How to Spit Shine a Manuscript

So, you did it. You delivered a 2 1/2 pound baby manuscript. You think it's adorable, that no one has ever set eyes on such a masterpiece of perfection, but just when you're itching to show off that infant to the publishing world, here's a note of caution...

Not everyone thinks wrinkly, mucous behind the ears, squalling newborns are cute. Usually you need to wait a week or two until they fill out a bit, aren't quite so twitchy, even learn to smile before others are irresistibly drawn to them.

It's the same with your manuscript. But never fear...I've got some surefire ways to spiff up that baby while you're waiting.

Top 3 Ways To Polish A Manuscript

#1. Send it off to 2 or 3 of your best editor buddies.
3 max. You don't want overkill in this stage. While they're critiquing it, work on something else. Put your mind elsewhere. Start a new story or fiddle around with one you've got in the drawer, anything but go over your recently finished book.

#2. Apply critiques.
Once you get those crits back, then --and only then-- may you open up your document and start implementing the final changes. Consider each one, even if you don't agree with it. And if more than one person comments on the same thing, it's a pretty good bet your reader would stumble over that pile of words as well. Change it.

#3. Print it out.
I know. I know. This final step makes greenies go into convulsions. It seems like such a waste to use up all that ink and paper on something you can just read on a screen. It's not. Reading a hard copy is inherently different than reading something on a computer. Why? I think it has something to do with how the planets align and magical fairy dust or something scientific like that. Whatever, it works. You'll catch things that you (and your crit partners) missed. Not even kidding. This works every time.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? Yep. It is. But fact: it is super satisfying when you hear back comments from editors that yours is the cleanest manuscript they've seen in a long time.

Fun Friday Art Museum

Come along on a visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Tidbit Thursday: Editing

Most often I love editing. I'm at that stage in the writing game now where I get to play around with words already typed in my cozy mystery manuscript. Mostly, I love it.

Mostly.

The hardest part about editing is when one of your critique partners calls your writing onto the carpet, then belly slams it like a sumo wrestler, knocking the wind out of you. Sometimes that's hard to take.

But even worse is the sickening feeling that you know your critter is correct.

Case in point: there is romance intertwined with my mystery, and there's one chapter in particular where the romance takes center stage. Should it? It's a mystery, after all, not a freaking Fabio-covered bodice ripper.

The thing is, though, that this romantic thread involves the detective in a big way, so yes, it is essential to the story, as is the character building garden scene where love blossoms. But (and I've always got a big but) doggone it, my critiquer is correct. As important as this chapter is, it outshines the mystery. What to do?

Easy part - slash and burn all the nonessential prose in the love department. Tighten that scene up so that it'll look fantastic in some Spandex.

Hard part - intersperse in that garden romance a new scene, written from the perspective of the two women in the kitchen who are the snoopers trying to solve the mystery. The trick is getting the additional new part to flow seamlessly with what's already there.

Oh yeah, and did I mention I need to have the entire manuscript polished by this weekend to ship off to a prospective publisher that requested it?

Then just for fun toss in that I'm moving out my 92 year old mom into a senior housing unit this Saturday? And my daughter is getting married in 38 days?

Writing isn't for the weak of heart.

Top 3 Ways To Surprise A Reader

I am a jaded reader. I've devoured so many books over so many years that it's getting harder to find make-me-want-to-weep writing. The best books -- those that earn a home on my bookshelves -- are those that surprise me. So, the real question is...

How does a writer go about surprising a reader?

1. Make the reader experience common events or objects in a new way.
Nothing delights a reader more than seeing something mundane spiffed up and sparkled into a "Wow! I never thought about it like that before." I like to call it the ol' Cinderella effect. Make connections that aren't used in everyday dialogue.

Example? He smiled, his teeth looking as if they'd been dipped in mouse-colored velvet. That's way more effective than saying the dude had rotten teeth, right?

2. Expose a negative emotion in a perspective that brings hope.
Everyone on the planet deals with ugly experiences. Everyone's got nasty emotions hiding under rocks that they'd rather not look at. It's called being human. But that doesn't mean a writer can't cast a ray of sunshine into a dark corner and say, "Hey! It's not the end of the world."

