Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Explore 1.5M+ audiobooks & ebooks free for 30 days

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Write and Edit the Damn Book
    Write and Edit the Damn Book
    Write and Edit the Damn Book
    Ebook265 pages2 hours

    Write and Edit the Damn Book

    By Katie Salidas

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Writing A Book Is Not Simply Putting Words On The Page.

    Okay, yes, it is literally putting words on the page, but a truly spectacular book is more than just a written stream of consciousness. Crafting a complete and compelling story is work. Hard work. It is late night fights with uncooperative characters, bouts of crippling impostor syndrome, and the taunting blink of the cursor on the empty page as you struggle to pry those unwilling words from the deepest recesses of your mind.

    Writing looks a lot easier from the other side of the book. You can armchair quarterback all your favorite novelists, but until you put that butt in the chair and bang out that first full draft, you can't truly appreciate the struggle.

    Stressed Out Authors, The Solution Is Here!

    In this book you will,

    • Learn the scaffolding of story structure, and how to use it.
    • Capitalize on plotting tips that even a Pantser can get behind.
    • Understand the seven forms of conflict and how to apply them for the biggest payoff.
    • Discover the secret sauce to creating compelling characters.
    • Access cheat sheets to help you revise your story with flair.
    • Utilize word swaps to add sizzle to your scene.
    • Employ simple self-editing practices that will make your copyeditor love you.


    With over 30 published works to her name, and years spent providing editing, coaching, and publishing help to other indie authors, Katie Salidas is a veteran of the publishing trenches. She's battled writer's block, faced the firing squad of feedback and reviews, felt the sting of an editor's red pen, and sacrificed more than a few of her favorite words for the greater good of a story. She's been in your shoes, and is here to show you, with a little tough love (you'll thank her for it later), how to get through it all and finally finish that damn book you've been dreaming of writing.

    Your readers are waiting. Write (and edit) that damn book, already!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRising Sign Books
    Release dateDec 11, 2020
    ISBN9781393418030
    Write and Edit the Damn Book
    Read preview

    Read more from Katie Salidas

    Related to Write and Edit the Damn Book

    Related ebooks

    Composition & Creative Writing For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related categories

    Reviews for Write and Edit the Damn Book

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Write and Edit the Damn Book - Katie Salidas

      Author Advice

      WRITING IS HARD BUT REWARDING WORK

      Writing seems easy from the outside. Anyone can string a few words together and create a sentence. Throw a few sentences together and you have a paragraph. What’s so hard about that?

      Because of this implied simplicity, most people approach novel writing with rose-colored glasses. They imagine themselves in some romanticized fashion, sitting window side in some posh little café, during a thunderstorm. The words flow smoothly as they tap away on the keyboard while simultaneously sipping a mug of steaming coffee and daydreaming about book signings and bestseller lists.

      Such a pretty dream. Now comes the pinch to wake you up....

      The fact is, crafting a complete and compelling story is work. Hard work. It's late night fights with uncooperative characters, bouts of crippling impostor syndrome, and the taunting blink of the cursor on the empty page as you struggle to pry those unwilling words from the deepest recesses of your mind. Most new writers, as they begin to realize this, find themselves lost and wondering if they will ever be able to complete the novel they’ve been dreaming of writing.

      Breathe. You can do this!

      I got your back.

      I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil. To date, I have more than six book series under my belt, a few standalone works, and as of the publishing of this book, two nonfiction titles. That’s more than 30 published works.

      I’ve battled writer’s block, faced the firing squad of feedback and reviews, felt the sting of an editor’s red pen, and sacrificed more than a few of my favorite words for the greater good of a story.

      I’ve been in your shoes, and I’m going to show you, with a little tough love (you’ll thank me for it later), how to get through it all.

      We’re going to go over some no-nonsense strategies to get words on pages, break down the story crafting process step-by-step, show you the secret to character development, and give you all the self-editing tools and cheat sheets you’ll need to polish that manuscript to perfection.

