Is Your First Line Hooky Enough?

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

I talk a lot about hooks and how important it is to hook your reader. The first sentence, first paragraph, first page, and first chapter are essential hooks. Lose the reader that early and she won’t be back.

I’m not going to get into too many details on what makes a good hook and what doesn’t. After all, I teach a course that does just that. It’s called Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Hook Readers & Reel Them In. For more information on the class, click here or jump to the tab labeled “Classes” and scroll down to the class on hooks. However, I’d like to show you what doesn’t work as a hook and why.

Let’s take a look at a few examples.

1. It was a dark and stormy night.

Why doesn’t this hook me? It’s been done to death. While weather can create a certain feeling to the story, I wouldn’t start with it. Instead, I’d layer the weather details into the story, so they’d still create the ambiance you’re looking for but won’t distract from the plot or characters.

2. I walked into a big room with purple curtains, large windows, a double bed, green shag carpet, white, lacy wallpaper, and a bookshelf on the back wall.

Why doesn’t this hook me? I have no reason to care about the character or the setting. The author lists a bunch of descriptions that do nothing to advance the story or reveal anything about character. If it’s important for the reader to know what the room looks like, these details should be layered into the story so the reader barely notices.

3. “Harry, how are you?”

Why doesn’t this hook me? Dialogue often works well as a hook, but you need to choose the right dialogue. Not only should you not start with this particular line, but I shouldn’t see this in your manuscript. It’s fluff. When your characters are on the phone, you don’t need to show the small talk, the hello and bye. Only include what’s important to the story, and what will make the plot move forward or reveal character development.

I created these first lines for the purpose of this exercise. Although, the first example is a famous line written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton as the opening sentence of his novel Paul Clifford. I used it because writers sometimes use that exact sentence or they change it up slightly. The effect is still the same. Not hooky.

Want to join in the fun? Send me your first line hook. This can be the very first line in your book or the first sentence of one of your chapters. I’ll select a few examples a week and post them with my responses. Don’t worry. I won’t mention your name in the post, so nobody will know the sample came from you.

Send your sample to: labelle at labelleseditorialservices dot com and write “First Line Sample” in the subject line or I won’t open it. Do NOT send an attachment. I won’t open it. If you send more than one sentence, the other sentences will be deleted before I comment. Or you can leave your sentence in the comment section here. All comments are approved before they go live. If your comment is your sample sentence, I won’t approve it. That way, you’ll still remain anonymous.

I’ll post the first samples July 9, 2013. Watch for them.

Any questions?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Character Blunders

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

Whether you’re writing a series or a stand-alone book, you have to consider both characters and plot. A character-driven story still needs to have something happen. And a plot-driven story must have compelling characters in order to keep the reader interested. However, sometimes, writers go a little overboard as they try to write unique characters.

Here are some common character blunders:

-The Jerk/Biatch: This often isn’t done on purpose. Usually, the writer gets carried away, making the character whiny, bitchy, moody, or just plain nasty, because he wants her to stand out. While, technically, this will give the character room to grow, chances are the reader won’t want to read about her long enough to see that happen. So, figure out a way to have some sort of balance. Your protagonist doesn’t have to be a happy-go-lucky/nothing-bothers-me character. You can still show her mood swings or snarky attitude, but make sure you also show some compassion and vulnerability. That’s what will make her rounded enough for the reader to want to see her grow.

-The Snoozer: Sometimes, the author is so focused on the plot, she forgets to add depth to the character. BORING. We don’t just want to know what Jane is doing. We want to know how this is affecting her, and we want to predict what she’ll do next. Go deep into her POV (point of view), so we can experience the journey through her eyes.

-The Failure: This character is someone who waits for others to do things for him. He might be a retired detective, who’s currently working a case, but instead of being aggressive and investigating the murder, he sends others out to do the work and waits to hear back. He’s either lazy or doesn’t know how to do his job. What was the point in making him a detective then? He could’ve just been a bystander. Your main character needs to be active and help the plot move forward.

-The Walk-Along: This character walks along, waiting for things to happen. He’s not aggressive. He doesn’t have a plan. Things just happen to him, then he moves on. While it’s sometimes the case where something will happen to a character, usually something bad that they didn’t foresee, you shouldn’t write the whole story that way. One coincidence after another will chase the reader away. Give the character a purpose. Have him strive for something. If conflict arises, have him fight. If he loses, have him learn from the experience and create a plan for next time.

