Style Sheets for Authors

Style Sheets for Authors – a darned good idea! I’ve just finished doing a ‘light Americanisation/Americanization’ of my second Amy Green book and I was fascinated by the differences between the meaning of some Irish-English words and American-English words.

For example American readers have no idea what a ‘gooseberry’ is, ie ‘being a gooseberry’. They don’t have en suites – they have just plain old bathrooms. I guess in America en suites are probably the norm in hotel rooms and houses! And there were loads of other examples.

But there were loads of instances when the meaning of what I was trying to say was lost because – well, because it’s just the way I say it. And it would have been useful for my American editor to have some sort of heads up on these things as they often repeat in my writing.

Hence for the next book I’m going to type up a style sheet for her, a list of all the funny bits and pieces, strange spellings, place names etc – anything I think might be useful in working out what I’m trying to say on paper! Because these are things that are carrying on from book to book if you are writing a series.

You might like to try it too. It’s particularly useful for things like names that are spelt differently to American names – it means the editor won’t have to keep checking on the spelling for each book. In my case, the magazine Clover writes for is called The Gloss, but in the American book they call it the (small t) Gloss. It’s a small detail but it will make life easier for everyone next time around if I jot it down right now on my style sheet.

Anything that makes life easier for my editor and for me makes sense!

See the posting at Book Ends Literary Agency for more on this subject: http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/06/style-sheet.html

Let me make it clear. A style sheet is different from a series bible. A style sheet does not include the nitty-gritty details of your world or your characters. It’s for editing purposes. A style sheet should include spellings of names or stylistic changes you’ve made to the spelling of other common words. For example, if you’ve decided that "Prom" is capitalized throughout your book, that would be something you would include on the style sheet. "Prom" is not technically a proper noun.

Yours in writing,

Sarah X

Beats and How to Spice Up Your Dialogue

I’m just taking a short breaking from working through the line edits for Amy Green, Bridesmaid Blitz which will be out in October. The timing’s pretty tight so I’m trying to devote as many hours to them as I possibly can, day and night.

Line edits come after the structural edit (sometimes there can be more than one of these if the editor has encountered lots of things they’d like to see changed or worked through) and accompanying author’s re-write. It’s when the editor (or sometimes a different editor) goes through each line of the book, making notes and suggesting changes; some small, like changing a word or adding a line, some bigger, like moving a scene, or checking a character’s motivation rings true.

It’s a vital part of your book’s progression from manuscript to finished bound book, and it’s important to put everything you can into it. By the end of the editing process you should a/ know every chapter practically off by heart and b/ be ready to let your work go, knowing you’ve done all you can to make it the best book possible.

And yes, you can get more than a little sick of your own book by the end of things, that’s kind of normal. It drives you on to write the next book and start the whole process all over again. Like childbirth, you forget the hard bits and keep writing regardless.

There are several issues that are reoccurring throughout my Amy Green book, which is now in its fifth draft. The main one is my ‘beats’ or lack of. ‘Beats’ are (and I’m quoting a book on editing here by Renni Browne and Dave King) bits of action interspersed through a scene, such as a character walking to a window or removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes – the literary equivalent of what is know as theatre as ‘stage business’.’

So there you have it – ‘beats’. Bits that spice up the dialogue, and often, make sense of what’s happening when characters are talking.

My problem – this is book 3 in the series. I now know my characters so well that the action unfolds right in front of my eyes. But I have to keep remembering that my readers don’t know my characters the way I do. They may need some nudges in the right direction. They won’t know Amy is staring at her feet and mumbling unless I say or show she is.

But too many ‘beats’ and the dialogue starts to sound stilted and unnatural. It’s a difficult balance.

‘Beats’ – good word, isn’t it? Better get back to the line edit – it won’t wait!

Yours in writing,

Sarah X

More on Writer's Stamina

More on Writer’s Stamina In yesterday's Irish Times, Frank McNally wrote about Michael Collins, the Limerick writer who now lives in America. I met Michael two years ago at the West Cork Literary Festival and he’s a most interesting man to talk to.

