Recycle Those Old Manuscripts, Don't Trash Them!

I posted this status on Facebook last week:

New authors: Does you manuscript lack the 'fire' it needs to stand apart? Don't give up! Never trash those original ideas! Set them to the side and try again. You'll be surprised at how new ideas will begin to flow...you may even find yourself reaching for the original ms, pulling bits and pieces from it, and finding a way to make it shine! Old manuscripts are not necessarily bad ideas...just really well thought out musings!

Book 1-A Heart Not Easily Broken - completed: all notes and handwritten ms.

When I started writing three years ago, I thought my first manuscript was perfect. The characters were engaging, the dialogue witty and flowing... the story line engaging. Then I realized I didn't know what platform I wanted to use, much less what genre I was really in. All I knew is I had a story to tell. I wanted it to be a coming of age story but still be a romance. The characters were 18-21, so the story was more Young Adult. Because of the subject matter of the book, sex scenes were necessary, but I didn't want it to be labled as YA and didn't want to remove the love scenes  because they were pertinent to the story.  After listening to advice from my ever helpful critique partners, I decided to step away from the story and try something new.

Book 2- Jaded-editing: Original notes, scenes, new outline, 1st manuscript draft.

The next writing attempt followed  characters who were in their mid- to late twenty's, well established in their careers, and old enough to have as much sex as I felt comfortable writing about. The story line was completly different, and once again, I thought I had it nailed. Then I realized the characters were not real enough. I hadn't put in enough effort to make them believable. I didn't know their back story, didn't have a history to pull from to make my characters three-dimentional instead of two-dimentional. After sharing the first chapter with close confidants and having them nearly bored to death, I forced myself to listen to their honest feedback. They said, it was missing description in the scenes, and didn't grab their attention....I put that story aside as well.

Book 3 - Lonely Heart- wip:Notes from original ms and current rough outline.

After taking a writer's class, I found my writing platform. As a result, I pulled out the original manuscript, (thank god I didn't trash it like I started to!), focused on the heart of the story, and re-wrote it with older characters....after peeling back those 'onion' layers to discover who they were. As a result, I ended up with a much better story by 'resurrecting' bits and pieces of the original manuscript.

As I went through the previous manuscripts, I discovered various portions of the original stories can be recycled. I've enjoyed fitting the 'pieces' from the 'old' and and putting them together with the 'new'. I've been able to do this without pulling out the original pages to refresh my memory of the tale being told.

Book 4- Nobody's Business But My Own- planning:Notes, rough outline.

One thing I must point out: if you put down a manuscript and begin a complete re-write of the story, do it without reviewing your original work. Step away from the story for a few days, or weeks and let the old story line leave your thoughts. This is vital. Why? You don't want to end up writing the same stuff over again. As an author, the concept or idea should be imbedded on your mind without having to read it word-for-word. Doing so will allow the story to emerge from a fresh prespective. Switch up scenes, events, and add in more conflict, goals, and motivations. Before you know it, the story comes forth, and you discover certain events, dialoge, or even partial scenes connect to your original manuscript. You're original scenes can become back story to your current work.

Book #5-Untitled- planning: Outlines, notes, scenes. Book 6 is still buried deep in my head!

It's amazing how your creative mind can work!

One thing you must remember: Don't get impatient or discouraged! From what I've learned from my own writing journey, and all of the other authors I've had the opportunity to meet along the way, the average time it takes to write a good story is at least one year. It seems like a lot, but think about the steps it takes to write a story:

• Create the basic plot. (goals, motivation, conflict)
• Design the location, backdrop, or world for the story to take place.
• Create the characters that will inhabit this world. (names, back story, goals, motivations)
• Research jobs, topic for the story, etc., so the story can be as realistic as possible. 
• Write a story outline. (rough draft/final draft)
• Write first draft of manuscript.
• Read first draft, then write second draft, and third, and fourth, as many as it takes to get it as good as possible.
• Edit.
• Read manuscript again.
• Edit again.
• Wait for your beta reader/critique partners to read and send back their thoughts.
• Read/edit again.
• Eventually get work professionally edited/proofread. 
• And yep, edit again (I swear this step never seems to end!!!)
• Eventually, when you look around, time has passed, and yep, a year has gone by! 