-The Shocker: This guy was put in the story to shock the reader. He does the most disgusting things just to affect the reader, but he doesn’t actually add to the story, especially if he isn’t the killer. But even a murderer should have more than one dimension. He shouldn’t kill just for the sake of killing. Give him a backstory so we can get into his head and understand why he does the things he does. Adding this depth to his character will actually create a creepier character because the reader will know him and expect the worst. The other guy, the gross-for-the-heck-of-it guy serves no purpose and should be removed.

-The Multiples: Your protagonist should have a personality of his own. When he doesn’t, and he blends in or can even be replaced by other characters, you have a case of the multiples. Dig deeper. Create a character sheet for each of the main characters. Interview them if you have to. If they all seem like the same guy, it’s because you haven’t gotten to know them well enough. Figure how they’re different, including how they’d react to the same situation, and show us what makes each one of them unique.

-The Overly Unique: While it’s important to show how your characters differ from each other and from those already written, to some extent, they need to seem just like us. Creating a character with one eye, three fingers, a wooden leg, and green hair, who says “punkador” a lot, eats toad skin and goat intestines, sleeps three hours a day, and is actually human… Well, that might be just a little too unique. Although, you can save this character by giving her human-like qualities. After all, vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, and other creatures aren’t exactly like us, but we can relate to their human characteristics and reactions.

Every character has a story to tell. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should tell every characters’ story in one novel, but you should know their story. Decide which character will work best for this book, and go from there. And always, always keep the reader in mind.

What are some of the characters you’ve read about, and why did they interest you? What made you love or hate them?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Which Characters Belong in Your Story?

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

While I realize this may be stating the obvious, I still must say that characters are an important part of your story. Even the greatest plots wouldn’t make good stories if the characters weren’t three-dimensional, or were weak, boring, and too stupid to live. Does that mean all characters should be strong personalities? No. However, you need a good reason to have them in your story. This is the beginning of a series where we’ll look closely at characters.

What type of main characters should be in your story? Someone who:

-needs something, has a goal (one that’s not easy to attain) to reach for and grasp by the end of the story
-has motivation or a reason to have this goal (He’s not just chasing something for the heck of it. This includes the villain, but we’ll talk more about that in another post.)
-tries to prevent the hero or heroine from attaining his/her goal
-feels real, has depth and personality
-is flawed and has room for growth
-readers can relate to and/or care about

What type of character wouldn’t make a good main character? Someone who:

-doesn’t have a goal
-doesn’t have a reason/motivation for the goal
-just exists to have things happen to him
-is too perfect and doesn’t have room for growth
-is so depressing, we don’t want to read about her
-is boring, so we don’t care to know more about him
-is non-reactive (If something happens to him, he doesn’t react or try to find a way to avoid the same problem, he simply continues on–no growth.)
-is annoying (If the person would annoy you in real life, chances are he’d annoy the reader, too.)
-is too cutesy
-is too stupid to live (You know this character. She’s the heroine who hears a noise in the basement, when a serial killer is on the loose in her neighborhood, and she goes to check it out during a power outage. Yeah, too stupid to live.)
-is too broken (There’s no way she’ll be “fixed” or will grow enough before the end of the book.)
-wanders around aimlessly waiting for something to happen
-doesn’t take charge of his life or problems
-doesn’t react in a realistic manner (This could mean he underreacts or overreacts to situations, but it could also mean his reaction is simply not appropriate or believable.)

What are other types of characters who wouldn’t make good main characters?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Avoid Repeaters Like These

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

As a freelance editor, I frequently see manuscripts that are full of repetitions. How do you avoid overusing the same words? Simple. You become aware of them. This doesn’t mean you need to watch for your favorites as you’re writing. Leave that for the editing stage.

Here are some commonly used repeaters:

-and: This isn’t a bad word, but it’s a good idea to check your sentences. If you have too many that start with “and”, you may want to vary the style.

-just, really, simply, very: Cut to tighten the prose.

-that: While you can’t always cut “that”, you usually can.

-look, glance, gaze: While it’s good to alternate these verbs, if you use them too often, it can be unnecessary. If we’re in the character’s POV, we see what they see automatically, so you don’t always have to say “he looked at the cat”. If he describes the cat or what the cat is doing, we know he’s looking at it.

-walk: How did he walk? Use a stronger verb to show us if he’s rushing, stomping, or how he’s walking.