Anyway, according to Frank, Michael writes between 3am – AM! – and 6 am, then he teaches all day, writes again between 4pm and 6pm, and sometimes between 9pm and 11pm. Holy moly! Superman writing stamina that. Oh and he also runs ultra-marathons. And yes, the man really does exist.

But this got me thinking about writing mothers and their stamina. When Amy was a small baby I used to write while feeding her, scribbling in my notebook over her little prone body. And I’m by no means the only mum who has written a book while their child was tiny.

Most writing mums don’t really get much in the way of maternity leave. With Jago, my third, I gave myself a much longer break from writing, but it was still only a few months before I was itching to (and needed to financially) get back to my desk. I know, I know, it’s a disease!

Ireland has produced an explosion of strong, intelligent, creative, witty, highly professional writers over the last fifteen years, women who are respected and loved all over the world. We have authors like Anne Enright and Claire Kilroy flying the flag for literary fiction; in the popular fiction corner, the great Maeve Binchy, and the other popular fiction giants, Marian Keyes, Sheila O’Flanagan, Cathy Kelly, Patricia Scanlan, and more recently Cecelia Ahern; Alex Barclay and Arlene Hunt heading up the crime team. And Galway based Kate Thompson has won more children’s literature awards than I can remember. And now, and now, our first Children’s Laureate is a woman – the wonderful Siobhan Parkinson.

Let’s hear it for the girls!

Last time I counted there are around twenty-five Irish women writers making a living from writing fiction. If you include children’s writers, illustrators and non fiction writers, I’m sure there are at least a dozen more. So there close to forty Irish women writers chipping away, day after day, creating, creating, creating.

Isn’t that something to celebrate? I’m proud to be part of the tribe.

McNally said in hsi piece ‘Any writer who starts work at 3am every day deserves some respect.’ Hear, hear. But please also raise a glass to the writing mums: the writing and minding toddlers at the same time women; the mothering by day, writing by night women; the juggling school runs, book launches and what’s-in-your-handbag-interview women; the ones desperately trying to keep their plot running in their head while sitting in the hospital waiting room with a teenager with a broken finger women (ie me!) so they can drop the teenager back to school with a strapped up finger and get back to work; the ones who wrote whole books while sitting outside the school waiting for their kids. Here’s to me and you, ladies!

Yours in writing,

Sarah X

Creating a Series Bible

As some of you will know I am currently working on book 4 of my Ask Amy Green series for young teens. My series was called Amy Green: Teen Agony Queen, which although it sounded pretty zippy, apparently means some parents, teachers and librarians weren’t buying it for age 10/11+ which it is aimed at. The clue was in the word ‘teen’! So Walker, who are very sensible when it comes to pretty much everything, tweaked the series name slightly.

I digress – yes, again! I know, I know, I’m always digressing!

Back to my point. In order to keep track of the ages, physical characteristics, birthdays, clothes, hair, eyes, dancing ability, musical tastes, name of ex-girlfriends/bands/schools and a myriad of other details I need to remember which is only growing and growing with every book, I have a big spiral notebook in which I jot down these things. I refer to if I get a bit confused/lost/freaked out.

And it’s proved invaluable. Each character has their own page, or in the main characters’ cases, pages. Even very minor characters are covered. And I have sticky notes attached to the top of pages with some of the characters’ names on them. It’s all messy, messy but it works.

For example on Mills’s page I have:

Mills Starr, age 13 Dog – Simba (Jeepers, quite honestly I’d forgotten I’d given the Starrs a dog – darn it!) Claire – Mills’s big sis – in Perm at a ballet school Mills – great cook Long dark brown hair she wears in a ponytail mostly Classic dresser – quite safe Good with engines – can jump start cars (with leads I mean, not stealing them – she’d never, ever do something like that.), check oil and water etc Dad – Allan – age 56 – mad into model boats and airfix – bit of a geek (Rex hasn’t actually appeared in any books but he has been referenced), Titanic nut Mum - Sue Starr – 51 - Cath Kidson addict and loves baking Mills’s birthday – Valentine’s Day Says ‘Holy Moly’ a lot Her real name is Amelia Salutes at magpies and is scared of crossed sticks Into star signs Lives in 21 Sycamore Park Hiccups in her sleep Fave food – choc brownies Fave colour – pink Collects stones from the beaches she’s visited In 2O, Mr Olen's class This list goes on and on and on and on . . .

