Feedback Via Focus Groups

Image by Nebraska Library Commission via Flickr

Aside from my own immediate family, aka my younger sister, my eyes have been the only set that have glanced at the pages of my novel thus far. As it turns out, this fact has proven to be both good and bad. For one, since it is my first book, I haven't had to deal with the dreaded negative feedback that so often compels writers to cease writing. One the other hand however, I haven't had a chance to hear any feedback at all. Not positive encouraging feedback, or even helpful hints that could make my novel better.

So, with an anxious mind and a heavy heart, I set out to remedy those issues by setting up a focus group. The concept of a focus group is a pretty simple one, and it really can be set up in a variety of ways. the route
I chose to take involved a round-table gathering of sorts with a small group of individuals I felt would be a part of my target market. The results, or the conversation, that evolved from this meeting will be posted a little later on this week, but I have to tell you it was extremely helpful. Not only did I find myself surrounded by a group of people who were actually interested in reading my book, but I also discovered several aspects of my story that needed just a little more explanation.

To organize your own focus group, here are a few possible ideas/ guidelines you could follow:

1. Choose a format.
Will you be present? Will you give them a copy of your manuscript in advance? Will you all meet formally or will your focus group involve a questionnaire given online? After you answer these questions you should be ready for number two.

2. Choose/Gather your participants.
At this point you should consider the type of individuals you will involve in your group, as well as how you will reach them. This can involve anything from calling local book clubs to flacing fliers in book stores and libraries. Your methods are up to you, but if you choose to utilize a lier as advertisement for your event, be sure to include contact information for yourself as well as the qualifications you've decided upon based on your target market.

3. Create your materials.
Next you will need to create or gather the materials you will need to conduct your focus group. If you plan to give each member a copy of your manuscript you will need to provide copies. Also, I highly reccommend a timeline or series of questions created in advance to help facilitate the event and keep it moving smoothly and efficiently. For my event, I planned to read portions of my manuscript  aloud and let the group discussion evolve from there. I also had a series of questions to ask participants on hand in case the discussion got off topic (as is very possible when dealing with younger individuals and even adults).

4. Set up meeting time.
After finding all of the indivduals that are willing and able to take part in your focus group, I suggest finding a common time that works for them all. This demonstrates the importance of maintaining a file of participants and their contact information. Incentives for participation may also be utilized if you are having trouble gathering participants.

5. Conduct your focus group (record the event).
This is the easy, and by far, most exhilarating part of the whole process. On the day and time you've chosen to meet, get right down to business. An introduction is definitely a good idea, but keep it short. Also allow for a short icebreaker at the beginning to get participants comfortable with one another. I also HIGHLY recommend that you record the event in some way. Options for recording include simply taking notes, or even using and audio or video recorder. No matter the method you choose, make sure you have the permission of your participants, and if the participants are minors, you need the permission of their parents.

6. Compile your data/ make adjustments to your work as you see fit.
After the event, give yourself a day or two to digest all that you've learned before making any changes to your work. After this buffer period has ended, examine your recordings or notes and highlight or take note of the pertinent responses and advice. Remember, even if you don't agree with someone's opinion, you should serioulsy consider what they've said. Afterall, this sampling of individuals is representing the greater population of individuals who will or won't choose to read your book.

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Why Use Literary Agencies

A few days ago I posted some information about a few notable literary agencies  in New York, but looking back, I feel like I failed to mention the importance of utilizing them. Until now, I have been focusing on the mechanics and processes of writing a manuscript, but once it is complete, the literary venture has really only just begun. Depending on where you look, different advice is offered about the "correct" next step to take. Some sources believe direct contact with publishing companies is the way to proceed, but far more agree that finding an agent is the way to go.

While both of these suggestions are out there on the web-o-sphere, neither really gives you the concrete reasons for why you should or shouldn't seek out literary agent representation. So, to remedy this, I have compiled a few common reasons detailing how an agent can help. This list isn't designed to make you chose something either way, but it should give you an idea for what they have to offer:

1. Literary agents have normailly worked in the field for some time, and their experience can go a long way towards giving authors helpful and accurate advice.

2. If agents aren't able to provide specific advice, they will, no doubt, be able to introduce you to an indivual who can.

3. Because their job is to know about the literary field, they often are able to inform their clients of the important innovations and developments within the industry.

4. Primarily, agents act as the professional advocates for their client's work. Once accepted, they do their best to introduce the product to the publishers  and editors that will be most interested.

5. Within the same vein as number four, agents will also know with publishers and editors who are most diffiult to work with or have the least experience.

6. Monetarily, agents will compile offers from publishers and editors and bring them to their clients. This eliminates the added worry of publishing fee negotiations, allowing writers to focus on their job without the added stress of financial maneuvers.

