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First Draft Readers

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Am I nervous? #writetip Of course I am. I have a new reader for my third novel. I decided I needed someone to read my novel that hadn’t read the first two. So what did I do to prepare my reader? A reader has different responsibilities at each stage of the  novel.

For the first draft I give the reader a list of suggestions and questions.

1. Don’t worry about proofreading for typos. That will come later.

2. Each time you suspect a character of committing the crime, write it in the margin. This allows me to see if I’ve dropped too few or too many hints.

3. Did you start to skim anywhere? This is how I find out if I’ve put too much detail.

4. Are you unsure who is speaking? This means I didn’t add enough dialogue tags.

5. Sometimes a character doesn’t appear for a few chapters. When they reappear, do you remember who they are or do I have to add a reminder?

6. Is there anything you didn’t understand or that was confusing?

And finally I ask them to comment on any passages they liked. To me this is just as important as finding out what didn’t work. Then I can review that passage and understand why they liked it. Okay, and it’s a nice boost to the ego.

Provisioning For Farley

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments
Farley's Fed for the Winter

So who says my wheaten terrier is spoiled? #sailing Here he sits with his high-end pet food, Orijen, waiting patiently to eat.

Today, Farley and I went shopping. This mound will get him through till the spring. He even got to pick his own treat. Of course he chose a Bully Strap. While I loaded the car, he ate his treat in the pet store.

Dog food in the Bahamas can be expensive and the choice limited. I buy the smaller bags to reduce the risk of spoilage. If I lose one bag, that’s okay.

The smaller bags are easier to store on a sailboat. We just have to remember where we store them. After six months, it’s easy to forget.

My lucky dog.

Testing: Equipment and Scenes

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

As we get ready to head offshore we test all our equipment. #writetip Before you send your manuscript off to an agent or publisher, you should test it too. I can’t imagine going to sea unprepared or unsure that everything, and I mean everything, is working. Here we are testing bring the sail up and down, repeatedly.

I use several test people at different stages of my novel. I have a two very important test phases.

One is at first draft. Here you need a test reader that will work with you chapter by chapter and tell you what they like and what they don’t like.

Two is at the final stage before sending. Here you need a reader that has an amazing eye for detail. This is the person that will proofread for you. The one that will find all the typos your eye can no longer see.

If I’ve significantly changed a scene from when one of my experts read it, I will ask them to read one more time.  This is asking a lot, but I want to make sure I didn’t inadvertently put in a technical error.

I’m sure there are many ways to do this, but this is what works for me.

The Beginning: The End

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

How important is it to come full circle in your novel? #writetip

I find myself at the first draft stage of my third novel. This is a good opportunity for me to check that the ending fits with the first chapter.

Here are some important questions you can ask:

1. Do you close off on any problems you created for your protagonist or other main characters?

2. Do you answer any questions you left hanging in the first chapter?

3. What reasons did you give the reader to keep reading after chapter one? There must be closure to these issues.

4. Do the first and last chapter have something in common?

I like a novel to feel rounded. I want to know there was a point to the first chapter and that the author wrote it as part of a story and not a gimmick to get me reading.  The questions help me ensure my novel offers the reader the same courtesy.

Guest Blogging

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

If you want guest bloggers, can you make it easier for them to write  for your blog? #writetip

I’ve been asked twice now and feeling very flattered. Blogging keeps me writing daily. Yup – great practice. Now I’m thinking about what to write for other blogs.

One of the bloggers sent me a list of questions, specified length of article, and asked for photos. I found this helpful in focusing what I wrote.

The other blog asked if I would guest blog. To get an idea of what they want,  I’ve been reading for a while and getting a feel for what is appropriate for the site.

I found receiving a list of questions made writing the blog much easier and less time consuming. Even though I was asked later, I got that blog written first.

Cruising, Writing and Spreadsheets

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments
Provisioning

Do we really need to eat this much? #sailing #writetip

I think I’ve turned into a spreadsheet junky.

I have just reached a first draft of my third novel. Now I study the spreadsheet I created as I was writing the novel, decide at the best order of scenes, where the chapter breaks should be, do I have enough scenes with the main characters, etc.

As if my head wasn’t exploding with details,  but I was feeling so productive and decided it was time to do some provisioning.  So out came spreadsheet number two. After two years of updating this spreadsheet, I know exactly how much food we eat.

Every season, I write down when we run out of food or if we have left overs at the end of the season. It’s getting pretty accurate. During the season I add lines if there is something we were missing. Last year, I didn’t bring enough honey. One little bottle. What was I thinking? I love honey.

Today it’s back to my writing spreadsheet and the hard work of editing that first draft.

Related links:

Keeping Track of Details

Preparations for Cruising

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment
Vero Beach, FL Mooring Field

The boats are starting to line up in the Vero Beach mooring field. #sailing

As I sit in my cockpit working on my novel, I can’t help but stop and enjoy the view. I should really be provisioning, as this is the time of year we get ready to cross the Gulf Stream and head for the Bahamas.

It’s an exciting time to be a cruiser in Florida. Many of our friends who cruise are arriving and each day we look forward to seeing who is in the mooring field. Some have passed us already and are farther south. Some are still farther north haven’t caught up to us.

Our catamaran, Mattina, is almost  ready to go. Systems have been tested and maintained. spare parts ordered. Now the big task of provisioning begins.

Repeated Words

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

How do you know if you are using a word to many times? #writetip Check out Wordle. I’m probably the last to know about this, but it’s cool. Wordle creates a word cloud in which your words get bigger the more often they appear in the text.

I uploaded my first chapter of my third novel and what I got back was a visual of the words. I found out that my protagonists names was used the most – it was the largest. The names of characters got smaller as their importance in the story reduced.

This is just one more way to validate you are doing the right thing. How fun is this writing business? I learn something new every day.

Cruising with Manatees

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Have you ever seen manatees kiss? #sailing Part of the joy of cruising is the unexpected events that happen each day.

There are moments in life when it’s meant to be observed: life that is. How lucky was I to spot these manatees. Being a foot away from such magnificent creates made me stop and think.

I hide my head in the pages of the novel I’m writing and enjoy every moment of it, but what am I missing? Sometimes is pays to take a break!

Dog Parks While Cruising

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Dogs bring special needs with them onto a cruising boat. #sailing One of their needs is exercise. While in the U.S. or Canada is easy to find dog parks. When you pull into an anchorage, Google will find one for you if you don’t know where one is. Locals are always happy to point us in the direction of a good dog park.

Just north of the Titusville Municipal Marina in Florida is  a fenced in dog park. It’s split in two. Half designated for small dogs, half for big dogs. It has a double gate for entry, ensuring our pup can’t run away. It even has water. It was a nice surprise for us and for Farley.

There is a dog park near Vero Beach Municipal Marina, but it’s not fenced.

Seaside beaches in the U.S have varying rules for dogs. Some allow them, some don’t. We always check first before taking Farley for a run.

If you’re cruising to the Bahamas, dogs can run free on the beach. Some places have organized “doggy beach parties” depending on how many dogs are in an anchorage. It’s easy to start one up. Just get on the VHF and announce one.

“Who let the dogs out?” Woof Woof