writing – Jo Ann Schneider

12
Feb 25
0

To Plot or Not to Plot, That is the Question

Tags : writing

There’s more information on the internet about how to write a book than AI could shake its imaginary stick at.

Today we’re going to talk about plotting, but excessive planning isn’t the only way to finish a novel.

For those of you who don’t plan a book (pansters/gardeners), don’t worry, I’ll get to you in a minute.

Plotters/Architects

I’ve read dozens of books on how to write a novel. Some blew my mind and influenced the way I plan a story, while others graced me with one or two little plotting gems that I keep in my toolbox for special occasions.

If anyone tells you there’s only one way to plan your story, ignore them. They’re wrong. Go about your business.

At this point, I’ve written fifty books, so I feel like I’m okay at plotting.

Not perfect, because some days I feel like the novel I’m working on is my very first and I’m back to square one, while other weeks I don’t have to plan a thing and can basically write five or ten chapters without having to plan them.

I can chat with another author who has published about the same number of books as me, and ask them about their writing process. I might totally understand how they do it, or my eyes might glaze over as I only follow a quarter of what they say.

Everyone is different.

And that’s okay.

When I started writing, I found it easier to work with a vague outline. I used the Seven-Point Plot Structure, as described by Dan Wells, to plan my first series.

Click HERE if you want more info on this one.

I, personally, found that this gave me too much leeway. I wanted more structure.

So I upgraded to Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat method.

I could go through it, but why when someone has already done it so well? Click HERE for more on Save the Cat.

After producing a few books, I started adding more to my process from various sources including other books, writing conferences, and even just reading and watching great fiction.

I’ve got a whole, hour-long presentation about how I’ve built my own plotting system. You’d think I’d have it down after 50 books, but it’s still evolving.

To be clear, I wrote my first three or four books with just the basics of Seven-Points. I didn’t need more to give life to my story.

Don’t be afraid to move forward because you don’t have the perfect system.

Just write.

Pansters/Gardeners

I know a lot of people who refuse to outline a book before they start writing it.

The most interesting reason I’ve heard for this is that if the author knows the end of the story before they start, then there’s no reason to put it on paper. They’re bored before they begin, because first and foremost, the story must entertain them.

If that’s you…I see you. I don’t necessarily understand you, but I know you’re there and that your process is totally valid. You do whatever you have to do to get that novel into the computer! (Or down on paper, if you’re old-school.)

You may be able to think about a few things beforehand, like character background and theme, that should help with the novel.

There are a lot of ways for a pantser to get their book finished. Since I’m more of a plotter, I’d suggest doing an internet search for advice.

The few times I’ve jumped into a book without doing more than cursory planning I’ve decided about how long I want it to be and I took The Save the Cat beats and wrote down what chapters they should be in. Just to give me some pacing. That might be something that could work for you, or not.

Like I said before, everyone is different.

I was once at a panel at a writing conference and a young woman asked if what she was doing was okay.

What was she doing?

She was putting her book up on a free website (Smashwords or something like that) a chapter at a time. Her readers would read it, tell her what they loved and hated, and then she’d write the next chapter.

This…is not for me. However, she needed that constant validation to move forward.

So I told her she could do whatever she wanted. It’s her book, and if that’s how she can get it written, then do it.

Just write your book! Someone in the world needs your story.

In case you’re interested, here’s a list of just some of the books I’ve read that have helped me with my plotting system:

Story by Robert McKee
The Anatomy of Story by Jon Truby
Techniques of the Selling Author by Dwight V. Swain
Save the Cat series by Blake Snyder (Saves the Cat Strikes Back helped me the most, although you need to read the original first. Save the Cat Writes a Novel is excellent!)
Getting into Character by Brandilyn Collins
Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker
Story Genius by Lisa Cron

08
Jan 25
0

The Idea: A Spark – Writing Your Book

Tags : writing

I rarely meet someone who, when they find out I’m a writer, doesn’t say, “Oh, I’ve had this idea for a book in my head for years!”

I say, ‘Great, that’s awesome. You should write it.”

Their next comment is usually, “I’m not good at that stuff. You should write it for me!” (Does this happen to anyone else?)

Uh, no.

First off, it’s their idea and not mine. Two authors can take the exact same story prompt and turn it into two totally different stories. Even if they stick to the same genre, say horror, the results will vary. (Go and read pretty much any anthology you can get your hands on to see this for yourself.)

If I tried to write someone else’s idea, they probably wouldn’t be satisfied with it, because as I wrote I would make it my own.