      When we’re done here, you will have no need to fear that blinking cursor. You will write (and edit) that book. And it will be damn good! So, let’s jump in!

      WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

      I think everyone has heard the quote, Write what you know. It’s probably one of the first things we writers are taught. It makes sense too. You should be knowledgeable in the things you are writing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t write something if you’re not completely familiar with it. (That’s what research is for!)

      But, for argument’s sake ...

      I write about vampires. I’ve never been one, so I cannot write them from experience. Nor do I fancy chugging down a pint of blood for research. Blech!

      What I can do, however, is take from things and experiences I do know or have had, and translate them to the characters I create.

      Vampires need to drink blood, right? (Again… Blech!) It’s their food and drug of choice. I know what hunger feels like, so I’ve got that part covered. But what about the euphoria it brings, or the withdrawal they feel when they don’t get their fix? How am I to describe that accurately for my readers (without taking up a very expensive and illegal habit)?

      I’m going to have to pull from my own experiences. Let’s see… I’ve struggled with quitting smoking for years. Okay, it’s not a hard-core addiction, but you have to work with what you’ve got, right?

      For a smoker, that morning or after-dinner cigarette is something of a need too.

      If I don’t get it, withdrawal sets in. It makes me hyper focused, irritable, and even a little depressed. I’m ready to snap on anyone who comes within ten feet of me. Then this little voice whispers in my head, One little smoke will make it all better. Once I think about having that cigarette, I can’t get it out of my head. I search for a long lost pack or start talking myself into going out and buying one last pack. It’s a vicious cycle that often leads me to a poor decision. In my defense, quitting smoking has been compared to quitting heroin.

      I think we’re on to something here.

      Taking, Write what you know, into consideration, I can draw a comparison for my vampire’s bloodlust to a personal experience and write from that perspective. The readers don’t know I’m musing about having another smoke. They are happily reading about some desperate creature of the night about to go in for the kill.

      Empathy is at the core of write what you know because it is the experience of a similar situation that allows us to understand the feelings, motivations, and actions of another. And that is what we draw on when applying this advice to our writing.

      Have you ever wanted something so desperately you couldn’t stop thinking about it or figuring out ways you could get it? That is longing.

      Have you ever been so angry you just wanted to scream and hit something? That’s rage.

      Have you ever been given the exact thing you had been wishing for? A present, promotion, reward, etc. That is joy.

      You can apply these emotions you have felt to situations your character is experiencing.

      Have you ever been the one to break someone’s heart? Have you stood your ground, maintaining a stony expression while fat tears stream down your ex’s cheeks as they plead for you to change your mind about ending a relationship? There is a certain cold cruelty in that act, even if it is necessary. Apply that to characters who must make unpopular decisions.

      On the flip side, have you been the one on the receiving end of that kind of stony opposition? No matter how many tears you cry, it does not change the outcome. You know exactly how it felt to be rejected. The frustration. The pain. The loss of your hopes and dreams. That too can be applied to your characters.

      So, while the quote at face value might lead some authors to believe that they can’t write something without truly knowing it, we can merge empathy with creativity and adapt our personal experiences to match what the story needs. Of course, that doesn’t excuse you writers out there from doing appropriate research when necessary. You do have to write from a place of authority. This is just a shortcut to use where applicable. Remember, even in fiction, the things we write must be within the realms of believability.

      HOW DO YOU MAKE TIME FOR ACTUAL WRITING?

      After more than ten years in independent publishing, this is still a question I struggle with daily. Being a work-at-home-mom, my day is swamped with domestics. The care and feeding of three needy individuals can be tiring. Did you know you’re supposed to feed them three times a day? Isn’t that a little excessive? (I’m kidding, obviously.) Aside from the care and feeding of others, I have a business to run. There may be 24 hours in every day, but it doesn’t always feel like it. So with the daytime hours spent keeping kids (and my business) alive, I’m left with precious little time each night, after those adorable little terrors cherubs are asleep in my their beds, to get any remaining work done.

