What's in a Title, Anyway?

After a couple rounds of edits on my work in progress I decided it was time to work on an acceptable title. 'NanoWrimo 10' was just not going to cut it if I'm going to really put this one out there.

The trouble is that there is so much pressure to have an amazing title. You want it to be clever, engaging, memorable, and preferably related to your actual book. And one that hasn't already been taken.

Fortunately, we have the internet. Not only can you search for already published books to make sure you're not duplicating a title, you can find great articles on titling. For example:

Rachelle Gardner wrote an excellent post about How to Title Your Book last month. She puts some emphasis on considering your genre, something I hadn't even realized might be important. I like her suggestion about giving yourself a lot of options, putting them away, then coming back 24 hours later to see them with fresh eyes.

Jacob Appel gives us 7 Tips to Land the Perfect Title for Your Novel over at Writer's Digest. I liked #5 about giving your title some depth, although I don't know how I'm going to do this with my own title. I thought #6 was important, too. You don't want to give away too much before the reader even cracks open the cover.

How do you title your work? Any additional suggestions that might help me and others? What are some titles you think are absolutely brilliant?

Link Line-up: Tips and Advice

When writing a novel it's good to start with the basics; part one and part two from George Angus give a great outline and some things to think about when starting a new project. I found the section on dialogue in part two especially helpful.

Once you've begun you're going to run into a few situations where you will have to choose which direction your characters and/or plots take. Jeremiah Tolbert has five ways to deal with the choices you make in writing. I usually don't worry about the paths I haven't taken, but I like the idea of keeping track of parallel document that tracks alternate paths. I also think I'll try outlining sometime.

I really like the Fuel Your Writing site and Dustin Staiger gives us 5 Tips for Tantalizing Writing. I have to keep reminding myself in my own writing to leave some work for the reader.

While implementing these tips be sure to avoid these 7 Deadly Writing Sins by Lynn Viehl. These are good things to keep in mind.

In the end, it really is all about the story so don't let it suffer while you focus on other parts of your novel. "As a writer, it is not words, but stories, that are your elemental tool. Stories are an enchanting magic that grip the reader to the page." From David Masters' guest post on Write to Done entitled 'Campfire Writing: Why Stories are the Writer's Elemental Tool.'

More great resources on everything you need:

Writing Tips and links from WeBook.com

5 Novelists' Websites That Offer Great Writing Advice from WebUpon.com

Nathan Bransford's Writing Advice Database

50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills from Smashing Magazine

Was any of this helpful? Do you have any tips that are helpful in your planning and writing?

Write, Edit, Revise, Repeat

As I mentioned yesterday, I cannot wait to start editing my current project. I wrote it for NanoWrimo so now that the dust is settled I'm interested to see what is left. At the same time, I'm a little nervous because I've become so comfortable in the writing part that I don't know where to start with editing. Besides the beginning, I guess.

Lucky for me, and you, I've found some great advice on this very subject!

Take a Breather

Almost everyone agrees that it is beneficial to take a break between finishing a first draft and beginning the editing process. This makes sense to me. I have seen how characters and plot lines will sort themselves out while marinating in the back of my mind. When I come back to them I can see where they need to be tweaked and revised to fit better with the end product. However, I need some time to step back and look at the draft as a whole. The recommended amount of time to wait varies from 15 minutes up but a break is definitely suggested.

Slash the Trash

This is a phrase I heard often, always in a British accent, my senior year of High School. Just off the top of my head I know there are several passages in my work that need major trimming. Cut out the sections you know people will skip over and the parts where you wax a little too eloquent on a particular setting or character description. Look at every word - are they all absolutely necessary? Or are you missing some important ones? Cutting is important, but so is adding where you need to.

Read it Aloud

This is actually a technique I have not yet used so I will refer you to others. I fully intend to try reading my draft out loud for this project.