There are ghost writers out there that do this for a living, and I have to give them kudos. It has to be hard to stick so close to someone else’s agenda. I’m not sure I could do it.

But I digress…back to the topic at hand.

You have an idea for a book and your question is, should you write it?

As my high school band teacher loved to say when faced with people who wanted exact answers about how music should be played, “It depends.”

I feel like I need one of those flow chart things for this, but since I’m not terribly adept at making anything like that (I’m a writer, not a designer, dang it!) I’ll let you use your imagination.

The answer to “Should I write the book” is always yes.

What depends is why you’re writing it.

Are you looking to make writing a career? If so, then you might want to choose what books you spend your time on with more care than if you’re just hoping to get the story out of your head and onto paper so it will stop bugging you.

If a career is your goal, you should consider the quesiton, is this an idea that others will want to read?

Or, another way to say this, is there a market for it?

Don’t freak out because I’m practically saying “Write to Market.” I’m not taking about chasing trends. I’m talking about if your idea is a contemporary romance (which is a big market) then there will be people who will want to read it.

If your idea is a seahorse shifter time travel romance set in ancient Rome (congrats if you followed that), the audience for that will likely be much smaller.

Let’s be honest, it probably exists somewhere, but fifty loyal readers will not a career make.

However, if this story is your heart’s desire, go ahead and write it. It might not make money, but it will give you experience and a finished book!

And heck, your book might spawn a whole new genre. You never know.

If you want to write as a hobby, then I always say go for it. Write the book. Why not? In six months or a year or two years you can either have no book written or this book written.

What with the rise of independent publishing over the last fifteen years, you can even get a hardback copy of your story into your hot little hands if you want.

Either way, have fun with it. Let your imagination run wild.

Write crazy scenes. Add ninja monkeys, a serial killer, or a small-town mint farmer heartthrob if you want. (Maybe don’t mix all three…for your first book.)

Let’s talk about the initial idea for a minute.

There’s not one right way to begin a novel, and that includes the first glimmer of the story that comes to you.

Did you picture a man on a horse in the woods, a mermaid who has to live on land, or a monk warrior in the city?

Great, you have a character.

Or did your mind produce a setting and/or genre first? Maybe a historical murder mystery or a high intrigue fantasy?

No problem. Start from there.

Some people begin with an idea like, “What if we could all blend in with our surroundings like chameleons?” or, “What if two people meet again twenty years after falling in love the first time?”

Excellent. Carry on.

Some people will tell you that you have to start with a character.

Characters are extremely important, but if that’s not where your story’s seed takes root, it’s fine.

You’ll end up getting to the characters eventually.

If you’ve got a story to tell, then tell it!

Don’t worry about perfection, just let it out.

17
Jan 24
0

My Publishing Journey: Part 2

Tags : Full-Time Author writing

Last week I told about my very first published work, Babes in Spyland.

This week, we’re delving into my first published novel!

I mentioned before that after I’d gone to a professional writing conference I made a goal to have a YA book written and ready to pitch to an editor the next year.

Often times, at these conferences, you can pay for time with an editor that works for a publishing company.

Sure, you can ambush them in the hallway and try to tell them about your book, but I was much more comfortable with the idea of the two of us in a room by ourselves and the only thing we were there to talk about was my story.

I rewrote my first book seven or eight times. Maybe more. It was crazy! I had a great idea, but I didn’t know a whole lot about the nuance of telling a good story, so each time I learned something new, I would change my book.

Most often for the better.

After a year of writing, rewriting, having a whole bunch of people read it, more rewriting, and spending a whole lot of my free time with my laptop, I had a book to pitch at the conference!

The experience was perfect. The editor was kind and asked for a copy of my manuscript.

However, I knew that the two of us weren’t going to click. I liked this woman, but didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of working with her. I think our personalities were too similar so when, months later, she politely rejected my story, I wasn’t butt hurt.

So I took the book to another conference, once again paid to chat with an editor, and had another request for the manuscript.

Then I waited. I sent it to a few other editors and publishing houses, but only got rejections.

The next year, at the conference I’d first pitched at, I met a small publisher that I’d submitted too, and when I talked to them they were thrilled about the pages I’d sent them and asked for more.

At that moment, I knew they would publish the book.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever had that experience, but I felt it all the way through my body. I KNEW.

Sure enough, a month or two later, my first YA novel was under contract!

The road to publication after that wasn’t totally smooth. My book got pushed back in the schedule, which was frustrating. The publisher was having me post on Twitter (the social media platform of the day) which I was garbage at.

