June 2015 – MS Editors

6 Writing & Editing Lessons from My Students

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Elizabeth B.

When I’m not editing, I’m teaching writing classes for 7^th-12^th grade students at a homeschool co-op. It’s a lot of fun—the students all have unique minds and different writing abilities, and I love watching them grow in their academic and creative writing.

As different as the teens all are, there have been specific issues that tend to repeat in their writing. As I’ve taught them to grow in these areas, I’ve realized that it’s not just kids making these mistakes. They’re common to writers of all ages, and if the weaknesses can be universal, so can the lessons on how to fix them.

Here are six of the lessons for better writing that I taught my students. I’ll be covering each of them in more depth on my personal blog in July, but this overview will hopefully get you thinking about what you can do to kick your own writing up a notch. Continue reading 6 Writing & Editing Lessons from My Students

What to do with writer’s jealousy

Posted on June 17, 2015June 22, 2015 by Megan

We’ve all been there–whether swapping work with a fellow writer, engrossed in a gripping novel or just stumbling across a soccer mom’s blog–the heart beats a little faster, the face flushes red. Enter jealousy.

Eww. Even the word conjures images of crying kids and grotesque green monsters. When jealous rears it’s ugly head, we tend to push it down, embarrassed or ashamed. Even worse, we let it run wild, blind us to our own true desires. It’s not fun to admit, but we all have jealousy rolling around in the bottom of our emotional toolbox, a loose screw we’d rather forget was there.

But that’s just it. It is an emotion and it can be used as a tool.

Let’s turn this thing on its head a minute.

What if we viewed jealousy as device we could master, an emotion that didn’t debilitate (or turn our fingers into chubby green covet claws). I think it’s possible and really not all that hard. So if you’re a writer, these steps are for you just as much as for me. They’re simple and no perfect prescription, but you’ll get the gist… and you’ll also get the better of jealousy before it gets the better of you!

What to do with writer’s jealousy

1. Figure out what kind of jealous you are.
Do you a) wish you had what the other has or b)wish the other didn’t have it? There’s a big difference. With option a, you can go somewhere. But option b should be avoided. A shows you that you are positively dissatisfied. A dissatisfaction that is not just discontent for the moment, but a dissatisfaction that says I want to do better, be better. Option b is the uglier side of jealousy. Wishing ill of others, wishing they would not succeed or even that they’d fail. This kind of thinking will never help you succeed; bashing another writer in your brain will only waste away think time and take up creative space. So if you’re b, forget it. It’s not worth your time; you’re headed toward a life of disappointment. If you’re a, keep on keeping on.

2. Figure out if you really want what you think you want.
This is can be tricky, because thanks to social media and all this Internet jazz, it’s pretty easy to be swayed by another person’s form of success. But really take time to evaluate. Do you want to be published in a magazine? Do you really want a popular blog? Do you want to write a YA book? Think about what goes into these accomplishments and decide if that’s really what you’re aiming at. If not, then move on. Re-focus on your end goal and discern if you’re taking the right steps to get there.

3. Take steps toward what you really want.
If you’ve realized that the flare-up of jealousy comes from a place of simple and pure motivation towards your goals. If you can honestly say this is what you want, not what someone else wants for you, not trying to fit the status quo. Then look at your life. Look at your calendar. Are your making and taking the time for stepping toward your goal? If not, it’s time. Don’t put it off any longer. Make a weekly map and make it happen, one day at a time.

Turning jealousy on its head is definitely a journey. If you’ve found ways to deal with writer’s jealousy, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Note from Lara: What a great post, Megan! One way that I deal with writer’s jealousy is to cheer writers on instead. Many writers don’t participate in writing contests out of fear, fear that their pride would be damaged or fear of jealousy of other writers. What if I don’t do well in the contest? What if others do better? The only writer we should be comparing ourselves to is the one we were yesterday, last month, last year, five years ago. Every writer has his or her own path to success, but each one is filled with rejection and self-doubt.
I’ve created a new contest called pg70pit. It’s anonymous, so the only writer who will know if you get into the final seven or get agent requests is you. Any writer with a complete, polished MG, teen, or adult novel is welcome to enter, with the only exception being the genre of erotica (since excerpts will be posted publicly). Find out more at bit.ly/70pit, or visit bit.ly/LaraBlog on July 7th to see the top entries!

Sometimes Less is More

Posted on June 10, 2015June 9, 2015 by Kyra Nelson

As an undergrad, I was a teaching assistant for a writing class designed for computer science majors. While some of the students were very good writers, many hated writing and really struggled with the class. Most of the assignments were short—one paragraph of ten typed lines—and we deducted points if the assignment was too long.

One student in particular complained when he lost points for writing something twice as long as the assignment required. He argued that he had done more than the required amount of work and should be rewarded. What he didn’t understand was that when it comes to writing, longer isn’t always better, and shorter is often harder.

It’s not hard to see where the longer-is-better mindset comes from. Most class assignments have minimum page requirements, not maximum page requirements. But some of the hardest writing you’ll ever do will be making something long shorter. You’ll need to fit the synopsis for your entire book into a query letter. You’ll have to convince the school of your dreams that you’re a great applicant in a one-page statement of purpose. You’ll have to squeeze your hilarious story into a 140 character tweet. Short is hard!

Writing something long forces you to use a lot of words, but writing something short forces you to use them economically. That’s what makes it difficult. In shorter pieces, each word needs to be working for its keep, and you need to be judicious in knowing which words are doing the work most effectively.

The good news is that learning to write under tight length constraints will improve your longer works too. You’ll learn to choose words that get a lot of bang for their buck, and that will make you a better writer.

The Best Writing Advice

Posted on June 3, 2015June 2, 2015 by kaleighwalter

Repost! But so worth it…

The best writing advice I ever received: read what you want to write like.

This idea may be simple, but it’s also a very effective one. Read prose or poetry that inspires you. Read what you want to imitate. After all, imitation is the best form of flattery, right? So, flatter away. And just so I’m clear, I’m not giving you free reign to plagiarize. Instead, I’m saying good art is catching.

I have a friend who is a brilliant graphic designer. And she has an inspiration board, containing anything and everything that inspires her creativity: pictures, fonts, fashion, patterns, people, etc. When stuck on a project, she’ll often update her board, filling her visual world with things that will help her be a better artist.

Writers also have inspiration boards; we call them bookshelves.

In college, my writing professor encouraged us to read poetry for ten minutes before we wrote. She ardently believed poetry, with its lyrically articulate grace, would rub off on our personal essays, prose, or poems. She believed it would improve our diction (word choices) and would open up new and creative perspectives of our own work. And I agree with her.

So am I saying that you have to read poetry? No (although, I hope you do), but I am saying you need to read something good.

Whether it’s an old favorite or a new one, let good books infect you in the best way possible. Let well-written, beautifully crafted prose and poetry influence your writing style. Let witty characters and sublime plot lines feed your imagination.

So, read, read, and then read some more. Read like your own work depended on it. Subconsciously absorb every good word.

Need some recommendations? Here are some of my favorites from my very own inspiration board: