Naomi Musch: When Writing The End Begins The Magic

Everyone's Story welcomes back beloved author Naomi Musch. What I appreciate about Naomi is her dedication to other writers. This week she shares tips on what to do after writing a manuscript in a month, but her advice really extends to any rough draft--on polishing and shaping that draft into a gripping, sparkling story. And Naomi, a multi-published author and former editor, definitely speaks from the heart. Please check out her book giveaway offer. She'd love to hear from you if you have any questions about your rough draft or would like to share your experiences. Looking forward to seeing you!

Book Giveaway:
Naomi is offering one copy to one randomly chosen commenter a PDF copy of her women's fiction ebook PAINT ME ALTHENA. The winner will be announced here on Friday, November 29th, between 5-6 PM EST. For convenience, please leave your contact information within your comment. Thanks! 



Blurb of PAINT ME ALTHENA:

When still life artist Ethan Day discovers a fantasy painting by Althena Bell in a consignment shop, he's sure he's found Ava, his wife who abandoned him and their two little girls three years ago. Finding and rescuing her are one thing, but forgiveness and second chances are impeded by outsiders, and conflict between Ava's search for identity and Ethan's new faith might break the safety net he offers.

Available at Desert Breeze Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

I've Finished My NaNo Novel. What Now? By Naomi Musch

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is winding down. A collective cheer is set to rock the globe as thousands of writers around the world conclude a month of solidarity in completing (for many) their very first novel length work. Yet, some very promising writers will file away their manuscripts in a desktop waste bin of Unpublished WIPS and fail to take the appropriate follow-up steps to NaNoWriMo that might lead to publication.

So you've finished your book, and you're pretty happy with your accomplishment, even if you feel like the end product might contain a fair amount of twaddle. You've spewed the book out in a four week flurry , and you've reached the 50K word goal, but you recognize the plot isn't as strong as you'd hoped it would be or as multi-layered. The characters were fun when they spoke to you, but in places fell flat. You suspect there's not enough story arc, character growth, or the stakes haven't been set high enough. There could be any number of troubles, because it's a first draft.

On the other hand, maybe you couldn't come up with a good ending, so you didn't bother finishing. Maybe your story sagged in the middle and never really grew taught again. Chin up! Now is not the time to shrug your shoulders and give up until next year. No wallowing!

If you don't think you'll be able to complete your novel in November, then set a new goal and finish it by any means possible, no matter how badly you think it stinks or what you feel it might be missing. Get that draft down. Discipline yourself to even 500 words a day or some other proximity.

My progress as of 11/15    

On the other hand, if you did finish or soon will (Yeah, NaNoWriMo Winner!) and you like how your story spun itself out, now is not the time to rest on your laurels either. Now it's time to move on to phase two, the first part of which might sound like a contradiction to what I said about resting on your laurels, but it's not.

After The End

1.   Set the story aside for a week or two. Even a month is not too long, but don't let it go so long that you lose interest. While your manuscript is waiting for your return, think about the plot and the characters, allow them to marinate. Revisit your notes or outline looking for plot holes, threads, or themes you could include or expand upon. Take long walks. Sort through your clothes closet. Organize your pantry or garage while you stew. This is not resting on your laurels because your brain is still actively engaged even though you aren't looking at the work.

2.   Now pull up the novel and start a read-through considering those ideas you came up with. You might come up with more or better ideas as you view the cold manuscript with fresh eyes. Certainly problems, weak spots, thin characters, or poor dialogue will grab your attention now that you've been away from it. Inconsistencies will jump out at you. This is the time for big, chunky content changes especially. Do #3 along with this.

3.   Write a synopsis. Do this as you are giving the manuscript its initial go-over. Your synopsis doesn't have to be anything fancy or fine tuned, just a sentence or two per chapter hitting on the rising action and both major and minor plot points. Later on, when you're ready to start submitting your work, you'll be glad you did this now.

4.   Take a stretch and happy dance because you can now take a month to rest on your laurels. Enjoy the holidays. Cook fun meals. Watch movies. Simply forget about the work for one month. Then in January and for however long after that it takes...

