submitting and getting a negative response over and over? She wrote and rewrote her book. The story of her journey and perseverance is inspiring.

Had Stockett landed an agent with her first batch of submissions, her manuscript might not have sold in three weeks, like it did. It would have needed multiple rounds of revisions before it was polished to the point it would interest a publisher.

Sure, a manuscript has taken a chunk of time to write, but how ready is it to submit? Sometimes a few rejections can bring a writer face-to-face with the truth. Despite how much family, friends, and even critique group members like it, it may need some more work. This is the time to read and apply knowledge from books like these that can help turn a "no" into a "yes".

Mauscript Makeover

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

Revision and Self-Editing

The Fire in Fiction

Writing the Breakout Novel

If you end up with a batch of rejection letters, know that you're not alone. Here are some lists of famous writers who were rejected--some of them many times, others with hurtful criticism:

50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected (Even bestselling James Patterson was rejected multiple times.)

Naked Rejection: You Have to Take It On the Chin Steven King tossed his Carrie manuscript in the trash, and his wife fished it out.

Rejections received by famous authors and famous books. (Did you know Beatrix Potter was rejected so many times, she initially self-published?)

30 Famous Authors Rejected Repeatedly and Rudely (One publisher told Faulkner, "Good God! I can't publish this!")

And if all this rejection confirms your belief that the publishing industry is beyond help, read this post by Nathan Bransford to renew your faith.

Where are you at? Has rejection (or fear of rejection) made you work harder at your craft?

A Brand New Kindle: Could It Change a Fiction Writer's World?

My first Kindle arrived yesterday. I wrestled with the purchase for a long time, because I love physical books, and felt an e-reader was too much of a short-cut. My daughter, who is passionate about books is incredibly disappointed with my decision. So I'm thinking through the reasons why owning a Kindle might be beneficial to a fiction writer.

First of all, since money is an issue, I bought the cheaper Kindle with Special Offers. At $114, it's $25 less than the normal version. It's exactly the same product, but the screensavers might contain an offer from Amazon or another merchant. Your reading is not interrupted by ads, however.

Here's the list I've been accumulating in my head. Who knows? I might think of more.

I have access to books I'd probably never buy. As a reader, I love new books. As a writer, it's part of my job to read good books, bad books, and in-between books. To keep up with my genre, and what's new in the market. My small town doesn't have a bookstore (and Wal-mart doesn't count), so many of my purchases are made online. Through Amazon's free reading software, I've already been reading Kindle books on my laptop, and have accumulated more than seventy books--some of them books that are out of print, or otherwise inaccessible.

I'm reading books I might not read otherwise. It's possible to get thousands of titles of classic literature in an e-format, most of them free. The accessibility is encouraging me to read these books. Most of them I didn't own already. Other classics are sitting on my shelf, but the tiny font used is hard on my forty-something eyes. On the Kindle, I can adjust the size of the font, and even how many words appear on each line for faster reading.

Space. We have bookshelves in every room of the house. Even the laundry room. The bathrooms don't have shelves, but each one has a stack of books. In order to add more books to our collection, we'd have to *gasp*--give away some of them. Increasing the books available to us on a Kindle takes up no space at all.

Critique. I'm a member of several critique groups, and it's not always easy to carry the laptop around on errands, trying to get all my critique reading done. With the Kindle, I can email a .pdf file of the manuscript I need to read, and it will transfer to my device. While reading, I can make notes and highlights in the document.

For those that want to convert other kinds of files to a particular e-reader, there's a great site called Calibre that will walk you through it.

My husband. Of all the reasons above, the biggest one is my husband. He'd like to read my manuscript. He's not a computer guy. And I'm to cheap to print out the whole thing when I know I'm still making changes. So, this next week, he'll get to start reading my book on the Kindle. This is a technology he can handle. And I'll feel better, knowing that my writing is a part of his life.

There are other pluses of the Kindle I didn't highlight. You can get an instant definition of any word with the touch of a button. The Kindle can read out loud to you, or you can download audio books. It connects wirelessly to Wikipedia for checking out things that come to mind. The battery lasts a month, and it holds 3500 books. 

Have you thought about an e-reader? Maybe you know some benefits--or drawbacks--that I haven't mentioned. I'd love to hear your opinion.

3 Things Writers Can Learn From Authors' Bad Behavior

Maybe you haven’t heard the story, but there’s a lot to learn. Earlier this week, a blogger posted a review of an author’s self-published ebook. The review was positive, for the most part, but included a few nicely worded criticisms.

The story really started when the book’s author began posting comments, asking the blogger to remove the review, and later calling him a liar, among other things. It didn’t take long for the blog to go viral on Twitter, and soon hundreds of blog readers took the author to task for her behavior.

Sadly, the author’s name will be connected to poor behavior for a long time.

While I decided not to post a link to the melee, I thought the educational value was something useful to the writing community in general. In the coming years, many more of us will choose the self-publishing route over traditional publishing (which many now call “legacy” publishing). How new authors handle the inevitable criticism and bad reviews will raise them head and shoulders above the sea of others.

Here’s a couple things I’ve learned from the issue:

1.    Begin now to grow a thick skin. No one will ever write a perfect book that everyone likes. Including me. So now is the time to get accustomed to hearing what’s not working in my manuscript, even if I don’t agree. That’s why I’ve joined critique groups, why I enter contests, and why I let others read my writing.

2.    Determine to act like a professional. I need to ensure that my online communication, and the way I deal with people is respectful, polite, and shows I’m conscious of the fact that others have valid opinions. I hope to never respond in anger, or verbally abuse an individual just because I disagree.

3.    Realize the value of a reader. My future readers will include critique partners, beta readers, agents, editors, reviewers, and the buying public. Most of them will not get paid to read my book—in fact, some will be spending their own money, plus their own time. That is something not to be taken lightly.

There’s lots more to learn about developing a writer’s rhino skin. What would you add to the list?

Feeling Helpless About Tsunami Victims? Here's an Easy Way Writers Can Make a Difference

I can't look away. When I see one of the tsunami videos and I watch houses and cars sucked away, all I can imagine is the people trapped inside. One image that stays with me is a white mini-van, nose tipped down as it's pulled into the swirling waters of a river, its rear wiper waving ineffectually.

The rear wiper won't operate unless someone is in the car.

 Here on the other side of the world, life seems unnaturally normal. It feels unfair, when in Japan, whole towns have been washed away, and the anticipation of any kind of normal is years, even decades away.

Thanks to fellow blogger, Stacy S. Jensen, I've discovered a site specifically for writers to donate to disaster victims. It's called Writers for the Red Cross. When you donate through the site, writers receive a variety of goodies, like books and tote bags.

On the site, writers can bid on auctions for critiques, phone consults with authors and agents, and even marketing tools. Each week brings a new batch of bidding items. At the top of the page, you'll find links to view all the donated items from each week. There are three weeks worth of donated items left.

Things like:

-a critique or book basket from agent Jennifer Laughran (more about her here)

-a professional blog design

-for self-publishing authors, an interior design and layout of your book, or a book cover design

-manuscript, query letter, and proposal critiques by published authors, agents, and editors

-phone consultations with publicity and marketing professionals

If you'd rather not participate in an auction, for every $25 you donate, you can pick a free book from a huge list, both fiction and nonfiction. Or, if there are some books you've planned to buy anyway, click on the Bookstore Link to go to your favorite online store, and 5% of your purchase price will go to the Red Cross.

Head over to the Writers for the Red Cross right now.

What could be better? Helping others and more books?

Time to Write Your Novel? Free Resources to Help You Get It Done

We all have to start somewhere. And tackling a novel is not a project for the squeamish. Avoiding the pitfalls of many writers is a tangible goal, with the help of the internet. Fortunately, there are plenty of writers who take the time to share what they've learned on the journey.

Two of those are Sue Viders and Becky Martinez. Viders is also one of the authors of The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines, which I reviewed last week.

These authors have set up a site, Write That Novel, that gives all the information new writers need. Each section contains concise explanations and exercises for practicing what is learned.

There are pages on beginning, basics, plotting, and character. From there, writers can learn about setting, dialogue, pacing, and editing. Once the work of writing is complete, there are pages teaching about getting published; covering the search for agents and editors. There's even a page of helpful forms, like character charts, and printable pages to help keep track of who you've submitted to. And a tutorial on marketing your book.

Of course, if you've written a novel, it's not enough to edit it yourself. It's important to find a critique group, whether in-person or online, who can help you see what you've overlooked. Viders and Martinez have begun a blog, called The Critique Corner, that will cover what critiquing is all about.

Sure, these hard-working writers could just focus on their own work. No one would blame them. But they've taken the time to virtually mentor any writers that discover their site. 

Do you know some generous writers?

Does Your Manuscript Have What It Takes? You Can Find Out Today. Really.

All writers crave feedback. Even if they're too scared to join a critique group, and letting someone read their work puts them in a cold sweat. But what if it was anonymous?

Page99Test is an ingenious website a friend pointed me to. It's based upon a quote from the late English novelist Ford Madox Ford: "Open the book to page ninety-nine, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you."

The site allows you to upload the contents of page 99 of your manuscript, and readers of the site will rate it by answering three questions.

1. Would you turn the page?

2. Why or why not?

3. Based on what you read, how likely are you to buy this book?

Because site visitors are reading just one page, and the questions are brief, it takes only a few minutes to read and give feedback on a submission. Once a reader clicks "submit" after the questions, they can see a summary of how others rated the same page, and their comments.

For writers uploading a page, you'll choose the genre of your story, and can give a brief background if you like. All the commenters have a number next to their screen name so you can see how many critiques they've done so far.

You may wonder why it's page 99, and not say, your first page that is critiqued. Most writers work and rework the beginning of their manuscript, so it's not really representative of the body of the story. It's a random page, yes, but hopefully all your random pages will have good dialogue, description, characterization, and tension.

The site creators warn against uploading an overworked page just to get better feedback. Since it's anonymous, no one cares what your feedback is

The nice thing about Page99Test is that even the negative comments don't sting so badly when you consider that the reader has missed the 98 previous pages setting up your story. You can use the feedback you get to improve your pages, without feeling like you have to give up altogether.

Head over to the site and spend a couple of minutes on a few critiques. It's kind of addicting, and you can feel good that you gave back some encouragement and helpful feedback to another writer. 

How open are you to feedback?

Five Ways to Make Your First Page Better

At one of my first writers conferences (the amazing Pikes Peak Writers Conference), one of the sessions I attended was called a Read and Critique. Each audience member brought two copies of their manuscript's first page, and read it aloud in front of a literary agent--and the writers in the room. After each writer read, the agent commented on what she liked or didn't like about the first page, and whether she would keep on reading. It was definitely not for the faint of heart!

Though I was really nervous as a new writer, I learned a lot that day. Here's a glimpse back:

Twenty-five writers sit tensed in their chairs, palms sweating, throats clearing. Clutched in each pair of hands: a single page. Each sheet contains just 16 lines, but those lines hold power over each writer’s future.

As the agent steps into the room, 25 sets of eyes follow her and shine with questions. “Will she like it? Maybe a little?” “Will all these people snicker at the words I’ve written?”

A few sly glances gauge the distance to the exit, should the worst happen.

The agent, Sandra Bond, clears her throat (did she rub her palms on her slacks?) and surprises us all. “I’m much more nervous than all of you,” she says. It dawns on us that she is in the hot seat, having only five minutes to listen to and pass judgment on another’s writing.

Whether or not that makes us feel better, it does remind us that agents are human. They don’t like rejection any more than the rest of us. Sandra’s vulnerability eases some of the tension in the room.

As the writers stand and read from their pages, Sandra gives excellent, specific constructive criticisms, which add up to the equivalent of a wonderful seminar on how to hook a reader. Here are some highlights:

The first sentence is paramount. Start with a graphic, visual scene—action, tension, dark humor. Don’t confuse your reader with the first line, hoping they’ll keep reading to figure it out. They’re more likely to put it down. If your first line or paragraph doesn’t grab the friends you test it out on, try ditching it and begin with your second paragraph. Sandra says this won’t always work, but it’s worth a try.

Show your character’s personality immediately. Whether it’s through humor and sarcasm, or fear and paranoia, let your reader see your character’s quirks and sensitivities. What are the “must haves” or “can’t stands” in their world?

Beware the prologue. While many successful authors use them, Sandra warns that writers must be aware that lots of readers skip them. If your prologue reveals something crucial to the story, weave the information into your novel, or turn the prologue into chapter one.

Use the senses to pull in the reader. Two submissions that seemed to be popular with Sandra and the group as a whole, employed this idea. One focused on several unusual smells that helped connect us to what the main character liked and didn’t like. Another used sound—a particular sound brings back snatches of memories from the lead character’s life—and makes us want to know what sound stirred up these recollections.

If you’re tackling a memoir... Sandra noted that memoirs are a difficult genre to get into. In order to distinguish yours, accentuate your voice to make it compelling and unique. She told us that a memoir should never begin with, “When I was nine...” Find the voice that will grab your reader.

Attending a Read & Critique session helped me realize that I could not only survive reading aloud in a group, but pick up some great writing tips as well. 

Have you overcome your fears and read in a group? 

I Wrote a Novel. Now What?

So, you accomplished one of your major goals this year. You wrote a novel. 

What do you do next?

Do you send it off to an agent or editor and sit back to wait for a contract? Do you start the sequel? Set up  a fan page on Facebook?

Typing "the end" is really just the beginning. When I began writing several years ago, I mistakenly thought that finishing my novel gave me the right to look for an agent immediately. These days, agents want to see work that is polished, not a first draft. And seasoned writers will tell you that the real writing happens in revision. It's when words are finally out of your head and on the page, that you can actually do something with them.

There are many things you can do once you finish your novel. But I've boiled them down to two essentials.

Revise. Set your manuscript aside for a month before you begin. You need a little distance from it. Writing teacher and author James Scott Bell suggests printing it out and reading it like you would someone else's book. It's surprising how much I miss when I edit on the computer. For more tips on revisions, check this Nanowrimo page.

Books like Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Manuscript Makeover, and Revision and Self-Editing can help you know what to look for in your manuscript. Once you've combed your manuscript several times, and have improved it to the best of your ability, it's time for the next step.

Other Eyes. This is where you step out (perhaps with fear and trembling) and let other people read your novel. Family and friends do not count. It's important to get honest feedback from people who already know how to write. Your friends will only be impressed that you actually wrote a novel, and most will think it's great, no matter how many problems there are with your plot.

No, what you need are people who are strangers. People who will give you the brutal truth about what works and what needs changing. People who aren't worried about hurting their relationship with you. You'll win in two ways: your manuscript will become stronger, and you'll develop the thick skin you need for the road ahead. If you're looking for a critique group, here are several to choose from.

Where are you at with your novel?

Writer's Groups: Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Allstory

This is truly fascinating. I recently stumbled upon the website of a filmmaker, who supports the arts in all kinds of ways. Francis Ford Coppola not only makes films and wine, runs restaurants and a travel agency, he also supports a literary magazine and a virtual film studio.

Zoetrope: Allstory is a magazine that publishes short fiction. It is a winner of the National Magazine Award for Fiction. Coppola began the magazine in 1997, "to explore the intersection of story and art, fiction and film", according to the website.

Each year, the magazine holds contests for short fiction and screenplays, and finalists are considered for representation by ten different literary agencies. Not to mention the thousand-dollar prize.

One of the best things about Zoetrope: Allstory, is their commitment to writers. They offer free memberships to Zoetrope Virtual Studio, a community with workshops dedicated to writers of fiction, screenplays, poems, and songs. They also include photographers, storyboard artists, and filmmakers. It sounds like a great place to find a supportive community to critique your work.