I won’t bore you with any more – but you get the idea. You should see the pages for Amy and Clover if you think Mills’s is looking long!

As well as being useful, it’s also fun. I only wish I could draw so I could sketch my characters too. I do envy the author/illustrators.

Anyway yesterday I found out that what I’ve been doing – my notebook of characters – is called a ‘series bible’. Great name, eh!

So folks, how’s your own series bible coming along? Start one now before you need one - it will make your writing life a whole lot easier, believe me.

Yours in writing,

Sarah X

Motivation and Spiders

Motivation and Spiders This morning I was up a ladder with a sweeping brush, attacking age-old cobwebs that have happily lived on our wooden ceiling for years. But today it bothered me. OK, that’s a lie. Today I was looking for something to do that didn’t involve sitting down at my desk.

It hasn’t been a great week writing-wise. I squeezed out 500 words on Monday; Tuesday was bit more successful, but yesterday I gave up altogether and spent the day doing other things.

And I had a great time – chatted to Ryan Tubridy on his radio show live from the Dead Zoo (opening again today – hurrah!), read the new Patrick Ness (best yet – Monsters of Men – amazingly fab book) in bed in the afternoon, met some book friends in the evening for an early dinner.

And then. AND THEN – went to see Rufus Wainwright in the Grand Canal Theatre. Quite the showman. Very strange first half – Rufus in a theatrical coat with feather ruff and 17 foot train, very jaunty and touching second half, complete with lots of stories and asides. What a sweet, funny, talented man he is.

Anyway, today I have my writing mojo back and after this quick blog I will get straight to it.

But here’s the thing - sometimes you can’t force the writing. If you’re exhausted, if your spirits are low, if there’s too much going on in your life to concentrate you just have to take some time out and replenish your writing soul. But take too much time off and it’s hard to get back in the writing saddle.

So if you haven’t been writing in a while, stop chasing spiders up ladders and get to it.

Back to your desks, people.

Yours in writing,

SarahX

PS Jodi Picoult gets up at 5.30 every morning, walks for 3 miles, sends her kids off to school and then writes until they get home. But I bet she has off days just like the rest of us!

A Writer's Manifesto

According to my Oxford Concise a manifesto is ‘a public declaration of a policy and aims’. I’m currently planning a tour in October for 3 teen/tween writers – 3 days, 3 cities, 3 remarkable writers – title yet to be decided, but we have some pretty nifty names already. The writers involved are Judi Curtin, writer of the fab Alice and Megan series, Sophia Bennett, writer of the equally fab Threads series set in the London fashion world, and moi!

And I came up with a tongue in cheek manifesto:

No vampires No werewolves No boys that go bump in the night

Real girls Real drama Really amazing stories straight from the heart Prepare to be pinked!

We all write books for age 9/10+ with characters who are in their early teens. We all deal with real life issues – family drama, friendship problems, bullying – hence the no vampires, no werewolves bit.

So it got me thinking – maybe I should have my own writing manifesto, a Sarah Webb Manifesto. A ‘public declaration’ of my writing intentions.

So here goes:

I guess my most important aim is to entertain.

First commandment of popular fiction of any kind is (as the lovely Claudia Carroll once said): Thou shalt not bore. Quite right too.

Second aim – to say something.