      Now, I used to be able to handle all-nighters, but after celebrating my 30th birthday a few times, I find it harder to make it past midnight. So, there is an obvious time crunch after I achieve the quiet house I need to, listen to the muse.

      Sure, we’d all love to live in the author’s fantasy of writing all day in some medieval castle, but the reality of being an author means we have to put our butts in the chair and write. Most novels are between 80k and 100k words in length. That’s a lot of words to write. But how do we do it? What is the secret?

      Treat your writing like a job. With a schedule you follow. You clock in and out every day, with a set goal in mind for that day’s work.

      "But Katie, I am just writing the one novel. I’m not making a career out of this. I’m just having trouble finishing this book."

      You want to know why you aren’t finishing it? Because you don’t have a driving force. Anything worth doing in our lives takes some kind of willpower and sacrifice. Even if it is just a hobby or just one book. You do it because you have a need or desire to. Your personal satisfaction drives you. By buying this book you’ve shown willingness to take that first step towards finishing your book.

      Writing looks a lot easier from the other side of the book. You can armchair quarterback all your favorite novelists, but until you put that butt in the chair, and actually bang out that first full draft, you cannot claim the title of author.

      Too harsh?

      The truth is sometimes. But you’re better off knowing it so you can be prepared for what is to come.

      If you want to finish that book, you have to create a driving force. Nothing motivates like a deadline, authors who are under contract can attest to that. The same goes for journalists, who have nightly deadlines and even less time to craft that amazing article. So, setting a deadline is the first trick to motivating yourself. But, as we all do on January 1st, when making that resolution to have a summer-ready bod in time for swimming season, setting that initial goal isn’t enough of a motivator to overcome our avoidance of hard things. You have to reinforce that goal by creating a habit.

      It takes a few weeks of doing something regularly to create a real habit. And, to make an even finer point here, that habit can’t be a drastic change. When we alter our norm we have to ease into it, lest we trigger our avoidance anti-motivator. It has to be small to start with. Tiny regular goals are what we need. And this plays into the treat it like a job mentality. Every day, Monday through Friday—if you want to go with the job analogy—you need to clock in, preferably at the same time, daily and commit yourself to writing 500 words.

      If you can't clock in at the same time every day, because ... life, then at least create and follow a schedule that works for you. The key here is regularity with a touch of accountability. That’s what creates a habit.

      Doesn’t sound like a lot, and in reality, it isn’t. Once you get going that 500 words should take you no more than a half-hour to bang out. Initially, however, you might find that it takes a bit longer. But, through practice, you’ll get faster.

      This isn’t an arbitrary goal. 500 words may seem small (roughly 2 standard pages) but there is a reason I use it.

      Writing only 500 words a day (just free write, word spew, no self-editing) adds up quick. In just 160 days, that word count will add up to 80k. That’s the length of a standard novel. If you’re feeling frisky and choose to write more—say 1,000 words a day—that’s 80 days to complete that first draft. Not too shabby, right? When you look at the numbers like that, you can see that it is very doable to complete a few first-draft books in a year.

      Note: I said first draft! These are not ready to hit the press yet. Never attempt to publish something that has not been properly critiqued and edited!

      See how easy that is? Just commit yourself to a small goal every day, and you will find your story begins to take shape. And because you are only committing an hour a day, you still have time for other things.

      WRITING FAST VS WRITING SLOW

      Which one is better?

      Some writers can knock out a novel-length book in just a few weeks, while others take years to complete their work. Is one truly better than the other?

      Absolutely not!

      Write in your own time. If you rush the muse, you might not get the best results. On the flip-side, if you take too long, your muse might get bored and leave you for a more prolific writer.

      The best thing a writer can do is sit down and write something every day. Even if you don’t write very much,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 9