-smile: Yes, your characters should smile, but try to keep it to one or two smiles a page (generally speaking). There are other ways to show a person is happy other than smiling.

-nodded, shrugged, sighed: I’ve seen pages full of nodding, shrugging, and crying. Keep your usage of these verbs to a minimum.

-suddenly: This is often thought of as melodramatic and unnecessary. Show what happens next. We should be able to determine if it was sudden or not.

-he/she (character’s name): Watch your sentence variation. Do you have several sentences in a row that begin the same way? This often happens with “he/she” and the character’s name. For example: “He answered the door. He was surprised that Jane was there. He motioned for her to come in. He followed her into the living room. He sat beside her.” Sometimes, it’s not as obvious as this, especially if the sentences are longer, but readers notice and can be thrown from the story when they do.

-back: You could replace this with “returned”, but most of the time, you don’t have to mention that the person is heading back to the living room. If he was there and now he’s returning, it’s obvious and doesn’t need to be pointed out.

-it: While you can’t completely avoid using “it”, you can often replace “it” with something more specific, especially at the beginning of a sentence.

-well: This can be used for stylistic reasons, but keep it to a minimum.

-now: Watch this one. Writers can get carried away with “now”.

-pulled, pushed, grabbed: For some reason, I frequently see writers use these verbs repeatedly on the same page, usually during an action scene. Try replacing these verbs with a synonym or stronger verb, or say the same thing in a different way.

-turned: This is similar to “back”. While you sometimes need to tell us the character turned, that’s not always the case. During the editing process, ask yourself if it’s really necessary to tell the reader that the character turned or if it would be obvious.

Repeaters aren’t always bad. Sometimes, you need to use them to show emphasis. In that case, they’re usually seen in “threes”. For example, the same word appears in three consecutive sentences or three sentences within the same paragraph. However, this should be used sparingly or the reader won’t recognize the emphasis, believing instead that you’ve repeated yourself.

But why is it important to not use repeaters? You want to keep the writing tight and fresh. Repetitions don’t do either, and, if we’re honest, can be considered lazy writing. That’s not exactly the picture you want to paint, is it?

Your best bet is to identify your personal favorites and watch for them.

What repeaters do you find in your writing? How do you correct them? Do you delete the repetition or use a synonym instead?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Protect Your Manuscript: My Secret Method Revealed

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

Most people know they should protect their documents by saving often. Writers should almost be anal about this. You never know when your computer could crash or die, and if you haven’t saved that page or paragraph you just wrote, it could be gone forever. But have you put much thought into other ways to protect yourself from losing your precious manuscript? You should.

Technology fails all the time, and even the best anti-virus software out there can’t stop everything from getting through. I should know. I’ve been burned a couple of times.

The first time, I saved all my writing material (research information, plot outlines, character sketches, and manuscripts) on a USB key. I was constantly going back and forth between our desktop PC and my laptop, so that was the most convenient way for me to store my work. Or so I thought. Until the USB key failed.

Trust me. That’s the sickest feeling in the world.

All my hard work… Gone. Luckily, I had older versions saved, but all the new pages and changes I’d made were lost forever.

Well, I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I bought a new key and used it for going back and forth on the computers, but I made sure to save a copy on my laptop and on our PC.

At some point, my laptop pretty much died. I suppose it technically still works, but it’s slower than a snail. Very frustrating. However, not having to use the USB key was one less step to take. I saved my work right on the computer and voila. Actually, not so much. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to save my work in only one place, so I also saved it on an external hard drive (in the house), on another external hard drive (which we back up once a month and store in our safety deposit box), and in the cloud.

That’s four places. Should be safe now, right?

Wrong.

At some point, our computer was taken over by a nasty virus. This virus was sneaky, too. It slowly took over files, starting with ones I hadn’t touched in months or years, so I didn’t notice until the files I currently used were corrupt. And the next thing I knew, everything on our computer was deleted. The internal hard drives were EMPTY.

Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve saved everything on the external hard drives and in the cloud. True. Except, that data was all saved over by NOTHING. We have our system set to keep a handful of backups and to replace those when new backups are saved. This is supposed to keep the most current backups available, which is great, unless the files are all corrupt, and you can’t access them.

What a mess. I didn’t just lose my manuscript this time. Precious items like photos of the twins and artwork we’d scanned were gone, too.

Or so we thought.

We were able to recover a lot from the external drive that was in the safety deposit box, but anything saved after that was pretty much gone.

