One of the hardest things for some writers to figure out is “show, don’t tell.” I mean, we are technically telling a story. But, the reader doesn’t want us to tell the story; they want us to show them the story.

As a new writer, I heard “show, don’t tell” quite often.  And it took me a while to figure it out. In fact, after reading several blogs and articles about showing, I finally figured it out in a dream. I won’t share the exact dream image that helped me figure it, but here are a couple other examples that might help.

The cow was skinny.  This is telling.

The cow stood in a bare field, its hipbones and ribs visible under sagging skin.  It’s not the greatest example, but the reader can see the cow and how skinny it is.

The man was hot.  Telling.

The man pulled his wet shirt over his head. A sweat beaded on his forehead and ran down his back. Again, not the greatest example but again, it’s easy to see he is hot and sweaty.

She was angry. Telling.

She slammed the phone onto its holder then punched the wall. It's easy to see, she's upset.
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A bonus is the added word count.  Now, there are times when you do want to just tell some detail, and that’s cool. Just be aware and be intentional.

I LOVE worksheets! I mean, I really love worksheets. From plotting, to structure, to character stuff, I love it all. I don't use a lot any more but I like knowing they are around if I need them.

And, the other day, I found a worksheet utopia. Here's a link. There's all sorts of worksheets to choose from...I just pulled up the romance idea one and yep, it's good. 

Also, if you join her "coterie" you get even more free worksheets.

Stop by, check it out, let me know what you think.

I’m sure most of you know about NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Which just happens to be next month making this month…wait for it…Preptober!  That’s right! It’s time to get your NaNo idea out, polish it up, and get it ready to be written next month.
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Remember, the goal of NaNo is to write a 50k novel during the month of November. But just because you have to do all the writing next month doesn’t mean you can’t get ready. 

So, everyone got an idea? Cool. If not, get one.

As a “writer into the dark” kind of writer, I don’t do outlines. Not sure what that is? Check out my post from the other day. Here’s a link. But, just because I don’t do outlines, doesn’t mean I don’t prepare.

For example, I know my characters and some of their backstory. I know what they want and what they are willing to do to get it.

I also have some idea of where my story will take place. The town, maybe a few shops or restaurants, or a bar. I also might know who runs those places and if they are vital to the story.

And I’ll have a general idea of what happens in the story. Most of the time, I’ll have a beginning scene, and I’ll have the end in mind. That middle part, I discover in the dark.  
It’s been a long time since I’ve taken part in NaNo. Life happened, and then more stuff happened, and it just didn’t work out for me.

This time, I’ve got a kidnapped girl whose brother teams up with the daughter of the king who was killed by the same men who took the girl. Together they go on a quest, which  I can’t tell you about, that will help restore order to the kingdom. It’s going to be good.

If you saw my post the other day about bullet journaling, you’ll remember I have a journal ready for NaNo. I’m really looking forward to writing this story. It’s been simmering for a while and is finally ready.

So…who’s doing NaNoWriMo this year?

Not so long ago, I scrolled through Facebook doing the procrastination thing and came across a link on writing, and since I was procrastinating, I watched it.  And then I shared it with my daughter and watched it again. Next, I went to Amazon and bought the book that the link video was based on.

Now, I’m telling you about it. 

But first…  When I started writing years ago, I didn’t do the outline thing. I wrote, then fixed what I’d written, then wrote some more. Yes, it took me a bit longer to get words on the page, but when I had them there, they were good words. I made up for the time spent getting them written and right by not having to revise near as much as most of my writer friends.

Then, after hearing how I needed to outline, how I needed to get words on the page and worry about fixing them later, how a blank page can’t be fixed, and all the other such lines, I started outlining. And, it took some of the fun out of writing since when I started I knew exactly what was going to happen. Boring!

Then I found the above-mentioned link. Which I’ll share in a moment. But, it was something I’d learned so many years ago at my first writer’s conference. 
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It was in Lousiana. The speaker was Deborah LeBlanc. (If you haven’t read her books, you need to.) She said something to the effect of why spend so much time revising and revising…why not do it right the first time.  I loved that because that was what I was doing. And it worked for me.

But then, I got sidetracked.

Thankfully, I found Dean Wesley Smith and his Writing into the Dark method.  This VIDEO explains it, and his BOOK goes into more detail.

​Basically…write. Let your creative brain take control and play. When you come to a spot when you don’t know what’s next, go back about 500 words or so and reread/tweak them. Time you get back to where you stopped; you’ll be ready to move forward again.  Of course, this is the simplified version so check out the video and get his book. You’ll be back thanking me later. 😊

And you know what’s even more fun? Writing into the dark, in the dark. I love to write in bed after everyone is asleep. Hubby is snoring next to me; I have a dog either beside me on the floor or at the foot of the bed. It’s quiet, there are no distractions, other than hubby snoring, and my creative brain is in charge.

Discovering where the story is going as I get there is so much more fun. Naturally, during the day, I ponder scenes and such, run bits of dialogue around for size, but the main plotting is done as I write. It feels good. 

You should give it a try. Especially in the dark!
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Happy writing…
 
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​Are you guilty of tautology? I was and didn’t know it. When I was told that I was committing tautology I actually had to look it up.

For example…
I went to see the professor personally.  Personally is redundant and not needed. And so is the “not needed” in the previous sentence.

The dog chased his own tail. Own is the tautology.

The school bell rang at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Afternoon isn’t needed.

Tautology reminds me of when you do things like… He nodded his head.  I mean, what else would he nod?  Or she waved her arms, or he sat down. 

And speaking of waving arms, I know it is a thing, and there is nothing I can do about it but, I really don’t like the “rolling of eyes” thing.  I get this weird image of eyes rolling across the floor.  And she caught his eye is another one. I mean, he threw an eye at her? Good thing she caught it. What if the cat got it?
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So, that’s my new word for the month. I’m trying to be extra observant in my writing and not do it. What about you? Is this something you do? And how do you feel about rolling eyes?
 
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,A couple years back I attended a small writer's conference put on by a nearby writer's group. Personally, I LOVE writer's conferences...hanging out with writers and listening to them chat about writing gives me the warm fuzzies. :-)

That said, the focus on this conference was self-publishing, which was cool. I have a publisher but I still need marketing info, editing info, and of course, how to write better knowledge.

However, I almost fell out of my chair when I heard one of the speakers say it was okay to upload and publish a book with errors in it. He said there was no need to worry about trying to get it perfect because it didn't matter and you could always upload a new version anytime. I was sitting with my editor and we both looked at each other in shock.

​Here's the thing...okay is NOT good enough.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to read a book that's riddled with typos, misspelled words, grammar issues, or plot problems. 

One of the first things I do when considering a book purchase is to read the reviews. And if editing is a problem, I'll pass.  No matter who it is. And I'll generally not buy any of that author's other books either. 

Last night I was chatting with my daughter and she told me about a book she had purchased that still had editor notes in it. And when she looked closely at the cover, there was a place that said "enter text here."  Really???  I mean, seriously? 

Years ago, I bought a short story that a member of my writer's group had published. It was only .99 and I like to support fellow writers, especially if I know them. When I read it though...it was filled with typos and grammar issues.  I emailed her and told her that she'd uploaded a rough draft by mistake...it was that bad. She replied that nope, she'd checked and it was the right version. I got a refund.

Here's the thing. Okay is NOT good enough. It's not. And you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression. We'll never get our books perfect but we should strive to get them as close as possible.

So, here's my question...how do you feel about books with editing issues? Will you buy a book you know is filled with typos and other issues? Are you okay with a book that's just okay?

One of the great things about books is all the places they take you.  I mean, think about it...if not for J. K. Rowling we'd never have gone to Hogwarts. Without books, we'd never have gone to District 12 or the Capital. We'd never have visited the Night Court, gone to Middle Earth and into Mordor. Some of us would never have visited New York, Paris, Istanbul, or even Texas. 

Books give us a way to experience a different life. They help us to escape from our daily grind and do things we'd never be able in our own lives. Aren't books amazing???

What are your favorite places to visit in books? 

Some of you know my daughter also writes. She writes for all ages of kids and is working on YA now. Her latest release, is a Mid-grade chapter book that takes the reader on an adventure to Egypt and the pyramids. 

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​ Naturally I''m biased but I really love this story. And, I bet your kids will too.

You can get a signed copy through our Square store. There is free shipping too. You can also get it at Amazon, B&N, or our publisher's website. 

She's working on the next one and I think, not gonna swear to it, but I think it's set on Easter Island. It will be awesome though.

Want to keep up with us and what's happening with our books? Then click on over to the sidebar and signup for our newsletter. Naturally, I'll not share your info and spam you with a bunch of email, just the occasional newsletter.

Be sure to say hi and let me know your favorite place to visit in books.


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Yesterday, I forgot to blog. I'm blaming the puppy. :-) He's such a little heathen. And I have the teeth marks to prove it. At the moment, he's resting quietly so I'll be quick.

I'm going to relate puppy stuff to writing and publishing stuff.

Not so long ago, I was reminded of my love for dog training and all the doggy things involved with that. And I was introduced to a dog sport that I just fell in love with and knew I wanted to compete in.  Which meant I needed an appropriate dog. I needed a dog bred to do what I wanted to do.  So, I did some breed research and decided on which breed would be best suited to my sport. Then I researched breeders. I looked at a lot of breeders, at their dogs, and the things their dogs had accomplished. Then, I picked the breeder who was producing dogs who were competing and winning in the sports I want to compete in.  Then, I put a down payment on a puppy and began the long wait. In fact, it was an 8 month wait from deposit to puppy. But he's totally worth it.  

During that wait though, and before actually, I started learning. There's been a lot of strides made in dog training since I trained "professionally" last and since I was considering a new sport, I needed to learn that too.  I started  studying in January of last  year and am still learning.

Now, I'm applying what I've learned in hopes of one day competing and winning in the show ring. There's still a lot of work to be done but I've stacked the deck in my favor. I've acquired knowledge, and still am acquiring knowledge...I  have the best puppy ever that is totally capable to do what I want, and I'm willing to put in the time to train hard to get where I wanna go.
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Obviously,  I didn't get this finished and posted yesterday as planned. I'm still blaming the puppy. :-) Today, I think I might get it finished. At least, I'm hopeful.

Now, how does this relate to writing? First, we may have an idea, or maybe we might have the whole plot in our heads. But...we must learn our craft. We must study good writing...and bad.  The bad so you know what not to do. Reading good writing is a really good way to learn how good writing reads. Someone said we have to write a million words to really learn how to write. I'm not sure about that...because if you ever stop learning, you need to quit.  There is always something you can learn about writing.  How to write more descriptive exposition, how to tighten scenes, how to show character through actions, for example.

Then we must do the writing. This is our practice or training. It's so easy to not write. Procrastination is is horrid thing that often attacks writers. Once our manuscript is finished, we must show it to the world...or at least a small part of it.

This is like a practice trial or match for dog events. As writers, we use a critique group to see what aspects (scenes, dialogue) needs to be worked on. We send our manuscripts to beta readers to get their opinions and observations. We  get them back and work some more polishing or rewriting.

While all this is happening, we are looking for places to show our work.  Whether it's a dog trial or agent, there must be research.

Then comes the day we compete. We sent our manuscript or query letters out to the places we've researched.  If we've done our homework, put in the time and effort, then we are winners. No matter what the judges say!