I know this sounds a little vague but sometimes I read books that don’t actually say anything. They just potter along, telling a nice story, but not really going anywhere. I think books should have something solid rooted at the heart of them – a theme if you like. Sometimes that theme doesn’t make itself fully known until you finish the 1st or 2nd or even the 3rd draft, but it’s often bubbling away under the surface of your words, slowly rising to the surface. For example in the first Amy Green book I wanted to tell readers it’s OK to be yourself. In fact it’s pretty darn cool to be yourself. It’s a theme that runs through all the Amy Green books.

My third aim is to write with passion and with confidence.

I’ve been writing for many years now and I’ve started to understand what both these things really mean and how important they are. Write without passion and you’re doomed. The confidence bit – that can be learned over time. But if you write with both passion and confidence – then you might just have a pretty good book on your hands.

So there you have it – three aims for my own personal manifesto.

What are your aims when you write?

Do you have a writing manifesto?

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Another Word on Editing

A Word on Editing

Humble apologies for the lack of posts recently. What with Easter and friends visiting, it’s been pretty hectic the last few weeks. At the moment I’m working away on the edits of the third Amy Green book – Bridesmaid Blitz (out in Oct). I had an email from my editor today and I’d like to share it with you as it’s lovely.

Writers work away in this funny vacuum, not knowing if what they are producing is hitting the mark. I am very lucky to have two editors in Walker Books, both of whom really know their stuff. After a pretty stiff and thorough rewrite – after a very frank editorial meeting in London with both of them – I submitted Amy Green 3 mark 2 nervously, hoping they would like what I’d done.

I’d hacked the middle out of the book. It was veering away from Amy’s story and I had to bring it back and the only way I could do this was to rewrite a good chunk of the main plot. So I got rid of about 1/3 of the book (about 17,000 words) and created lots of new scenes.

There were a lot of different subplots in the original draft and I got rid of several of these – including a school production of Grease that I was rather fond of – but by tearing them out, gave the main story (Amy’s story) room to breathe.

Luckily my editors liked what I’d done. However there are still three reasonably big plot problems/blips that I now have to iron out.

In the editorial letter (I didn’t get one for the 1st rewrite as there was so much to do!), my editor has broken it down into sections – bless – to make things easy for me.

I have to 1/ build up the Seth/Polly subplot – which I’ve just done. 2/ Work on a particular agony aunt letter that doesn’t quite click. And 3/ work on Amy’s relationship with – look away if you’re an Amy Green fan, plot spoiler coming up – relationship with her new baby sister, Grace.

I spent this week working on the Seth/Polly subplot – researching breast cancer, treatment, drugs and clinical trials. Then I wrote new scenes using the research. But here’s the thing: I had no idea whether I’d overwritten the scenes (they are pretty sad – but cancer in all its forms is hardly a walk in the park!), used too much or not enough technical information; whether they held the reader’s attention or if they were too slow moving. I’m always aware that young readers have a hell of a lot of other demands on their time and, above all, I aim to hold their interest.

So I sent the new chapters to my editor for some feedback – and here’s a snippet of the email she sent me:

Wow! These new chapters are absolutely brilliant! I love them. There is so much emotion in there, and all the facts about the cancer/drug trial etc are really interesting – you’ve gone into just the right level of detail. It all feels so much more real now. Never mind Amy, I feel like Niagara Falls! (Amy cries a lot in the chapters)

Right, I’m off to mop up my mascara!

It made my week!

I’m lucky to have editors who care about my writing and who really get what I’m trying to do. I’m truly blessed. To the gods of writing up there, I thank you for bringing us together.

I wish you all such kind and thoughtful editors.

Yours in writing,

SarahX

Every Writer Needs a Friend Who Writes

Today I was thinking about how lucky I am to have friends who are also writers. Darned good ones too - far better than I am! I love being able to send a friend a cover design and get some honest feedback - 'Honey, not in a million years, the woman on the cover looks like a slapper.' 'Babe that lettering has so much character it could practically walk off the page.' 'Don't let them murder your book like that - demand a rethink.' Oh, yes, writerly friends can be brutal - but refreshingly so.