The nice thing about the Virtual Studio, is that they create a "virtual private office" for you. In your office, you have ten megabytes of file space, which you can share only with those members you select (or everyone, if you choose).

If you are interested in submitting a story to Zoetrope, read the submission guidelines. You may also want to order a few back issues, or read some of the stories posted online, to get an idea of what they publish.

Interested in more writing groups? Check them out here.

Your Writing Career: Are You Waiting Passively or Actively?

Let's face it. Writing involves a lot of waiting. We wish we could hurry up parts of the process, since it took so long to actually write the book. Yet we face waiting for critique group feedback, beta readers, contest results, agent and then editor responses.


It's almost enough to make a writer give up. The dreams of rapid publication vanish like the mist they are. Writers wonder if they should even bother starting another book if they can't interest anyone in the first.


But it's good for each of us to hear a dose of reality. That first books are rarely sold first, if at all. That writers ought to have a "practice" book in the drawer before trying for publication. That at least five years will pass from the moment we really imagined we might become published writers.


Why? Because with reality, comes the decision. Work hard, or give up. And years of waiting is the fertile soil for the hard work of becoming a published writer. Yes, you could sit back and wait passively for someone to recognize the genius of your writing. Or, you can wait actively, improving your writing to the point that the wheels of publication begin to turn in your direction.


Start your next project. Novel, article, short story--it doesn't matter. Start something. Don't be content to rest on the project you've completed, even if you believe it's your best. And if you're worried you don't have what it takes, keep writing anyway. It's the only way to get better. Remember, writing can be learned. They say it takes a million words to become an accomplished writer. How far are you to finishing a million?


Pull out a book. Make it a habit to always have a writing book that you're working through. Leave it on the nightstand, or in the bathroom (for busy moms). Even reading just a page or so a day will help to strengthen your writing. Tackling a few of these books a year is like going to a writing conference. If you need some suggestions, I've got a few.


Find a group. Whether you try an online group, or one that's in-person, joining a critique group is one of the best ways to become a stronger writer. You'll learn to write better from the feedback of others, but giving critique will teach you even more. Not every group will be perfect for you, so try some out before you settle in.


Consider a conference. I can't tell you how much I've learned from each of the conferences I've attended. Learning, in person, from agents, editors, and authors is inspiring, but so is being part of a large group of writers who have the same mindset. Save up, apply for scholarships, and go. There are some free online conferences (check here and here), but if you can manage a live one, go for it.


How many of these are you doing right now? Is there a way you're waiting actively that I haven't listed?

Just Listen:The Hidden Value of Hearing the Words You Write

When editing my novel, I read it on the screen. I print it out and read it on paper. And I read it out loud.

Why?

Because there are certain writing inconsistencies that will only be revealed as I hear the words I wrote.

What are some of the things I might find?

Repetition. It's so easy to so overuse words I so love, and so it can be hard to spot them, so I read aloud. Has this ever happened to you?

Smoothness. Some sentences, which I thought were carefully crafted, sound like I chopped them apart with a knife when I read them out loud. I'm always surprised at how differently my brain works when using my fingers, as opposed to my mouth.

Adverbs. The dreaded -ly adverbs reveal themselves consistently, annoyingly, and alarmingly when my critique group listens to me read.

Unintentional rhyming. Or puns. Author Bruce Coville, who runs a business making audio books, has run across this often. One book he recorded, that took place on the high seas,  had this sentence in a battle scene: "Seamen flooded the deck." Enough said.

Reading out loud to yourself is wonderful. Hearing someone else read your work is even better. Your mind is free from the business of reading, and can fully engage in analysis. If you don't have someone to read to you, there are dozens of text-to-speech websites that will do it for you (for free), and many are capable of reading in multiple languages. This site gives ratings on five good ones, but many more can be found with an internet search.

Has reading your work out loud refined your writing? Tell us how in the comments.