Until we discovered the virus was trickier than we’d expected. It actually didn’t delete anything on the internal hard drives. I just made them “invisible”. Once my husband figured that out, he was able to find everything again.

Talk about stress. I thought I’d done everything I could to protect my data, and something still managed to go wrong.

What am I doing now to protect myself from future losses? I still save everything in those four places mentioned above, but I also e-mail my documents to myself. Hopefully, that’s enough redundancy now.

Have you ever lost manuscript pages, or worse, the whole manuscript? How do you protect your work?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Writing Through the Fear

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

Today, intuitive writing coach Amy Lamont is visiting. While I offer writing coaching as one of my services, what Amy and I do is very different. I’ll help you fix elements of your story and assist you with the craft of writing. Amy’s intuitive writing coaching is more about life choices and getting writers back on track when they’ve lost their way. To learn more about Amy’s intuitive writing coaching, visit her website: www.amylamont.com

Take it away, Amy.

Writing Through the Fear

I’ve really enjoyed Lynnette’s most recent posts. She asked us lots of great questions—Why aren’t we published yet? How do we stay motivated to write? And she offers some good insights from her own experiences about these issues.

The reason I’ve read these posts with such interest is because these questions are the heart and soul of my intuitive writing coaching practice. While Lynnette can help you polish a manuscript to a shine, my coaching focuses more on digging deep to unearth those thoughts, beliefs, and fears that keep us from achieving our writing goals.

What Lurks Beneath

Every writer has those moments where life comes before writing. The day job gets in the way, you get the unexpected call from the nurse’s office telling you to come get the sick kid, the holidays stress you out. Sometimes life just happens, no matter how well we plan our writing time.

But if we’re being honest, even at the most hectic times in our lives, there are probably pockets of time we could fit a little writing in if we made it a priority. Lynnette setting her timer to write in fifteen-minute chunks is the perfect example. Who couldn’t find fifteen or even ten or five minutes here and there throughout their day to write?

Yet many of us go through periods where the writing doesn’t come, and every time we turn around, life throws something new our way. When we find ourselves letting days, weeks, sometimes even months pass without getting words on the page, it usually means there’s something deeper going on. Something inside of us holds us back from moving closer to our writing dreams.

The Monster Under the Bed

So what’s behind the roadblocks we erect? In my own experience, and from what I hear from my coaching clients, when we’re struggling to find time to write or find ourselves making excuses for not getting the book done, the true monster under the bed is fear.

We have a lot to fear as authors. As everyone tells us, rejection at some point is almost a guarantee when we choose this career. And even when we’re successful, there are things to fear—one star reviews, not being able to deliver another good book, not staying true to our own voices and vision.

With so much to fear, it’s no wonder we sometimes get stuck in neutral.

Acknowledge the Fear

So the first step when we find ourselves struggling over and over again to find time to write is to recognize there’s a good chance we’re dealing with fear. Sometimes just acknowledging the fear is enough to start a shift.

It can be easier to say we’re too busy to write than it is to acknowledge fear. But once we recognize the fear, we can also appreciate that the small part of us throwing up those roadblocks is an attempt to protect ourselves.

Say Thanks and Write Anyway

Now that I recognize the fear and protective instincts behind those times I avoid writing, I find it much easier to push through and write anyway.

The trick is to say thank you to the protective part of yourself. Tell it you appreciate the way it’s trying to keep you safe, but for just a short amount of time, you’re going to write anyway, even if it’s scary. You may be amazed at how easy it is to break free of the fear—even if it’s just for 10 minutes at a time.

Do you have times when life gets too hectic to write? Does fear sometimes hold you back from moving closer to your dreams? Any tips or tricks that keep you writing even when those fears want to hold you back?

Amy Lamont writes contemporary and new adult romance. She’s also an intuitive writing coach who helps other authors create the writing careers of their dreams.

Thanks again for visiting, Amy. I think we all experience that awful “F” word every once in a while. I’m glad I’ve pushed past it and am able to write again.

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Staying Motivated to Write: What Works for Me

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

Need help getting motivated to write on a regular basis? I hear ya. Been there, done that. We all have our excuses… I mean, reasons. *cough, cough* But how legitimate are they? Really?

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve allowed life to get in the way of my writing. Well, no more. Sort of. I mean, I still have to work and take care of the kids. But I’m going to make more of an effort to write.

How? What’s changed?

Not my schedule. I’m still as busy as ever. It’s my attitude that’s changed. And I have a new little trick up my sleeve.