Now of course, everyone has their own way of doing things. Some are better, some are not. In the end, it's all about the amount of work willing to put into your masterpiece. Sometimes its a matter of trial and error. One thing I can be sure of, and I've gotten this from self-published, indie authors, and New York Times Best Sellers, you never stop learning or growing as a writer. With every book you write, your storytelling improves. I know mine has. Writing and editing my second book has not been near as hard as it was the first time. Why? Because I've learned a lot and have implemented the techniques. Don't get me wrong, it's still hard work, but the rewards of seeing the evolution of my work are priceless!

Remember, with hard work, creativity, imagination, perseverance, and patience, a lot of patience...you'll make that original story become great. Good luck!!

M.J.

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Digital Audio Recording Device + Editing=??????

It's the end of the week and I'm still editing chapter two of The Healing Heart. I should have been finished by now, but life has caused me to spend less than three hours a day editing and has slowed me down. Oh well, when you have a family of 7 (plus 2 dogs) and responsibilities that are more pressing than writing, it can't be helped.

The week started off with typing up chapter two from my handwritten manuscript. (Yes, to all who haven't read my last few blogs, I decided to go 'old school' and hand write my MS without using my laptop.  I had my reasons and I'm glad I did). I followed my editing process outline and moved quickly. Then came the emergency trip to the dentist. And my daughter's volunteer work at the library. Coincidentally, the library is where I had the chance to sit in one spot for a great about of time and actually get some work in. Then came the trips in and out off the house for various reasons which brings us to today......On my plate, a trip to have blood drawn and the dreaded eye doctor for two of my kids, an appointment I'm seriously dreading. Every time we go, we end up waiting an hour just to be seen. Sigh. It's gonna be a long day.

So what does this have to do with a Digital Audio Recording Device?

An article I read on self-editing suggested, as we all have learned, reading your MS out loud is a good way to hear what you've written and helps find mistakes that need to be corrected. I've tried that before, but it never fails I rarely get through the whole thing without having to stop for some reason. The article also suggested recording yourself reading out loud. Here lately, I seem to be recording everything I can. I recorded my Writer's Workshop class I took back in February with author Valarie Clark. And I recorded the GRW meeting with guest speaker Suzanne Brockmann in April. Why not record myself?

I admit, the thought made me nervous. After all, have you ever listened to yourself after leaving a voice mail and thought, 'Uh, I sound awful?'. God knows I have. But I sucked it up, realized nobody was going to hear it but me and hit the record button...and laughed when I pressed play. I can read aloud just fine, no problems there. But listening to myself say a curse word??? ROTFL! Some people should not curse and I swear I'm one of them! Thank good my MS has very little profanity. Reading the parts that showed the h/h impressions of sexual attraction to one another was even worse. *shakes head* I can only imagine what it will sound like when I get to the chapter with the love scene. *grimaces* My hats off to the voice actors who make a living bringing characters to life in audio books! They deserve every penny!

All jokes and embarrassment aside, I found the technique has actually worked. Even though I haven't been able to sit down at my laptop and make the actual changes as I listen to my MS, I have been able to make mental note of what needs to be changed. How? By taking my MP3 player (what I used to record) with me everywhere I've gone, and listened. I made mental notes of where I stumbled over a phrase because the wording didn't flow. I was able to notice repeated words a lot faster than if I had been staring at the screen all day. I noticed areas that could use a little more description or a little more emotion because something sounded like it had been left out.

Being forced to LISTEN to what I've written instead of READING it for the hundredth time made a huge difference!

Everyone who's edited knows it can be hard to have spent all that time with the characters in your head, translate your thoughts into words on screen, and then read it back WITHOUT your mind automatically filling in the blank because you know exactly what you intended to say. No matter how many times we read and re-read our work, it's not until a critique partner reads it and leaves comments that say, "uh, what does this mean?" that you realize all this time it sounded right to you. If you critique partner had to ask, what about future readers????

What a difference a pair of fresh eyes can make! And I don't mean putting in a fresh pair of contacts, because I did that this week too!

Using your EARS forces you to LISTEN to what's coming next and not SEE it. You'll be surprised to note where your brain thinks the scene is going to go vs. where it actually does. It made a huge difference in my editing this week.

So, as I prepare to wake up the kids so they can get ready for their appointments, I plan to make another recording so I can take it with me. During my dreaded hours at the eye doctor I will be listening and making notes so when I get home, I will be able to jump right into editing and get this darn chapter finished! (Oh great, I sound even worse saying darn!)

Editing by way of a digital audio recorder may not be your style, but give it a try at least once. You may be pleased with the results.

Finding Creative Ways to Edit While Running My Household

*This blog was originally posted on May 30th, but the information is still relevant. As a mother/author, I'm always doing something! Every day my responsibilities change, especially since the kids are back in school with during school and after school activities. I must find some creative way to keep writing in order to meet my goals!*

"I can do this, I can do this..."

The past week had me finding creative ways to edit my MS while juggling my responsibilities of being a mom, wife, drill Sargent (to my kids), taxi driver, chef, book keeper, personal shopper, errand girl, doctor, veterinarian, housekeeper, psychiatrist....and oh yeah, an aspiring author. In short, being a mom and wife who's four kids are now home for summer vacation.

Did I miss a job?!?!?!?

It's funny to realize how much I do in a day when it's broken down and written out that way.

Nothing is ever set in stone. I made a schedule before the kids got out of school last week and have tried my best to stick to it. How has that gone? Mmmm...not so great. So far, the only consistent part has been me waking up, making up the bed and staying on the kids about getting chores done. All of the other job titles are being managed by order of importance, but lets face it ladies (and gents), if your a mom or wife, that's a job that never gets a break. Unless the kids are visiting Grandma or your hubby's asleep.

But you know what, I have no complaints. I love my husband, I love my kids, my cousin, and I love my life. All I have to do is keep my mind focused on my goals and prioritize.

And be creative!

This week, found me editing in one of the most unlikely places. The laundromat. Yep, I said it, the laundromat. With a family of seven, it's a momentous task to haul all the clothes to the wash house. And believe me, I do not handle that task alone! I have at least three of the four kids with me and everyone has their assigned task. And when the clothes were in the washing machine and the kids were sitting down with snacks, books, and drawing paper, I pulled out my laptop. Earphones came in handy as well as a playlist of instrumental music to listen to when I edit. I managed to get nearly two hours of work done before it was time to pack it up and start folding clothes. Sweet!

The next thing I did was pack up my laptop and take my daughter the library. She's got her first job volunteering in the kids section, four hours a week. What better place to edit without being disturbed? Even though my other kids go with us, they also have stuff to do.They are enrolled in the summer reading program. Once they meet their reading requirements, they will get a free book to add to their personal libraries. They also get free prizes every week for bringing in their reading logs. There's also the option to log onto the Internet, play computer games or read a book. My oldest plays chess with other kids or meets with friends from school. Yep, you've guessed it, we're a family of nerds who hang out at the library. It's our favorite hot spot!

Now, here's a thought.....When I've edited my MS and am ready to share it with the world, I will have a path to chose, do I go self-pub like my critique partners Chicki Brown and Erin Kern (who's books are currently on sale on Amazon)? Do I try Indie Publishing or go for the big publishing houses? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I'd love to see my name in print and have a copy at the library. And then I figured it out. I'm gonna have a copy of my book printed and sneak it into the library, put it on a shelf and take a picture. That will be good enough for me!