Writer's Groups: Critique Circle.com

Don't be a lonely writer. Why? Lone Ranger writers can't look at their work objectively. They clutch their manuscripts in fear of a negative word, which means they'll never submit the project they've poured their heart into. That definitely lowers the chances of publication.

Joining a critique group makes for a stronger writer. A writer who hones his craft. Who learns to take criticism, and discovers how to analyze the work of others. Writers in critique groups are training for the day their words will land in the hands of agents, editors, . . . and readers.

Critique Circle is one option for writers looking for an online group. With over 2500 members of the free site, each submission of your work will garner between seven and ten critiques.

If you're just beginning to see the need for a critique group, the site has links to all the training you need to be an excellent critique group member. Like How to Cope With Critiquing, and How To Critique Fiction.

I believe it's worth it to join Critique Circle just for the amazing free tools they offer members. There's a storyboarding tool to help you plan your story. Writing exercises and writing prompts to get your brain moving. Progress meters to keep track of your word count. A fantastic outlining workshop, plus a name generator, and submission tracker.

Of course, the site maintains an active forum for members to talk about everything to do with writing. But there's also a page of links that kept me busy for a while. There are too many to list here, but you'll just have to check the links out for yourself.

And if this group isn't the perfect one for you, don't worry. There are lots more.

Writer's Groups: Scribophile.com

Writing is a solitary profession. But even the most introverted writer needs encouragement. To battle the ever-present negative comments in their head. To share ideas when they're stuck. To commiserate over rejections. And to celebrate the successes.

Joining an in-person writer's group is wonderful, and nothing beats meeting face to face. But maybe you live in a remote place. Or you're an expat who can't find writers who speak your language. Perhaps you write at odd hours.

This is where an online group shines.

It doesn't matter the hour. Someone, somewhere in the world is awake, and ready to connect.

I've highlighted quite a few writers groups so far, but I haven't come close to exhausting them. I hope that one of them is just the right fit for you.

Today's group is Scribophile (Thanks to member Joshua Morris for cluing me in!). Scribophile is a warm and welcoming group of writers who aim to connect and critique each other's work.

Sign up is free, and even if you've never critiqued someones writing before, you'll learn quickly with Scribophile's templates. When you critique, you earn "Karma Points", which can be redeemed when you post your own work for review. The site guarantees at least three well-thought-out critiques for each of your submissions.

Beyond the critique aspect, you can join "circles" of writers with similar interests, or those that share your geographical area. There's also an active forum, where all the members discuss a variety of topics relating to writing and publication.

Check out the Scribophile Blog for posts on all aspects of writing (a recent post was entitled "9 Things To Do While Waiting For a Response To Your Query"). The folks at Scribophile also host regular contests for members.

Love at First Sight?: Agents Look at the First Page

Yesterday, we looked at how your first page is like a handshake. Today we're going to watch some of those handshakes in action.

First up is Agent Kathleen Ortiz, who ran a workshop called The First Five Pages for the amazing WriteOnCon (a free online conference earlier this month--if you missed it, you can read the archives).

On each of the three conference days, Kathleen read first pages sent in by conference attendees. She marks the point at which she stops reading and begins skimming, and gives a few comments at the end of each entry as to why she would or would not keep reading. 

The fun part of these is to read the first few paragraphs without scrolling down, and try to give your own evaluation. Did the characters intrigue you? Is the voice original? Do you care what happens next?

After you identify your opinion, check out what Kathleen thought. Sometimes, the two of you might agree, sometimes not. And that gives you a clue as to how subjective this process is. What one agent dislikes, another one loves. So don't give up early in the query process. Learn from what agents comment on, and apply it to your own manuscript.

Here are the links to Kathleen Ortiz' three workshop sessions:

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Agent Nathan Bransford does this weekly. You can look at the page critique archives on his blog, or follow the new critiques every Friday on his forums (you don't need to register to read the forums, only if you'd like to comment). Bransford gives the details about how you can submit your first page for review, as well. 

If you missed yesterday's post, check out How Your First Page is Like a Handshake and find ways to make your first page even better.