I’ve had people give me all kinds of advice like wake up early to write, stay up late, get up in the middle of the night. Yeah, that doesn’t really work for me, because I need to have a focused mind during the day when I’m editing for clients. Others have said that I should take any free moment I have to write, that I should even bring a notebook with me wherever I go. Somehow, that wasn’t enough either. When I’m out and about, I usually have the twins with me, which means constant nagging to keep them from climbing the walls or running up and down the aisles. Not exactly the best moment to pull out my notebook and get some writing done. And as for using any free time I have, well, when you’re busy, it’s often hard to find any free time.

How are you liking my excuses so far? Any of them sound familiar?

I finally found something that worked for me. Fifteen-minute blocks. I never would’ve imagined that I could get much of anything written in fifteen minutes, which is why I never bothered to try this method, or others like it, before. However, I took a course taught by Kerri Nelson, Book Factory 101, which really opened my eyes. I don’t slot my days into fifteen-minute blocks, but I can often add a fifteen-minute chunk between projects or at the end of my workday.

Here’s the thing. While my timer is counting down those fifteen minutes, I don’t allow myself to answer the phone, read e-mail, or do anything other than write. I won’t even use that time to reread what I’d already written or edit what I’m writing. Nope. This is all about getting words down. As many as I can in fifteen minutes.

Is the writing great? Not so much. But, I’m okay with that. I realize I have to go back and add details, emotions, actions, whatever. Yet, I still feel like I’ve accomplished something by the end of the day when I can say I’ve written something, anything to move my story forward. And, man, won’t it feel good to write “The End”?

What’s your little trick for keeping you motivated?

Lynnette Labelle
www.lynnettelabelle.com
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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Why Aren’t You Published? – Part 2

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

Last week, I started to explain why I’m not yet published and what I’m going to do about it. Here’s the next part of that explanation.

Often, when my clients first discover I’m a writer, they Google me to see what I have published. Of course, they can’t find anything, because I’m not yet published. Why not? I’ve never tried. It’s not that I didn’t want to. In fact, my query letter was all ready and my synopses were completed. I had a list of agents I wanted to contact, but something didn’t let me pull the trigger. I knew my YA novels weren’t up to snuff and neither were my first couple of romantic suspense novels. So, those puppies will forever sit on my hard drive, unless I’m extremely bored and want to pretty much rewrite them. Ugh. Not sure about that. Besides, I have tons of other ideas, so I don’t know that I’ll even look at those again, but they’re there, just in case.

What about my latest novel? I’d rewritten it a few times, changing the villain and some of the characters or plot elements. Wasn’t it ready? No. Sadly, it wasn’t. I had attempted to put a little bit of everything into the plot, so the story resembled a kitchen sink more than a novel. That’s what I got from trying too hard. Luckily, I recognized the issues before I wasted an agent’s time. And a couple of great critique partners helped me find my way out of that mess. Thanks, Amy Lamont and Katie Graykowski*.

Unfortunately, this meant another rewrite. Bleh. At this point, I was so sick of the characters and the story that I wasn’t motivated to start again. And, honestly, I wouldn’t recommend reworking the same book as often as I have. Seriously. Move on to the next book. It’ll be much better, and you’ll feel the passion again. Why couldn’t I take my own advice? Simple. Just like when I was a little kid, I had a dream. I could see the story unfold. I felt like my characters were real people, because I knew them that well. And, most importantly, I really believed in this story. I just couldn’t give up on it without trying one last time.

But that decision was part of what kept me from writing. I just wasn’t motivated to rework that same story again, even though I knew I had to if I wanted to give it a chance at getting published. I even tried to work on another book, which I was also excited about, but I just couldn’t shake this one. So, I allowed life to take over. I figured I needed some space from the book, and when I got busy with my editorial business, I let writing almost completely slip from my life. Bad me, I know.

Then, something happened. One of my clients was having serious talks with a NY publisher, one that I’ll definitely be targeting. And a little voice went off in my head. That should be you. Of course, the thought wasn’t meant to take anything away from my client. I was extremely excited for her. It was more of an awakening. I was motivated to write again, and I completed about half of the book, before I allowed self-doubt to take over. At this point, my critique partners and I had stopped exchanging pages. We’d all become too busy to critique. As a result, the positive reinforcement and uplifting cheers were gone. My parents and husband, as much as they’d love to support me, believe that writing is a hobby. Don’t you just hate that “h” word? I often heard something like this, “Editing is your career, and you need to focus on your clients and their writing, not your own.” In a way, they’re right. There’s no guarantee I’ll ever become traditionally published, and I certainly haven’t given them any reason to feel I have a chance. So, I can’t blame them.

