Lexicon: Steampunk

Steampunk: a subgenre of historical fiction and science fiction that takes place surrounding the industrial age (mostly the turn of 18th century to the 19th). Often it is part alternate history so a mix of technology (real and imagined) can be intermixed with real events or people from the time period.

Two primary focuses are prevalent:
- inventions and how the rise of technology effects everyday life (leans toward science fiction ideals),
- emphasis on how the main characters band together for a purpose even though they generally would not be friends (leans towards a fantasy quest).

Examples: Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina, Mainspring by Jay Lake, and The Affinity Bridge by George Mann.

Books: Writing Great Books for Young Adults

Writing Great Books for Young Adults

My Verdict: Don’t Bother

Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks covers the basics needed for any novel, nothing revolutionary for the Young Adult genre.

The first chapter has five decent tips for writing YA (like "don't be a phony" you should have current cred with kids today so you aren't out of date or preachy and read a lot in the genre you are writing). After that the book gets less specific to the YA genre and reads more like a thesis paper on how to write a novel (making characters, dissecting plot structure, choosing POV, how not to write dialogue, etc).

Even though the book discusses different structures and clichés it does not use a lot of examples. The ones it does mention were not necessarily YA books when they were written (but it could be argued that they were the forefathers).

It was refreshing to see “Dialog Tags” (p.95), “The verb to be” (p. 102) and “Adjectives and adverbs” (p.102-103) covered in a concise way (use “said” for everything, cut out was, -ing, and –ly words by using past tense).

As a quick, basic refresher book it does fine. More current examples from the YA field would've helped define the genre today (even though it was published in 2009).

If you are looking for another book on general writing advice you might find her concise writing style helpful.


Homework: compare your favorite YA book from your youth to a YA book that came out within the last year.

Rating Scale: Keep On Desk, Own it, Read it, Skim it, Don't Bother

Lexicon: Editor

Editor: is usually divided into two types Content & Story Editor versus a Line Editor.

A Content & Story Editor examines each part of your story to make sure it feels complete and that it fits into a genre. These parts include, but are not limited to: audience, characters, descriptions, dialogue, genre, main story arc, minor story arcs, pacing, plot, point of view, setting, tension, and theme. It is important to use a Content and Story Editor before seeking publication in order to make sure your work is polished enough to impress Agents and Publishers.

A Line Editor focuses on grammar and punctuation. You should consider using a Line Editor before mailing out your manuscript to Agents and Publishers to avoid getting dumped in the slush pile.

What is their motivation?

Money. Out of the three sides of the editorial triangle this is the only one you usually have to pay for (unless you’ve got a friend on the inside). Yes, editors enjoy being appreciated for their hard work and seeing their clients go on to be published electronically and in brick and mortar stores, but at the end of the day editors have gone to school to learn the tricks of the trade and it is a job.

Editors are just one side of the editorial triangle (along with critique partners and beta readers). In the normal flow of events your critique partners will work with you as you write, a content and story editor will help you shape your narrative, then beta readers allow you to get a glimpse at how your audience will react. After that you’ll need a line editor, an agent, and a publisher, but try to focus on the important part first: write your novel.

After you work with each editor you'll need to revise before sending your manuscript on to agents and publishers. If you're not ready for an editor just yet remember to focus on the most important part first: write your novel.

Suggestion: Constructive Day Dreams

Do you have a boring commute to work? Are you unable to read while you exercise? Do you hate singing in the shower? Don’t worry about wasting this time any more – use it for Constructive Day Dreams.

Constructive day dreaming is when you let yourself relax while doing a repetitive chore and think of all the crazy what if’s that could be in your novel.

The key is to pick a topic before you start day dreaming:

• Filling in a character profile (back story, habits, dialogue peculiarities).
• Setting description (every setting needs at least one unique characteristic to set it apart from every other bar, house, castle, forest, field).
• Plot speed (you know from your re-reads the parts you want to skim over – think about why that is and how you might change it).
• Genre expectations (after you’ve plotted the whole novel or done your first draft, look back and ask yourself whether you have too many items expected in your genre [which might start to look cliché] or so little that your genre is undefined [publisher’s want to know what shelf to put you on]).

All of these will need constructive day dreaming time. Do not think of it as being lazy to schedule it into your plans – just make sure that it is a planned topic to think through instead of random stream of consciousness.

This differs from brainstorming in one way: constructive day dreaming is about filling in the blank rooms and undefined details – brainstorming is about figuring out if the choices you’ve made are the right ones.

In short: day dreaming is not being lazy, when you use your time constructively.

Lexicon: Show, Don't Tell

Show, Don’t Tell: is a phrase that reminds writers to give the reader evidence so that they come to the concluding thought with the protagonist of the story instead of the reader being told what to think.

Let’s look at two statements:

She was a raven haired beauty from the gods.