Example? Depression doesn't always have to be seen as a black pit of hopeless despair. In fact, some of the best hymns of all time were written by men while living in the dark night of the soul, such as William Cowper. Here are a few lines from God Moves in a Mysterious Way:

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread 

Are big with mercy and shall break

In blessings on your head.

3. Weave seemingly unrelated plot threads into the fabric of the tale, revealing an eye-popping tapestry of story by the end.
Readers want to be part of the story, and the best way to accomplish that is by including them in figuring out the plot. Don't hand it to them on a silver platter, spelling out backstory and details until they run screaming the other way. Gratify them with twists and turns that they don't see coming.

Example? Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Wow. The cast of characters is enormous, yet he ties them all together in jaw-dropping style. The thing is, though, that he doesn't do it all at once. He doles out hints and clues, like breadcrumbs along the way.

Incorporate these 3 tips into your next story and who knows? Your novel just might land on my shelf.

Does Intelligence Equal Creativity?

I've misplaced my smarty pants. Spring cleaning is just around the corner, so they'll probably surface when I purge out my closet, but until then, how in the world will I work on the next great American novel? Don't I have to be smart to be creative?

Not necessarily.

The key to creativity is using the intellect you have--smarty pants or not--to produce ideas. There are 3 ways to go about this. . .

#1. Live a little.
Expose yourself to as many different experiences in life as possible. No, I'm not handing you a credit card to charge your way to renowned world traveler. I'm just saying attend that free workshop on American Sign Language. Engage in the introductory Krav Maga lesson. Taste that sample of aged camel milk cheese at the co-op.

"A mind that can find connections between the seemingly unconnected can access its vast network of ideas and impressions and detect even faint links that can then be amplified to recognize a broader significance, if such a significance exists. Insight may seem to come from nowhere, but really, it comes from somewhere quite specific: from the [brain] attic and the processing that has been taking place while you've been busy doing other things."

~ Maria Konnikova, Harvard psychologist and writer

You don't need more schooling or natural intelligence. You just need to have more experiences.

#2. Think about those experiences.
What's the good of trying new things if you don't take the time to process them? What did you feel like? How did it sound? Smell? Replay the event over and over in your mind a few times to not only "own" the experience but also embed it for later recall. What's the point?

This little exercise strengthens related connections in your brain, making that knowledge more readily available when you need it, like say brainstorming a new plot twist or character development.

#3. Remember: there's always more than one solution.
Evaluate more than one possibility for any given situation. You don't have to be an Einstein for this. In fact, be as all-out crazy as his hair. How will you know if the best conclusion for a scene ending or motivation for a hero is the best one if you've not evaluated other options?

When it comes to creativity, the more time and effort you devote to experiences and thinking, the more prone you'll be to dream up something uber spectacular--and it won't matter what kind of pants you're wearing.

3 Nifty Sites to Visit

It's a little nippy around here. Like step outside and your nose hairs turn instantaneously into little icicles. So, other than writing the next great American novel, what's an author to do? Play around on the internet, of course. And I've found a few fun sites for you to visit. . .

QUOZIO
Remember that fun site ReciteThis, where you can turn quotes into cool looking graphics? Yeah. This is exactly like that, only with different pictures. Here's one I made...

Just input whatever text you like, choose the background, and voila. You can download, pin, Facebook, Google+, whatever.

PHOTOFUNIA
I have a feeling this site is going to turn into a serious time waster for me. Super freaking fun! There are a ton of graphics, photos, and text options, plus its super easy to use. I only played around for about 5 minutes before I came up with this...

How cool is that? Yeah, toodle over there right now and check it out. Go ahead. I'll wait.

PINSTAMATIC
Need some fresh ideas for Pinterest? Check out this site for creating original and unique pins. Like what? Like from a tweet or a calendar date or even a Spotify song. Here's what I pinned:

And then anyone with a Spotify account can listen to the track I pinned.

Okay, that's enough playing around for one day. Go fold laundry or bring about peace in the Middle East or something.

Fun Friday Story Time

Grab your milk and cookies...and maybe snag your nap mat along the way. It's story time.