However, when you don’t have people supporting you and encouraging you in this lonely industry, it’s easy to allow self-doubt to rule your world. I did. Plus, I found it difficult to add writing time into my busy schedule. I’m working on client manuscripts during the day, so I’d have to write in the evening or at night. I couldn’t exactly ask my husband to make supper and watch the kids so I could write. He’s understanding, but that would be pushing it. The guy has a very stressful and tiring job, so that wouldn’t be a fair request. We’re partners, and we do things together.

So, how do I continue my dream and find time to write? You’ll have to wait until next week to find out when I talk about how to motivate the writer in you.

*Note: I’ve had many other fantastic critique partners and groups along the way, but Amy and Katie helped me with the current version of my WIP.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

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Why Aren’t You Published? – Part 1

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

For those of you who are not yet published, are you getting tired of explaining to your friends and family why you aren’t? Do you even know the reason? Is your writing good enough? Be honest with yourself. Do you need an editor or writing coach to help you discover what you’re doing wrong? What about a critique group or partner? Are you putting in the effort? Really putting in the effort.

I’m a freelance editor and a writer. Like many of you, I’ve been writing since I was in diapers. Well, practically. And if I wasn’t writing “books”, I was writing plays, and forcing the neighborhood kids to participate in them in front of our parents. Somehow, I always had the leading role. I’m not sure how that happened. *How embarrassing for my parents. Sorry ‘bout that.* Anyway, it wasn’t that I wanted to control the other kids or be the one in the spotlight—well, maybe a little. I had a dream. I could see the stories unfold, and they had to be told. That has never changed.

When I started taking my writing seriously, I wrote YA romances. However, I knew I was still learning and never attempted to contact agents. Heck. I didn’t even know what a query letter was at that point. But, it didn’t matter. I was still young, and as my parents liked to point out, I already had my career: teaching. Still, I enjoyed writing, received many praises for my writing from teachers when I was in school, and was even forced by the university to skip the basic level creative writing class and go right into the advanced class. So, I knew I didn’t suck at writing. Did that mean I was a NY bestseller waiting to launch? Ah, no. I still had a lot to learn.

After I got married and had the twins, I wasn’t teaching and was no longer surrounded by preteen and teens, so I felt it was time to write what I read, romantic suspense. It took a while to find my voice and learn it’s actually quite dark—at least, when I’m in the villain’s POV. But eventually, I figured it out and should’ve been on my way to a successful publishing career, right? Yeah, not so much.

Somehow, I let life get in the way. That’s right. I let it. I moved my editorial business online and was so excited to see it grow, that I forgot to take time to write. Last year, I wrote maybe a handful of times. That was it. Did I give up on my dream of being a published author? No. I just kind of forgot how important it was to me. Instead, I worked hard all day, took care of the kids, husband, and house (with help), and by the end of the night, I was too tired to even think about writing. So, I didn’t.

What about you? What’s your reason for not writing on a regular basis?

Come back next week for more about why I’m not published and what I’m going to do about it.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
www.lynnettelabelle.com

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An Editor’s Answers Part 3

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Lynnette Labelle

The past couple of weeks, I posted answers to questions I may use for my FAQ section on my editorial blog. This is the last post in the series. Here we go.

-What if you edit my work, and after I revise it, I need you to take another look at it?

I call this a “second read”. There are two ways to handle this. If you only want me to look at a few scenes or chapters, we’d do writing coaching. However, if you’d like me to proofread the full manuscript to ensure the changes you made work and that you didn’t add any spelling or grammar mistakes, you’d need to book this as a full project. If you know you’re going to want this service when you book developmental copyediting, figure out how long you’ll need to revise and resubmit, and book the second read at the same time. For example, if Lisa knows she’ll need one month to revise her MS, she’ll book the developmental copyediting service and the second read, allowing a month in between for revisions. Let’s say her deadline for developmental copyediting is March 15. She’ll book the second read for April 15. This ensures she’ll reserve the slots and won’t have to wait for a slot to open up for the second read.

It’s important to think of this when you book developmental copyediting, because I book so far in advance. Writers who don’t book both services at the same time, either wait for my next available slot or go without the service.

