If you don’t know those terms, basically, you are hard-wired to write a certain way. If pure SOP comes most naturally to you and produces better results than NCP produces, you’re an N and likely a P. If you couldn’t SOP to save your soul, the very thought makes you shudder, and you suspect SOP equals lazy, possibly insane,  and definitely unprofessional, you’re an SJ. If you’re somewhere in between these two extremes, you’re probably an NJ or an SP. Note these are generalities:  A sensing author’s characters may occasionally talk back to them, and an Intuitive can learn how to plot and plan and may choose to do so.

Intuitive or Sensing is usually dominant if you’re a mixed type. A Sensing Perceiving writer will plot and plan ahead, usually on paper, but will be flexible about the details and will feel the need to keep their options open to making changes as need arises.

An Intuitive Judging writer (me) will tend to plan ahead and prefers to have everything pinned down before we start, but will go fishing if we’re feeling adventuresome, i.e. if it feels right for this particular book. We also tend to keep track of everything we have carefully crafted about our plot, characters, and setting in our heads unless we discipline ourselves to do otherwise. We’re really good at keeping track of things in our heads, though.

So, to address the plotter’s favorite critiques of SoP: for you that would absolutely be true. For the intuitive SOP writer, however, due to the way their brains are wired to process data, the method’s effectiveness entirely depends upon the knowledge the SoP writer has fed themselves with in terms of plot and structure of whether it will work out or not. An intuitive who knows how to properly structure and plot a novel will actually produce similar results to a CF with an ounce of flexibility in him/her.

Yes, Plotter, that means an intuitive can go study your favorite plot structure rules and techniques, mentally jot them down, and, with practice, learn how to intuitively knock out a carefully plotted novel while seemingly having done no advanced planning at all, at least so far as a computer can detect. This seems impossible or unlikely to you because you are not wired for that.

While the intuitive writer’s sanity may fairly be in question, there can in fact be a method to our madness.

In case an example might help, here’s an excerpt from one of my unsold manuscripts, Son of Kristos, that shows how I handled a serious internal debate my hero had where his head and his heart are duking it out. The first thought is given direct and italicized because “your” doesn’t translate well. It’s speculative fiction and out of context, so some of the references won’t make sense to you, but the technique used should still be clear enough:

The pirate sneered at Meleon. “Now, am I goin’ to get out o’ here nice and slow with your partner, or are we goin’ to have us some fun killin’ hostages?”

Remember your training. The threat has to be real or they won’t back down.

But it was Diangelina.

He’d want to be the one in this position. It was for the greater good of society.

But it was Diangelina.

The more peacekeepers followed regulations properly, the fewer wolves bothered to take hostages, and the fewer innocent civilians who died. No one would take hostages if it wasn’t effective.

But it was Diangelina.

“Well, peacekeeper, what’s it goin’ to be?”

There had to be another way.

Dear Andrea,

How do you find a good balance in using adverbs and adjectives? Too many sound amateurish, and too few sound Spartan.

Signed,

Between an Adverb and a Hard Place

Dear Between,

I hear adjectives knocked on less frequently, but adverbs especially do get a bad rap. They’re actually important and sometimes necessary parts of speech and stripping every adverb from your work would indeed be misguided at best.  Instead, I recommend you examine them to see if they are being used correctly. What should you look for?

First, let’s rehearse what these babies are in the first place.

According to Merriam-Webster, an adjective is, “a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages and typically serving as a modifier of a noun to denote a quality of the thing named, to indicate its quantity or extent, or to specify a thing as distinct from something else.”

Generally, unless it follows was, in my experience, an adjective won’t be a problem. And if it’s following was, you have a bigger problem with the choice of the weakest and most common verb in the English language, as the most common reason, aside from poor grammar, that an adjective would come after a verb is that you’re telling, as in, “the coat was blue” or “Jenny was sad.”

The problem with both sentences isn’t the adjective, but that they’re telling rather than showing. If you’re being told to eliminate adjectives, it’s probably telling that the editor is gunning for.  And by the way, an adjective that follows a verb is either functioning as a noun, or is being misused as an adverb. In most cases, rewrite it this way, “Jenny wore a blue coat” or better yet, “Jenny fingered the top button of her blue coat.” We’ll get back to “Jenny was sad” once we’ve discussed adverbs.

According to Merriam-Webster, an adverb is, “a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages, typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial.”

