7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by E.L. Tettensor

This is a recurring column called “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,”where writers (this installment written by E.L. Tettensor, author of DARKWALKER) at any stage of their career can talk about writing advice and instruction as well as how they possibly got their book agent -- by sharing seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning.

1. Patience. If you thought writing your novel took a long time, just wait. No, really – wait. And wait. And wait some more. In fact, you should probably just take a seat.

For all the research I did on the business of getting published, I had no idea just how many steps lay ahead of me after I typed “The End”. First, there’s all the time (and work!) that goes into landing that agent, getting that manuscript polished, making that first sale. Then the real waiting begins. If my experience is anything to go by, it takes at least a year and a half from the time you receive the offer for the book to hit the shelves. So get comfortable.

2. Less is more. Everyone has their own style. Some prefer lean and muscular, others prefer something a little more florid. Both approaches have their merits, and their fans. That being said, I’ve never heard a reader say, “Gee, I wish there were more adverbs in this book,” and I’ve never read a review that says, “If only the author had found more synonyms for ‘said’.” There’s a reason for that, and I wish I’d figured it out sooner. These days, when I proofread a first draft, the number one thing I find myself doing is deleting adverbs and removing dialogue tagging, especially fancy dialogue tagging (of the “snapped, growled, interjected” variety.) My debut novel, DARKWALKER, was only just released, and already I see flab, extraneous words just begging to be nipped and tucked. My subsequent works are a lot trimmer.

3. Don’t panic. This is always good advice, which I still have to administer to myself on a regular basis. My book will be too long! My book will be too short! How will I ever make my deadline? Heaven help me, I don’t know what happens next!!!

Deep breaths. Here, take this bag. This is totally normal. It’ll pass. Feeling better? OK. Now, back to work.

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4. It’s the story, stupid. I first got the notion that I could be a writer because I could… well, write. That is, I could churn out a mean sentence, a snappy bit of prose. Bully for me. What I didn’t do as well – what I’m still learning, will probably always be learning – is how to tell a good story. Evocative description is all well and good, but what makes people buy the book, what keeps them turning the pages, what has them imagining the scenes as they fall asleep, is the story. Which leads me to the fifth thing I’ve learned…

5. Good stories all have the same bone structure. A bird is a bird, and a mammal is a mammal, right? But have you ever checked out their skeletons? Same basic structure, just different sizes and shapes. So it is with a good story – or at least that’s what I’ve come to believe. Since I started writing, I’ve become much more analytical about why I like what I like, in books, movies, and TV. What kept me turning the pages? What made me cry, or laugh, or want to throw the book out the window? What had me switch off a series for good? Understanding my own reactions as a reader or an audience member has really helped me out.

6. Authentic dialogue is everything. Nothing, I mean nothing, rips me out of the story like bad dialogue. (That goes double for TV and film.) When I first started writing, all my characters sounded the same. You could literally swap one for the other. (That’s probably where my early habit of over-tagging the dialogue began.) Nowadays, I work hard to make sure that each character has his/her own distinctive voice, and that the voice sounds real. I’ve read that some authors try to imagine famous actors speaking the lines. That doesn’t work for me, because I’ve heard plenty of awful dialogue from famous actors. I try to imagine someone I know speaking the lines. If I can’t imagine my brother saying it, or my husband or my best friend, then there’s probably something awkward about the dialogue that needs to change.

7. Seeing your manuscript in book form helps. When I’m nearing the end of a first draft, I like to put into book format on a tablet, like an iPad or a Kindle. I change the font to something a little more bookish and read it in bed, as if it were an e-book. For some reason, I find that a very effective way to spot errors, and to see where there’s flab that needs cutting.

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