Writer's Community lists 5 reasons why to read it aloud:

1. Make sure your readers will 'hear' things they way you intended.

2. Helps you catch mistakes.

3. Helps you pay attention to the nuances in the language.

4. Establishes your 'voice.'

5. It prepares you for readings

Mary E. DeMuth at The Master's Artist also recommends reading aloud because you will find errors but give 3 other reasons, too:

1. You find you pet words, the ones you use too often.

2. You catch awkward sentence structure.

3. You catch repetitive themes.

Ask a Friend to Read It

I've done this plenty of times and I always seem to choose really kind friends. It's great for my ego but sometimes I want a little more constructive criticism. Thanks to Gary Smailes and BubbleCow I have the perfect how-to list when asking friends to critique my novel!

- Give them permission to criticise.

- Explain what you want.

- Look for specifics and 'framed' feedback.

- Be prepared to ignore.

- Listen to the critique with an open mind.

- If you have to explain then it's time to rewrite.

Checklist & More

Joe Nassise wrote this checklist for when you start revising on Genreality. It is a great place to start when you want to start editing. Can you answer all these questions about your novel?

There's also a great post on revision on Allen & Unwin with a couple of book excerpts, including another great list of things to think about.

Here's the BubbleCow post that lists Tips to Writing a Great Second Draft of Your Novel.

And the Fuel Your Writing post on The First Step to Being a Better Writer.

What do you think?

What do you do when you're editing and revising? Do you enjoy this process or is it a struggle for you?

Link Line-up

Coming up on the end of the year and we've past the end of Nanowrimo so here are some links to keep you going right up until January 1, 2010!

Do you have to sacrifice a great deal if you want to be a great writer? John Scalzi says you just have to give up an hour of television a day and you'll be off to a great start. And you don't necessarily need to suffer for success, either.

Need some tips or just some motivation to keep going? Marelisa Fábrega give us 54 Tips for Writers, From Writers over on her Abundance blog. I love the quotes from Annie Dillard and I am totally going to go read that book.

I hate writing dialogue because I feel like it is never as witty or quick moving as the novels I read. Laura Cross lists 12 Characteristics of Great Dialogue that helped me see how to improve so I'm working on getting better. This post is geared toward screenwriting but I think it applies to any dialogue you're writing.

Writer's block, dare I even say it, haunts all of us. Dani Shapiro gives us her thoughts on writer's block and they definitely drove the rain cloud from my window! "If writing is, as I believe it to be, an act of courage--the daily triumph of faith over doubt, willingness over insecurity, hope over cynicism--then the inability to do so for days on end is a failure not of character, nor of biochemistry, but of nerve."

I know this time of year we are usually thinking about pie rather than cake, but these 17 Amazing Sci-fi Themed Cakes really take the... well... you know.

Link Line-up

So here are some new links for ya'll. Considering it's still November I tried to give you NaNoWriMo related type things. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

Motivation
Jeffrey Tang has a guest post up over at Zen Habits of 12 ways to Defeat Burnout and Stay Motivated. Some of these are really helpful for me while I'm trying to stay on track with NanoWrimo.

Inspiration
Waiting around for inspiration to strike? Seth Baker tells you to get out there and start working in The Secret to Creative Inspiration. For those of you working diligently on your Nano projects, there is a reason the inspiration is flowing so fast...

Tips & Advice
I usually consider myself a rather fast writer. Some scenes are faster than others and sometimes it's hard to get going. Dean Rieck gives us 5 Ways to Double Your Writing Productivity and increase your S.P.E.E.D.

Hone Your Skills
I've noticed while I'm furiously scribbling words down for my novel that I am lacking in the dialogue department. How do you give your characters voice? How do you create interesting and dynamic conversation? Fortunately, Laura Cross over at About A Screenplay says that "creating effective dialogue is challenging for many writers. But crafting good dialogue is a skill that can be mastered by anyone." Then she gives us 12 characteristics of great dialogue.

The Cherry on Top
Some of these photos submitted for the National Geographic International Photography Contest 2009 are absolutely amazing - they get me thinking of stories almost immediately.

Now, it's back to writing!

Link Line-up

There's such great stuff out there it makes me want to share it with you!