5.   Start another rewrite. Edit. Edit again. (Get feedback from a critque partner or group.) Edit one more time.

6.   Hire an editor for a professional edit or start querying.

Numbers 5 & 6 are a bit subjective. When you get a critique is up to you, though I recommend making your manuscript the best you can before you let anyone else see it. How many edits or rewrites that takes depends. For me, some manuscripts are ready for other eyes after about three go-overs. I can think of one that needed at least ten.

All this sounds like a lot of work after writing The End, but truthfully, it's not that bad. It's actually my favorite part of the novel writing process. During rewrites I don't have to be plagued by uncertainties of what happens next. I've already written the story. Rewriting gives opportunity to make each sentence crisper, each word more impactful, each scene more breath-taking, and each character's role more life-like.

So if you've just completed your first full-length manuscript, the next thing to do is get it polished. Congratulations on your accomplishment. Write on!

Naomi's Ah-hahs To Tweet:

Author Naomi Musch on Everyone’s Story: I’ve finished my NaNo novel. Now what? (Tweet This)

Naomi Musch on the work after writing The End. (Tweet This)

Win #BookGiveaway of Naomi Musch’s #WomensFiction novel PAINT ME ALTHENA on Everyone’s Story. (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Naomi writes from the pristine north woods of Wisconsin, where she and husband Jeff live as epically as God allows on a ramshackle farm near their five adult children and three grandchildren. Amidst it, she writes about imperfect people who are finding hope and faith to overcome their struggles, whether the story venue is rich in American history, or along more contemporary lines.

Central to her stories is the belief that God blesses through messes, and He delights in turning lives around. For that same reason, besides her fiction writing, Naomi spent five years on the editorial board of the EPA award-winning, Christian newspaper, Living Stones News, writing true accounts of changed lives. While pursuing her fiction-writing endeavors, she spent a year as an editor with Port Yonder Press. She continues to enjoy writing for magazines and other non-fiction venues that encourage homeschooling families and young writers, and loves connecting with new friends via:

Find Naomi on the Web:

Facebook: Naomi Musch - Author

Twitter: NMusch

Goodreads: Naomi Dawn Musch

Naomi's site and blogs: http://www.naomimusch.com 

Write Reason

More Reason to Write

Naomi's previous Everyone's Story segment: 

Putting Kick In Your Writing By Sharing It With Others

Naomi Musch: Putting Kick In Your Writing By Sharing It With Others

Everyone's Story welcomes author Naomi Musch. Not only is Naomi a multi-published author, writing generational fiction for the Christian market, but she's also a former editor at Port Yonder Press. What has all this experience taught Naomi? Join us this week as she shares great advice on a different perspective of editing. Have you struggled with editing? Any suggestions? Naomi looks forward to hearing from you. Plus, Naomi is offering a very nice Book Giveaway (see below). Enjoy!

Book Giveaway:
For one lucky commenter, chosen randomly, Naomi is offering a PDF copy of one (winner's choice) of her EMPIRE IN PINE series. These stories are described by Naomi as "historic, romantic, women's fiction--a multi-generational family saga of love and deception, hope and turmoil, and the rise of a wilderness empire. For convenience, please leave your email address within the body of the comment. The winner will be announced here on Friday April 5th between 4-6 EST.

Want to Really Improve Your Writing?

How Critiquing Others' Novels Will Put a Kick in Your Craft

By Naomi Musch

Feedback. Where would any writer be without it? If we, as writers, live inside our own bubbles, romancing our work and never exposing it until it's in the hands of an agent or editor, we might find a quick rejection. Why is that? It's because we haven't learned from critique. One set of eyes -- our own -- is seldom enough.

We don't take that plunge after a first draft, of course. Maybe not even after a second. We should apply self-edits and get our work as clean as we can before we turn it over to someone else to critique or even have it subjected to a hired editor's pen.

In the meantime, we can learn more about improvement by doing the same job for someone else.