Her black hair curled into delicate ringlets to frame a pale face with the barest touch of eyeliner and lipstick.

First line: Telling, Second line: Showing. Why does someone not wear much makeup? Because they are beautiful enough without it.

Showing always takes longer than telling, but it gives the reader so much more to consider. Who would concentrate on curled hair and makeup to decide if someone was beautiful? 

• A man or a woman? 
• Young or old? 
• A hair stylist or an up and coming actor? 

When you know Who is thinking, you’ll know exactly What they would be thinking about.

Whatever style you’re narrating in (first or third) this will help the reader sink into the mind of the current protagonist. 

• A fashion designer will always look at clothes, 
• an art student will notice every picture during a shopping excursion,
• a perfume seller will notice the natural scents on a hike and other hikers. 

Know your character and what to show will be easy.

How do you know when to Tell vs. when to Show? Gear your brain for Showing everything that is important to the novel and you’ll find yourself telling the readers less. Yes, there will be some instances throughout the novel where telling is necessary, but make it short, and make the protagonist desperate to hear about the new information so that the reader will also be excited to finally know the answers.

Genre is definitely important – Sci-fi gets away with telling because they have to explain how different technologies work, but a romance will drag if given the same treatment. Pick up a good book you’ve already read in your genre, flip to a random page, and try to identify how much telling vs. showing is going on.  

Books: 27 Fiction Writing Blunders - And How Not To Make Them!

27 Fiction Writing Blunders
My Verdict: Own It

27 Fiction Writing Blunders - And How Not To Make Them! by James Scott Bell is a decent reminder for a leisurely afternoon.

When writing and revising a novel there are hundreds of details to consider and no timeline oriented checklist of when to make sure you haven't written a cliche (dialogue, characters, or plot). This book is a quick and easy read to remind you of the failings all writers can get trapped in when they get distracted.

Highlights of the book include:

Chapter 3: Marshmallow Dialogue
Chapter 5: Pure Evil Villains
Chapter 7: Low stakes
Chapter 10: Happy People In Happy Land
Chapter 11: Head Hopping
Chapter 14: No Push Through The Door
Chapter 19: Settling on First Ideas 

Most of the chapters deserve a thorough read, but these were especially well explained and often show up as problems in first drafts.

Six chapters specifically deal with the writers life and difficulties (after the titles I've written my log line for each in parentheses):

Chapter 1: Letting Fear Get A Foothold (I'm not good enough to be a writer)
Chapter 9: Neglected Brain (how to keep healthy and on track)
Chapter 15: Chip on the Shoulder (fine line between inflated ego and timid mouse)
Chapter 17: Letting Block Tackle You (three categories of writers block)
Chapter 18: Market Ignorance (write for an audience, but not for a market)
Chapter 25: Quitting (the only way to fail)

At the end of the book is a section on the high points of Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php).

Two pieces of great advice found in this book:

• "Act first, explain later" in order to cut out exposition. (first used halfway through chapter 2)
• "the key to keeping readers happy" is to "Bond reader to character, keep it there for a whole book, then pay off that connection at the end."(last lines to chapter 24).

Homework: identify in your novel why your reader bonds with your lead character and check to see if that scene needs to be revised for an "act first, explain later" scenario.


Rating Scale: Keep On Desk, Own it, Read it, Skim it, Don't Bother

Lexicon: Critique Partner

Critique Partner: a fellow writer whom you trust to give constructive criticism of your novel and you return the favor for their work.

This could mean anything from meeting weekly for coffee and reading your latest chapter aloud, to sending your full novel to a friend half-way around the world for their comments. Some partners even brainstorm the plot, characters, setting, of a novel before they start writing chapters. This process enables you to get constructive criticism (they point out what’s good and what sucks) as well as encouragement to keep writing when you feel too busy to make it happen. This relationship only works between the right people and when both are interested in putting in the same amount of effort. It is most effective when your partner is in the same genre.

Instead of a relationship between two people it can be a small group (3-5), but the more members you include equals less time spent on each member.

What is their motivation?

Sure, your critique partner(s) want to help you, but they also want honest, polite, constructive criticism on their own manuscript. Each time you send more of your work and are nervous about what you will get back, remember that they feel the same way.

Make sure to nail down the details of your relationship before you start exchanging work. Details like: 

• have deadlines for turning in the manuscript and returning comments, 
• know what type of comments you want (like: don’t worry about grammar or dialogue, but make sure the setting fits), and 
• find ways to reward yourselves for reaching accomplishments (go out bowling when you both have five chapters completed).

Critique Partners are just one side to the editorial triangle (along with editors and beta readers). In the normal flow of events your critique partners will work with you as you write, a content and story editor will help you shape your narrative, then beta readers allow you to get a glimpse at how your audience will react. 

After that you’ll need a line editor, an agent, and a publisher, but try to focus on the important part first: write your novel.