Blogger KRISTI HOLL is the author of 42 books, including MORE WRITER'S FIRST AID.

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Revision: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

September 24, 2008


I’m down to revising the final chapter of a novel, and what a different feeling than when I started this last revision. I’d had it critiqued by several people, and the number of suggestions looked daunting. I wasn’t sure I could make the changes. For two days, I sat and stared at the screen, ate a lot of chocolate, scrolled through the chapters trying to decide where to start–and then stopped for the day.

Then I remembered to take things one step at a time, like I always tell students and workshop participants. Little by little, it isn’t so scary. And don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Get help! For example, a whole single-spaced page of suggestions was for the opening chapter (which had been revised four times already). For help I turned to a terrific book on my shelf, Hooked: write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go by Les Edgerton. I also reviewed a couple chapters from Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King. As I tackled each suggestion, one at a time, I read articles or chapters on a particular problem or issue. The list suddenly became do-able. Bit by bit, suggestion by suggestion, change by change, I’ve watched the novel grow stronger and more believable.

What do you do when you’re stuck in a revision? What helps get you moving again? I’d love to try your ideas for myself!

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Checking Your Writing Habits

September 19, 2008

At the beginning of 2008, I referred you to an excellent article by Daphne Gray-Grant called “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers”. At the time, I created a schedule that included most of what she talked about: reading with the purpose of learning, plenty of research, writing rough drafts in short bursts, and reading my work aloud. I wanted to develop those habits. I don’t call them New Year’s Resolutions anymore, but they were new habits I wanted to develop.
So, halfway through September, how am I doing? (And if you made New Year’s goals, how are you doing?) Frankly, I should have done this scrutiny before now. I could have felt good about the successes. (I do fine at separating the writing and editing process, getting critiqued, and doing adequate research.) On the other hand, I stopped reading my work aloud, even though I found it very helpful during the editing process. I also gave up my study of language very quickly, so my “power of the metaphor” that Ms. Gray-Grant mentioned is missing. I have a great book on figurative language–but if I don’t study it, my language will remain where it currently snoozes.

So, today I’d encourage you to revisit whatever writing goals you made for this year. Reward yourself for any goals met or any ongoing goals you are keeping up with. For the others–the goals that have dropped by the wayside–re-evaluate them. Do they still seem important to you? Would you grow as a writer if you implemented these goals? Then do some noodling and doodling and figure out where in your schedule you can put them on a regular basis.

What 2008 goals are you achieving? What lagging goals need a shot in the arm?
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Writer’s Block: obstacle to output

September 15, 2008

While some believe that there is no such thing as writer’s block, there’s no denying that we often have trouble getting started. If you have a goal of writing more, you may have to figure out what’s standing in your way. Not to belabor the obvious, but if we can’t get started, we certainly won’t increase our output.
There are several types of writer’s block, and we can be blocked for different reasons at different times. Unless you identify your particular brand of block and apply the correct solution, you’ll stay stuck. In my article, “A Block by Any Other Name” on the Absolute Write site, I discuss ten different causes of writer’s block. Until you identify exactly what’s stopping you from writing–and deal with it appropriately–it will be hard to increase output. First things first!
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Help from Beyond the Grave

September 12, 2008

I’ve been stumped by a change I need to make in my current novel, and yesterday my critique group let me know that I still didn’t have it fixed. Argh! So this morning over breakfast, I decided to read an article in the October The Writer Magazine called “Survive the Revision Process” because I thought I might not (survive, that is). The article turned out be about writing short nonfiction, but when I flipped back a few pages, I found Phyllis Whitney’s terrific article, “10 Ways to Cure the Midnovel Blues.” That’s certainly what I had! One of her suggestions (“Tie your characters to your setting”) gave me an idea that I am sure will finally fix the issue I’ve been struggling with.

Don’t overlook the help and support you can find in writing magazines (print and online) and writing books (print and e-books). Don’t waste time and energy re-inventing the wheel. Otherwise, you might give up when, in fact, a bit of encouragement from another source could solve your problem. Phyllis Whitney died earlier this year at the age of 104, or I would write and thank her for her help. I had been dreading the revisions this morning, but now I know what to do! Can’t wait!

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Tangles to Untie

September 10, 2008


I am finally tackling a chore I have put off doing for eight months. I took over the design and upkeep of my three websites and two blogs last year, but I stuck my head in the sand when it came to “search engine optimization.” I didn’t understand it, and I couldn’t afford to have someone else do it, so I let it slide. Then I heard a podcast by Lynne Lee, who wrote the e-book Optimize Your Website. She spoke in plain English, with a delightful British accent, and I actually understood what she was talking about. So I bought her e-book, which is packed with so much helpful stuff laid out in a very readable format.

Still, I was overwhelmed this week with what had to be done. Keyword research, meta tags, indexing, link popularity, incoming links…argh! The terms and processes are all intertwined, and it’s hard to know where to start.

About the time I was ready to pull out a chunk of hair, I picked up Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy. One of the meditations talked about the desire to slash through problems (writing and otherwise) just to get them taken care of. Wham! Chop! However, “most problems in life and in writing aren’t solved by slashing decisively through them. They are teased apart, tendril by tendril, until the whole flows freely. It can help to have a plan.”

And that’s what I did. I decided to “untangle the knot” of search engine optimization. I made a plan, put together a three-ring binder with colored tabs for each section, and made “to do” lists based on what I’d underlined in Lynne Lee’s book. I can handle one small job at a time now.

What writing project of yours is full of knots? How can you untangle them instead of trying to slash through them? Whatever they are, start with the thread nearest you. And be gentle.

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