For those of you who still don’t know what an adverb is, they usually end in -ly and usually modify a verb.

The number one issue with adverbs lies in the modifying a verb part. When this is the issue, the problem isn’t the adverb, but the verb itself. When we write a first draft, we often will go with the first verb to come to mind. The easiest verb to write will often times be the weakest. Since it doesn’t say precisely what we want to say we will then add an adverb. So every adverbial clause should be examined with the question, “Is there a plain old verb that would communicate in one word what I am saying in two?”

For instance, instead of “walked quickly” (or briskly) try “jogged”  or another verb that describes the pace you’re looking for. If none come to mind and you’re describing something the english language is likely to have a verb for, check a thesaurus.

A similar issue is the old Tom Swifty, but while this looks the same as the above, finding a verb that means “said gently” isn’t going to fix it even if you actually find one.  These usually signal one of two things, that your dialogue isn’t being phrased gently at all and you added a crutch rather than fix the line, or a lack of confidence on your part.

The other major issue goes back to “Jenny was sad.” Whether Jenny is sad or feeling badly, the problem isn’t that adverbs or adjectives are innately evil, but that here you’re using one to tell us rather than showing us.  Any time an adverb or adjective references someone’s emotional state, unless it’s a line of dialogue, cut it and describe the “symptoms” of sadness and let your readers make that diagnosis. It’s much more powerful and much more believable.

It’s the association with telling in general that gives adverbs especially their bad rep. Adverbs that aren’t being used to tell, and aren’t propping up a weak verb choice, or weak dialogue, should be perfectly fine. While it will far less frequently be an issue, adjectives that aren’t propping up a weak noun choice, aren’t being used incorrectly to modify a verb, and aren’t telling are also fine.

In Christ’s Service,

Andrea Graham

First, download the following image by right clicking and choosing save as:

Next, upload the image to your own server. Place it in the sidebar or any prominent but unobtrusive location on your site and link it to www.povbootcamp.com.

If you need it, here is the code:

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If just one person finds me through the ad on your site, and it shows in my traffic stats widgets, you’ll get my introductory offer for free, or a $5 discount off your full manuscript edit if you’ve already purchased it. Thereafter, every visitor to click through is worth an extra page of free editing, with a minimum of 20 to collect. Every referral known to lead to a full manuscript edit will get you a ten percent discount off your own editing bill should you choose to work with me.

This offer also applies to text links in articles discussing the contents of this website or my editorial services and word of mouth referrals (you will have to notify me of those, however.) Please do let me know if you put the graphic ad up or text links in case I miss them.

Your own traffic stats tracking system should show you the number of visitors who followed a link from your site to mine also, if you’d like to keep track yourself to make sure I don’t miss any referrals you made. I’m afraid you will have to take my word for it on referrals leading to a purchase, since I’ll have to simply ask where you heard of me.

Otherwise, check around, as some editors offer to do free sample edits, and many will if  you just ask them. Also join critique groups and professional writing organizations. Networking and developing relationships with other writers can build you a stable of associates willing to check over your manuscript for you and this is a good thing to have. Don’t expect a full edit for free from any professional editor you might happen to have a relationship with, however. Be respectful of the amount of time that goes into going through a full length novel and return favors in kind as often as possible.

The big deal to most companies is that you spell and capitalize their name properly (e-Bay), that you don’t use it in a way that implies an endorsement, and that you don’t use it in a way that makes them look bad. You show a name is trademarked generally by capitalizing it (e.g. “Kelly tugged on her Reeboks.”

You can use real locales, however if you’re using a real place, you need to research to make sure you have things located where they actually are in the city, whereas for a fictional location you can make things up, which is not necessarily easier as mapping out a fictional city to make it feel authentic can be a lot of work, also. So, in most cases, using a real city versus a fictional one is entirely author preference.

However, there is one consideration when using real places and brand names in your work: slander and libel suits. Any setting or item used in a negative context is best left generic. For instance, if your plot requires health code violations in a restaurant, don’t name the restaurant Burger King. Likewise, if your character is locked in a battle with their local  government or the story otherwise reflects negatively on the locale,  you’ll want to use a fictional city.