Motivation
Are you a digital fiddler? Are you easily distracted by all the options and fun things on the internet? Well, stop it get back to writing! Mary Jaksch hears ya and gives us some ideas on how to stop digital fiddling over on Write to Done.

Getting Started
Do you take yourself to seriously as a writer? Try relaxing and having some fun. Joanna Penn gives us some ideas on how to work hard and have fun while doing it over at The Creative Penn.

Tips & Advice
Here are 5 tips on how to be a better writer from Mason Hipp on Freelance Folder. I like this because it applies not only to creative writing but to all the writing we do during the day.

Editing
Maria Schneider gives us 5 things to keep in mind when editing your manuscript. But be sure you don't turn on that inner editor until your first draft is done. (From Editor Unleashed)

The Cherry on Top
Wanna see where other writers create? Where I Write is a collection of just that - rooms where writers write. And Kyle Cassidy rocks, too.

More on Passion

As a follow up to my pep talk post yesterday I wanted to share this article I found via Publetariat by Andrew B. Clark about how you shouldn't ignore your passion. Find it and live it.

GO TEAM! Pep Talk

I was in desperate need of a pep talk earlier this week. I felt worn out and bogged down with all the things I've been worrying about. Work has been stressful to the point of craziness this week which really saps my motivation for anything else. I missed a couple of days here on the blog, I procrastinated Nano planning, and I convinced myself that I had nothing worth writing. I'm feeling better now, but I really could have gone for some positive reinforcement. So for all those of you out there who just aren't feelin' it, this one's for you (and me)!

Have a day job? Yeah, me too. Here are some tips on how to keep it from killing your writing career from David Anaxagoras. The blog is geared toward screenwriting, but I think his advice is helpful for all kinds of writing. His tips include knowing what you want, setting goals, taking daily action toward your goal, making your day job seem smaller by starting and ending your day with writing, washing the day away, and structuring your life around your writing.

Find some passion. You know those people who get so excited about one subject or another? And the people who enjoy the life they're living because they found something to be passionate about? Be one of those people. Leo Babauta outlines how to infuse your blog with passion over at ProBlogger, but his advice is perfect for writing in general, too. Write what you're passionate about, or find something to be passionate about if you don't really have a passion yet. Put some music on, get yourself a beverage, write passionately, and read others who are passionate. There's nothing like a little passion to get you motivated!

A post at Pimp My Novel on persistence that made me smile. And let's face it, a smile is one of the best ways to start feeling uplifted, hopeful, and motivated to keep working toward your dreams.

Is your inner critic making you depressed? Feel like you have nothing worth saying and that no one will ever care what you write? I know, he's so mean! Read this from Allegra Goodman on how to calm that critic and get back to work. Concentrate on your writing, love your material, and tell your story as only you can.

Shake off the negative feelings, leave the weight of the world and worries behind just long enough to write. You can do it, you should do it, you will do it. Go, now, and overcome all those doubts and fears. May the force be with you.

Yay! Go Team!!

Link Lineup

I've slowly been gathering links through Twitter (great resource for writing and books in general) and blogs I subscribe to. I figured it was time to unload a few on you:

Motivation
Depressed, dejected and/or discouraged? You're not the only one. Here are 7 tips on how to ditch that mood and get back to joyous writing (from Nina Amir at RedRoom).

Getting Started
Great stuff about your opening line from Jeff Gerke over at Editor Unleashed. "You get only one first line. It has the most impact of any sentence in your entire book. Don’t fritter it away."

In the Middle of Things
Having trouble with plot like I am currently with my WIP? Adding an action scene isn't always the answer... even if that ninja you threw in was really cool. Action vs. Plot by Carrie Vaughn over at Genreality.

Break the Block
Feeling stuck? It might be that keyboard and word processor holding you back. Step away and do some old fashioned writing with pen and paper. Here's why from The Writing Base.

The Cherry on Top
Love libraries? Me too. From Curious Expeditions, a compilation of lovely libraries.

Link Collection

I realize it's been a while since my last official post, so here's something to hold you over: links! Special note: NanoWrimo starts in a month and a half and I haven't thought about it nearly enough. Gotta start planning!

Motivation
Be prepared for the moment when it comes - comparing photography and writing.

Getting Started
Start with crap just to get the juices flowing. Here are a few ways to get the creative muscles warm.

In the Middle of Things
I've been having trouble developing some of my characters in my work in progress. Amy & the Pen gives some good ideas on how to get to know your characters better.

Editing
Tighten up that manuscript. But take these with a grain of salt, I think, because it is still yours.

The Cherry on Top
Some very cool works of art by Su Blackwell via the Telegraph. These are so beautiful.

'I'm Writing' Reactions

I know I have to get over this, but I am almost embarrassed when I tell people that I want to be a writer and that I'm working on this or that project. Whether they're being nice or they're really interested, they always ask what I'm writing. I turn red and shrug. Sometimes they shrug themselves and drop it but either way the conversation doesn't last long and it hardly ever comes up again. So here are some links to help give us all a little encouragement in such situations.

A post from The Creative Penn on how to take and deal with those reactions.

5 things we can say to ourselves to bolster our confidence and motivation. Keep the writing faith, ya'll! This from TopicTurtle.com.

Everyone has creativity they want to express. Be comfortable in your need to write and pinpoint the creative process here at publetariat.com

Explain to those who doubt you (even if this includes yourself) why it's a good time to write. Thanks to EditorUnleashed.com for that one.

Feel better yet?

Get Motivated!

So my post last week about feeling very unmotivated was kind of fun but not productive. And I didn't get any better the rest of the week. But this week I've been feeling the writing urge. I keep wanting to write something but haven't made the time to sit down and actually get it out. I think it's time for some serious motivation! I find that I always get excited about writing when I read about how others are doing it and they're words of advice. I've listed some links below to other articles and blog posts that got my heart racing. Hopefully something here will inspire you or at least light a fire hot enough to burn bright until you can get something out on paper/word processor.

Great post at ZenHabits.net about creativity that helped me feel confident and motivated. This is good not only for writing but any other creative endeavor you might be considering.

I tracked this one down to the original post because I thought it was quite good. Some tips from author C.M. Mayo via Work in Progress blog. Mayo gives 12 tips on how to hang in there and finish a novel and some are very helpful in getting started, too.

And sometimes the best way to start writing is just to start writing... deep, huh? But really, I have found that the best way to shake the dust off is to not try and write the next best-seller but to get the muscles working again. Give some of these a try and see if some inspiration hits.

Let me know if any of this is helpful and I'll post tomorrow about what I write today.

Twitter as a Resource

So I now have about 80 followers on Twitter and I'm following about 70 people. Among these, I get updates from several publishers, book fanatics, authors, and other readers. It is really a fun way to connect with other readers and book lovers because everyone shares so much information. I've been collecting links I found interesting or intriguing and figured I would start sharing them here as well. (I'll admit that I snagged this idea from Neil Gaiman's blog - he does posts like this all the time and I think they're fun). I don't want overwhelm you with all of them at once so we'll start with 5:

A fun blog post at Strictly Writing that had me nodding my head and laughing at the things only writers could understand.

An entertaining blog by writer/comic - fun to read. I like her tone and the flow of her posts.

Some tips from the new site I found (WEbook.com) on how to become an effective writer. I'm sure a lot of these will work - I just have to start doing them!

I've been trying to write every day the last couple of weeks. It's not going very well, but I've noticed some things about myself. One of these things is that when I get going I seem to latch on to a word or two and use them a little too much. This site caught my eye - tells you how often you use words.

I'm always looking for good lists of book recommendations. With so many books in the world I'd hate to miss out on some of the best. This line of thinking has also helped me justify not finishing any book that I don't enjoy. Here's two lists (board's and reader's) of the 100 Best Novels (thanks, Random House!).

So, a little for writers and a little for readers. Enjoy!