And they'll also tell you the truth about your work - if you are very lucky. 'Not your best to be honest, but put it behind you and move on. The next one sounds like a real gong winner.' 'Amazing stuff. My favourite by far. You go for it, girl.' Sometimes you need to hear the truth, other times you just need a writerly hug.

Writers understand, really understand what it means to write, the nail biting horror of publication day (sorry, maybe that's just me!), the sheer drudgery of it some days, the unimaginable joy of it other days. Trying to edit while cooking fishfingers for the kids yet again, trying to glam up for photographers who are coming at 10am on a Saturday morning, the crushing review or even worse, no reviews at all. Knowing they understand and truly care, that means everything to me.

Writing is a lonely old game - tapping away at a keyboard, day after day after day. It's nice to have someone on the other end of a phone, or email, or Facebook who can say 'Cheer up, chuck, only another 50,000 words to go. Nearly there!' And actually mean it.

So here's to all my writer friends - and I do hope you all find some good writer friends of your own. And if you do, hang on to them and never let go.

Do not protect yourself by a fence, rather by your friends - old Czech proverb. Hear, hear!

Yours in writing, SarahX

The Truth About Book Pr and Events

That's the funny thing about doing events and publicity for books - publication and all it entails: launches, radio interviews; writing columns; getting pics to go with the columns taken at odd times like 5pm (kids' tea time in our house and always a zoo!), Sat morning just before you have to get the kids out to soccer; book events and book tours - it makes you realise how much you actually enjoy a normal writing day. Some writers love the whole buzz of publication - but most don't. Most - me included - would like maybe 2 or 3 days of it - just to mark the fact that a new book is actually out - and would then like to be allowed slink gracefully back behind our desks to write again.

But such is the life of a writer these days - you must do whatever you can to make your book sell so that a publisher will actually pay you to write another one. And if that includes telling journalists (who I must say are mostly lovely) what you had for breakfast, so be it.

But the most important thing is the writing - get that right first. Worry about all the rest of the hoopla later.

Here's something I've learned over the last 15 years - if your book is really, really good, word of mouth is the most vital ingredient of all when it comes to book sales. You can have the best cover in the world, be on all the radio and telly shows, have bookmarks and posters coming out your ears, and if the book isn't up to scratch no one will recommend it to their friends or family.

So heads down and write!

But I must say visiting 8 schools all over England and meeting some amazing girls and teachers was an experience I will never forget. More about that next week . . .

Have a fab weekend.

And remember - heads down, the writing's the thing!

Sarah XXX

What I've Learned About Writing

Amy Green 2: Summer Secrets and The Loving Kind (adult novel - about plastic surgery and ghost-writing pretty much) are both out next week and I'm bricking it. Most writers worry terribly that their books will:

a/ not be on the shelves at all - lost in transit or stuck in a box at the back of the shop (happens I'm afraid)

b/ be badly reviewed - we are sensitive souls - saying that I've only ever had one stinky review in 15 odd years so I'm doing well. And dozens of nice ones - isn't it terrible the way we remember the bad ones?

Amy Green 1: Boy Trouble got some smashing reviews, my best yet - so that was very heartening.

We also worry that our regular readers, our life blood, won't enjoy the new book as much as the last one. And yes, some of them are very honest and will tell you exactly what they think of it!

But most of all, we worry that our new book will be largely ignored - no reviews, no reader letters, no sales.

Yet still we write . . . we can't help but write!

I've just sent Amy 3 to my editors in London - fingers crossed they will like the changes I've made to the story. I pulled out the entire middle section and rewrote it with as much passion and energy as I could, concentrating on the central 'theme' and plot of the book - and trying not to go off message this time! I think it worked - let's see if my editors agree. I'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow I'll start working on Amy 4 - having a look at what I've already written, changing the start, moving scenes around, and again, trying to concentrate on the central 'theme'. (No, no 'break' - I have lots of events coming up in Feb so I have to use my time wisely - anyway, to me planning and playing with a new book is a break! It's fun - and if I can take my time over it - yeah!)