A second read is for clients who originally booked developmental copyediting with me. The second read won’t take as long as the original service, because I only have to go over the manuscript once. While I expect to see changes, the basis story and characters should remain the same. If not, this wouldn’t be considered a second read.

A second read is only $0.01/word. This service is especially important for those who are self-publishing, but those who are going the traditional route can benefit from it as well.

-Do you accept every potential client as a client? How do you decide whom you’ll accept as a client?

No, I don’t take on every client who comes my way. I specialize in certain genres. If the author writes in a genre I’m not familiar with, I won’t take him on as a client. If a writer doesn’t have a PayPal account or credit card, which are the only two methods of payment I accept, I can’t help him. If I read a sample from the manuscript, and I don’t feel the work is ready for editing, I will encourage the writer to continue to write and learn the craft. It doesn’t make sense for me to edit a story that will need to be completely rewritten.

-Why do you ask for a nonrefundable deposit when booking the dates?

The current demand for my services means I’m often turning away clients or booking them several months or more in advance. Reserving a date for services means I won’t commit to any other editing projects in that time slot. The nonrefundable deposit keeps me from a loss of income if a client backs out of a project when I’ve already turned other clients away for the time slot. I’ve found projects run more smoothly since I implemented this policy as it implies a strong commitment from both my client and myself. This is standard policy for many editors.

-But you book so far out, how am I supposed to know if my book will be ready by then or how many words it will be?

If you’ve already written at least one book, you could gage how long you took to write your last book and assume the same for your next manuscript. Of course, you’d also have to consider circumstances in your life. Did your wife just have a baby? Are you planning an extended vacation? Are you going to move or renovate your home? Think of things that may not have interfered with your writing time as you wrote the last book but that will affect you this time around, and plan accordingly. The same goes for your word count. If your last book was 90K, then assume this one will be at least as long. When you have to estimate the word count, I prefer you stick to the high range. That way, there’s less of a risk that your time slot will be too short for your project. However, if you discover as you’re writing that you underestimated, let me know as soon as possible. The sooner I know, the better the chances that I can accommodate the extra pages.

-What happens if I need to cancel our contract?

Unfortunately, sometimes things happen and you have to break the contract. This is usually for two reasons: you suddenly need the money, or you’ve gained an agent or publishing contract and no longer need my services. To avoid the latter, it’s best if you don’t actively seek representation or publication before or while an editor is working on your manuscript. Technically, if you feel you need an editor, it means your story isn’t polished, and you shouldn’t be contacting agents or publisher until your novel is the best it can be.

If you cancel the contract before your start date AND I can fill your slot, I’ll refund all payments, including the deposit. If you cancel the contract before your start date, but I’m unable to fill the slot, that means a loss of revenue for me. I’ll refund your money minus the nonrefundable deposit. If you cancel the contract during your time slot, I’ll return the work I’ve completed and charge you for that work. After that, I’ll refund any remaining balance minus the nonrefundable deposit.

-How has your business changed over the years?

When I first started editing, you could say I wore a few hats. I edited and proofread all sorts of things from resumes, college papers, and website content to short stories and novels. Like most editors, when first starting out, I was getting my feet wet and deciding what I liked to edit and what I didn’t, or what I felt comfortable editing and what just didn’t feel like my cup of tea. My business was originally in Canada, and local clients hired me. By the time I moved to the US, I was getting more familiar with the Internet, and took a leap of faith by putting my business into “Cyberland”. What a difference that made.

I started working part-time hours, because my twins were still at home with me, but once they were in school, I switched to full-time, and that’s when my business really took off. I went from booking up to three months ahead of time to scheduling over a year in advance.

I also realized there were certain genres I didn’t feel comfortable editing, while I loved working on others, so I made a list of genres in which I specialize.

More and more of my clients are going with the second read, so I’m trying to schedule those when I first book the client. Because that means a portion of my projects will be second reads, which is basically proofreading the revisions, I’m leaning toward eliminating my proofreading packages for full manuscripts. I love substantive/big picture editing and developmental copyediting and want to make sure I have plenty of those projects on my schedule.

Looking for an editor? I’m taking names for March 2014, but I’m not booking time slots for 2014 until sometime this summer. Those on my list get first dibs.

Otherwise, I could possibly help you with your query letter and/or synopsis. Check out the packages here. Or maybe you’d be interested in one of my private classes. To read more about these online courses, go here.

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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