I anticipated heavy edits from the publisher, like many of the other authors that I’d spoken to who worked with them, but only got a proofreading edit. Typos and grammar. I knew my book wasn’t perfect, and had been anticipating the process of improving it.

I didn’t get that opportunity, which I’m still sad about.

However, I did get most of the other experiences I’d been wanting. Like being super excited when I opened my first Advance Reader Copies of the book!

This is me holding my first ARC copy of New Sight!

I remember being so nervous for the book to come out that I went and got a pedicure then went to Barnes and Noble, where I almost cried!

How many times had I imagined seeing my name on a book in a book store?!? It was surreal and a dream come true. One of the workers asked if I needed help, and I just pointed and said, “That’s my book!”

A week or so later I had my first book signing in a Barnes and Noble. (This was the thing to do back in the day)

Behold, myself and the amazing author Sarah E. Boucher!

I sold out of books and had a great turn out of family and friends!

This was in 2013. I’ve come a long way since then, embracing self-publishing and adopting a pen name in addition to Jo Schneider.

New Sight has been through a couple of cover iterations, which has been kind of fun. I do love the original, but my publishing company was bought up and I got my rights back, so I had to change the cover.

This version has my niece’s eye on it and the background is a picture I took of Druid Arch, where the finale of the book takes place. I love this cover, but it’s not to market, so I had to replace it.

Here’s the most recent version of the cover. It’s amazing. My brother-in-law did the eye rune in the background!

One book turned into three, and now there’s a finished trilogy for New Sight along with a couple of side stories!

One thing leads to another, and a whole lot of hard work, and suddenly you’re a published author!

Don’t give up on your dreams, people. 🙂

10
Jan 24
0

My Publishing Journey: Part 1

Tags : Full-Time Author writing

I thought it might be fun to take a walk down memory lane this week.

Not the memory lane where you cringe at the clothes you wore in high school, or the way you styled your hair during the 90s.

Nope.

I’m going to take you through my publishing journey!

I used to write I was young, but I put it down for a long time until I was in my late 20s. A friend started a writing group, I joined, and I’ve been telling stories ever since.

Mind you most of them were terrible, but I was writing, which is the key.

After I attended my first real writing conference I decided that, in a year, I would have a finished YA novel to pitch to an editor.

I accomplished that goal, but that novel wasn’t the first thing I published.

A friend told me about an online platform, which is long gone, that was looking for serialized fiction. An episode a week for a 12 week season. She wanted me to cowrite with her, which I declined, because, honestly, I don’t always share well with others.

So instead, I decided to write something of my own. Something silly and fun and not stressful.

This is where Babes in Spyland came to life!

Babes is a world that some friends and I created as a joke, and I took it over! (Buhahahaha)

Fine, I asked first.

Anyway, this is where it all started!

I published five seasons of Babes. At one point it was bundled into a book. I still have a handful of copies of that, and when I become a super famous author I’ll sell them for lots of money.

Right now you can get a copy of it on Amazon for just $99.00. What a bargain!
(Just kidding. Call me and I’ll make you a better deal.)

Is Babes in Spyland a good book?

Well, it’s not my best writing, obviously, because it’s my first published work. However, it is hilarious. Super Secret Agents battle ridiculous villains all while making smart remarks and looking fabulous.

The Super Secret Agency battles crime on a level that shouldn’t exist.

Agents Milkshakes and Sugar Lips, Agents Amphibian Queen and Bunnynose face off against the likes of mimes, Homebase Security, the lines at the porta potties, exploding puzzle boxes, baseball fanatics, a zombie flash mob, and the fish that got away, to name a few.

Follow these lovely girls of mystery as they are called on to escort a tanker of ‘happy’ milk to Billy Bonka’s chocolate factory. Or their task to infiltrate the mysterious island posing as free range chicken specialists — Chicktopia.

Not to mention, the perfect storm of trouble that lies in red light districts, a run through “The Pen,” cock fights, and a betrayal they never saw coming. All while looking good.

Someday I’ll get back to this world. I love the characters and the silly, yet serious, tone of the stories.

This is where it all began! The first week this gem hit the internet I was technically a published author!

The original logo for Babes!

A big thanks to the friend who begged me to write with her and then challenged me to submit a story so she wouldn’t feel so afraid to submit her own. We both got accepted. We both wrote several seasons on this platform. Since then we’ve both gone on to publish a LOT of books.

It just goes to show you that your first steps aren’t always what you think they will be.