Over the last 2 years I've learned so much about writing - things I wish I'd known when I started out in this business. I've learned to write with energy and passion - not to 'hold back' - to throw everything I have onto the page, every single writing day of my life.

I've learned how important big, wonderful, interesting characters are - characters readers can identify with and fall in love with. Characters with big hearts and big flaws. Clover in Amy Green has been a big hit with readers - she's certainly larger than life, but realistic too I hope.

My grammar still needs some work - should I be saying 'learned' or 'learnt' for eg? My spelling - also not so hot. But I can live with that - and I can try and improve!

I've also learned the importance of concentrating on the central message or theme - what is it I'm trying to say exactly? What's at the heart of the book? For this, I often need help from my editors - and sometimes this 'theme' doesn't come until I've finished the book and am working on rewrites. In Amy 1 for eg the theme was learning to be yourself, and not being swayed by peer pressure. Book 2 - the danger of keeping secrets and not being honest.

I've learned that I tend to fly through scenes too quickly - sometimes I need to slow down, give my writing room to breathe (this was a recent discovery!).

Oh and for an agent, editor, and publishing team to really get behind your book - it has to be pretty special. Aim for pretty special - be original and be yourself.

Yours in writing,

SarahX

Writers' Routines

Writers’ routines – from Patricia to Isabel, and even Jack Kerouac Interesting piece in the Irish Times the other day by Frank McNally about writers and how they start their writing day.

Here’s Isabel Allende on the subject: ‘I light some candles for the spirits and the muses. I meditate for a while. I always have fresh flowers and incense. And I open myself completely to the experience that begins in that moment . . . And slowly the story seems to unfold itself, in spite of me.’

Patricia Scanlan also lights candles before she starts writing, and says a little writing prayer.

Jack Kerouac went about things a little differently. ‘You think about what actually happened, you tell friends long stories about it, you mull it over in your mind, you connect it together at leisure, then when the time comes to pay the rent again, you force yourself to sit at the typewrite, or at the writing notebook and get it over with as fast as you can.’

And Patrick Dennis (no, me neither. Apparently he was a big writer in the 1950’s.) said ‘I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.’

Gore Vidal: ‘First coffee, then a bowel movement, then the muse joins me.’

And finally, William Styron. 'I like to stay up late at night and get drunk and sleep late. I wish I could break the habit but I can't. The afternoon is the only time I have left and I try to use it to the best advantage, with a hangover.' Lived till 81 all the same.

Just goes to show – every writer is very, very different!

So how do I start my writing day?

Breakfast (with the kids – often with CBEEBies on – I can just about stand it as it doesn’t have an ads, I’ve banned everything else in the morning) I try to read the Sunday papers while eating – this goes on until Friday generally – and zone out the noise. Get the kids to school. Walk – usually for about 30 mins – gets rid of the cobwebs and stretches my neck and back out. Usually down the West pier in Dun Laoghaire. No music, just my own thoughts to amuse me. Ideally I think about the scene I’m about to write – but usually I just worry about the teenager and pipes bursting and the usual stuff. (No, we didn't leave our taps running - honest. Not guilty!) Home. Try to avoid talking to anyone. Sit down at my desk. And here’s my one quirk I guess – switch on the pink fairy lights over my desk. That’s when I know I’m supposed to be writing – when my lights are on. Try not to mess around on the internet. Fail. Check emails, Facebook. Check out the cute kids singing Eye of the Tiger on You Tube. Tell myself to get on with the writing. Start writing. (It can take me a good hour to get to this stage I am ashamed to admit.) Look up two to three hours later and wonder where the time has gone. And if I’m lucky, I’ll get my 2,000 words done in that time. And that’s my writing morning. Afternoon – edit, write other bits and bobs, do my blogs etc. No candles I’m afraid – will fairy lights do?

What's your own routine like?

Yours in writing,

Sarah X

PS I’m going to ask some of my writer friends for their routines and post them for you. I bet Martina Devlin is far more disciplined than I am!!!