When I sat down to pound out my first novel, I took it weekly, chapter by chapter, to my local writers' group for feedback. That eclectic, hands-on group questioned trouble spots, marked up passive tense, tweaked dialogue, made stronger verb suggestions, pointed out plot holes, offered ideas for tightening tension, and helped with a host of other new-writer issues. Sitting around a big conference-sized table, passing out copies of work which we read aloud, they offered me much needed advice, and I offered them the same type of feedback. Those early years in my experience were worth a college education. When other skilled writers and astute beta readers offer feedback, our eyes are opened to a myriad of plot snafus, grammar gaffs, and character issues we might have missed. Conversely, when we do the same service for others, we began to notice the weak points more easily in our own work. We gain the ability to look subjectively at our work -- at least as subjectively as is possible. We learn how to take criticism, and which criticism is worthy. This is all great preparation for the day our books are contracted with a publishing house where we might have to bow to an editor's decisions over our own. It also prepares us for receiving those book reviews we hope to garner someday. It's easy to bask in a 5-star glow, a little tougher to let a 1-star slide off our backs.

Years later, now that my list of publishing credits is gaining ground, I continue to grow in my own craft by helping others grow in theirs and by closely examining quality, published work as well.

As a staff writer and occasional proofreader for five years with a Christian newspaper, I learned more about various writing styles and techniques. Blogging regular tutorials for new and young writers on A Novel Writing Site, I helped judge and give personal feedback to entrants in our yearly "First 5 Pages Contest". Finally, spending a year as an editor for Port Yonder Press, I discovered there was more for me to learn as an editor, and there will always be more -- much more -- I will learn as a writer. Lately I've joined the board of The Grace Awards, which also offers a yearly contest. I expect the experience I gain serving others there will also provide facets of education to my writing experience.

Feedback is essential to receive, yes. But it is also extremely necessary to give.

If you don’t know where to start, think of a book you've recently read that's gripped you. Then begin asking why. What did that particular author have a way with? Was it the way they turned a phrase? Was it the short bursts of dialogue that created intensity in an action scene? Did they reveal their characters' motives in a way that created an immediate connection? If so, how? Study. Critique them.

What book have you set aside recently? What made you stop reading, and how can you avoid being guilty of making the mistakes that author did?

I occasionally even write Book Exams on my blog -- reviews of books that stood out to me, but focusing on an instructional twist -- ferreting out something a writer could learn from them.

Benefits of giving critique or edits:

·      Learning how to look subjectively at plot structure, scene structure, character arc, and methods to develop brilliant dialogue, heightened verbs, even improved voice.

·      Developing heart. It's frankly, pretty easy to be either hyper critical or blown away by genius. But if a manuscript needs more work, use your offer of critique to be kind while making suggestions. Consider that, in the serendipity of life, these things come back to you, so be tactful and gracious.

·      When you've met a cardboard character, you know it. They feel lifeless and flat and you don't care what happens to them. If you were the author whose work you're critiquing, what would you do to enliven that character? Suggest it, and then give your own characters the same surgery.

·      Making friends. You know you've found a kindred spirit when you connect with another writer. Your family might think you're off your rocker at times, as you walk around the house conversing with the imaginary population in your private downtown. But a fellow writer understands, and commiserates with your dreamed-up crises. Part of the fun of offering critiques and edits is the camaraderie you experience.

A final suggestion is that you don't offer editing service for a fee unless you really have the credentials to back them up. Experience over time is a great teacher. Having your own work go through a publisher's or editor's gristmill will put you miles ahead. Stick with it, and don’t be discouraged. Everyone's work needs work. Other's eyes will help you find your story's flaws, just as your eyes will help them find theirs.

Author Bio:

Empire in Pine is Naomi's inspirational, historical series from Desert Breeze Publishing. First published in e-format, all three books are now coming to print beginning with Book One, The Green Veil. Naomi writes from the pristine north woods of Wisconsin where she and husband Jeff live as epically as God allows on a ramshackle farm near their five young adult children and three grandchildren. Amidst it, she writes about imperfect people who are finding hope and faith to overcome their struggles, whether the story venue is rich in American history, or along more contemporary lines.

She invites readers to say hello and find out more about her stories, passions, and other writing venues at http://www.naomimusch.com or to look her up on Facebook (Naomi Musch - Author) and Twitter (NMusch).

BUY LINKS:

Desert Breeze Publishing

Amazon

B&N

CBD

Sony

Naomi's Ah-hahs to Tweet:

“…get our work as clean as we can before we turn it over to someone else to critique…” (Click To Tweet)

“Feedback is essential to receive, yes. But it is also extremely necessary to give.” (Click To Tweet)

“Other's eyes will help you find your story's flaws, just as your eyes will help them find theirs.” (Click To Tweet)