Otherwise,  it comes down to POV and characterization. What products would your character use? What terms would they use for them? What places would they visit or frequent? Whether your character takes a Kleenex out of her purse at the Olive Garden or a tissue at the Pasta King, whether your character buys Kirkland’s Signature toaster pastries at Cost-co or Kellogg’s Pop-tarts from Kroger’s says quite a bit about them. So don’t make those decisions lightly. If it arises in your plot, think through the situation carefully and decide what is best for your character and whether the usage would cast a negative light on the product or place, as again, that could potentially lead to a lawsuit. Otherwise, it’ll be up to your editor at your publishing house.

Dear Andrea,

Two questions for you.

1-I am having trouble formatting on the new computer system I have.  I thought I set it up for regular ms formatting, but it looks like that isn’t the case yet. I am not familiar with the term:  widow/orphan control? Can you explain a little further?

2-What do you think of  prologues? Some love them, other editors, a real no no and put off?

Signed,

New Computer Owner

Dear New,

In Christ’s Service,

Andrea Graham

Dear Andrea,

Since I started writing fiction, there have been a few times when the words really flowed. I was bit by the writer’s “bug”, blessed by the “muse”. These exciting times have lasted months at a spell. It’s very much like obsession. Under the influence of this passion, I can hardly think about anything else. If I’m not actually writing (like because I have to make dinner or do laundry or whatever) then I’m thinking about what I will be writing the next time I get a chance or I’m thinking about how to arrange said writing opportunity.

When my first obsessive period ended, I had a few theories why. My best guess was that it had to do with the failure of the product of those muse-assisted labors (a novel) to find an audience. I tried for several years to figure out why my muse left and how to get it back. Without the passion, I can’t get far. I tried, but my fiction is not only painful to produce, but stinks without it. I prayed about this. I wrote nonfiction and I did proofreading, editing, and critiquing. I also read how-to books and well-written fiction which could serve as inspiration.

My muse had abandoned me and left no forwarding address. Until about a week ago. I was watching a defunct TV series on DVD and one particular episode just jumped out at me as being “unfinished”. Yes, the series had been canceled a decade ago and I knew anything I wrote was doomed as unpublishable fan-fic because I didn’t own the characters or the setting, but I couldn’t help myself. I knew no one would ever read it, but, shockingly, my muse didn’t care. I *had* to write a resolution of that episode. Five years without a muse and I had maybe 5000 (bad) words of fiction to show for it. One week with a muse and I have 8000 words and no sign of abatement.

I love this condition and I love the way it makes my fingers flow, but now I want to know WHY it happens so I can induce it at will (during NaNo would be a prime example of a good time). What can I do to lure the writing “bug”, capture it and get it to be my friend and not an elusive visitor?

Signed,
Museless in California

Dear Museless,

Honestly, we’d all love to know that, but you’ve stumbled onto one solution already. Take ownership of the plot. Remove from the novel anything under copyright: change the character’s names, and any too-unique identifiable character traits, or otherwise tweak them until they’re all yours.  The same principle applies to setting. Change all place names and unique landmarks and make the place your own. It’ll take work and care to keep the plot intact, but it can be done. Ideas can’t be copyrighted, so, as long as you’re careful to remove in your rewrites the actual, specific characters and settings from the show, you should have a salable manuscript at the end.

Sounds like you’ve needed a writer’s spiritual retreat, to take time to pray and reflect, and rededicate your pen to the Lord. And lick your wounds, of course, to lament. I know it’s hard when things don’t turn out the way we hoped. I certainly have a hard time remembering myself that God isn’t looking for results, but obedience. So let’s repeat it together: “God wants obedience, not results. God wants obedience, not results . . . .”

We need to be faithful to write what the Lord calls us to write, no matter what the numbers tell us. We never know what He can accomplish, what lives He can touch, through our foolishness.

This idea might come as strange, but the best solution I’ve found for writer’s block is to surrender our pens to the Lord and see what He does with it. He might surprise you. I started my WIP, Daughter of Eve, with the roughest of outlines for character and setting, a borrowed plot, and a wing and a prayer I might make it to 50,000. It’s now 75,000 with a totally different plot drawn from fleshed-out characters with minds of their own and a world rich enough to tempt my writer husband to play in it. I literally did not know what was coming next until I wrote it for most of the novel. That’s not me; that’s the Lord. (Obviously, the mistakes are mine. We do still need to edit and revise.)

On a practical note, you can write your way out of writer’s block, and badly written sitcoms begging for rewrites is one possible starting place.  It might well be garbage, but keep it up until you find your story. You can always delete what doesn’t work and change the copyrighted elements later.

In Christ’s Service,

Andrea Graham