7. Overall, the agent will be your advocate, connecting your work with the most relevant industry individuals while ensuring a timely response.

Four Possible Narration Methods/ Techniques

My cousin recently re-introduced me to one of my favorite childhood fiction series, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. As a kid, I remember loving the fast and easy-to-read way in which they were written. Every storyline in the plot was told via Princess Mia's journal entries, online chats, emails, etc. Not only were the chapters interesting and unique, but they were just so darn relevant.

It wasn't soon after Instant Messenging programs became intensely popular in my middle school that these books came out, and it was really like reading an online correspondence from one of my friends. That aside, looking back at these books got me thinking, and I wondered, am I writing my novel from the most appealing point of view/ narration technique?

Here is a breakdown of these narration devices that should help you either decide which one to use, or re-evaluate the choice you've already made:

1. First Person Narration
(to learn more, click HERE )

This method is excellent if you want your readers to know exactly what one of your characters is thinking at all times. It normally includes "I, me, my, etc" statements and gives an in depth look at the feelings and emotions of a single character.

2. Second Person Narration

(to learn more, click HERE  )

This method is kind of crazy, and I have only read one book where it was used, and all of them were from my middle school years. This magical book was known as a "Create Your Own Adventure" book, and at the end of each chapter it would ask you a question, and send you to another chapter based on your decision. I didn't really enjoy this book (I'm a cover to cover kind of gal, no skipping around nonsense), and I can only imagine how tricky it was to create, so although it wasn't one of my favorites, I appreciate the work I know must have gone in to creating it.

3. Third Person Narration
(to learn more, click HERE  )

This method is generally used most often and occurs when the author narrates the story, describing the lives of the characters, revealing information for each throughout the book. (This is the method I chose to use, mostly because this is my first novel and its already a huge undertaking as it is. Maybe I'll get a little more creative with the next one).

4. Written Record Narration

Like the Princess Diaries books I discussed above, this form of narration is normally composed of seemingly compiled accounts from various sources. Aside from emails, online chats, etc, this can also include newspaper articles, speech transcripts, or the good old fashion snail mail correspondence.

Character Development Exercise

So it's time for another activity suggestion courtesy of me! I am constantly on the look out for projects or activities that might help me improve or encourage my writing, and I thought of one a while ago, but just got a chance to try it out this week.

The concept is pretty simple and involves taking pictures  throughout your day while jotting down a few quick notes at each location. For me, it involved taking my camera on campus  and taking pictures while I traveled to and from classes. At the end of the day I uploaded my pictures and used my notes for each one to create a mini storyline. I used the character analysis I had already done  to basically re-write my day in terms of a main character. Essentially, describe your day as though a character of yours lived it instead of you.

To Recap:
1. Take pictures throughout the day.
2. Jot down notes  of what you were doing, thinking, etc. at that point.
3. Upload pictures and review your notes
4. Last, and probably most fun, re-write your day as though one of your characters lived it instead.

Good luck, and I really hope you give it a try because it was actually fun!

(I took all of these photos today, and the captions included are the portions of text from my re-write. Because I couldn't fit much else into the captions, here are a couple things you should know:
-The only building photographed is University Hall on BGSU's campus.
-The rest of the images were taken in my apartment building and the local cemetary, which happens to be right in the middle of campus.)

That being said, here's my day as if it were lived by Brina Claramund, my main character:



Having trouble seeing the full captions? The click HERE .

Voice Recognition Dictation Software: Changing the Way People Think About Writing

I spent six hours yesterday talking to my computer, and no, there weren’t any humans on the other end of the conversation. It was just me, myself, and the silver box of wires and chips otherwise known as my laptop. For hours. You see, I was trying something new that had been suggested to me by an eager freshman majoring in Creative Writing. She swore it would change the way I thought about writing, and in a way she was right. When she suggested that I try out voice recognition dictation software  she, no doubt, thought I would love it as much as she does. Sadly, she was mistaken. My experience with dictation software did, in fact, change the way I think about writing, but not in the way she imagined.

Digital dictation software  can be purchased almost anywhere, and several trial offers   are also available online for most brands . After installation, the concept of using it is simple enough. Opening the program accesses a microphone and opens a text editing program similar to Word on your computer screen. After that, it’s as easy as having a conversation with a friend, or so most dictation software marketing departments would have you think.

In reality, however, the technology is just not there yet.

“Years ago I tried dictating short stories and then transcribing them and they just failed,” said Wendell Mayo , acclaimed short-story author and current professor of fiction writing at Bowling Green State University.

Most writers who have found this type of software to be less then helpful point to one of two reasons. The first of these involves the extraordinary amount of time they require.

“It seems that [dictation software] might be useful for many fields, but not necessarily the writing of novels. Speed in composition is not the primary value,” said Lawrence Coates , Associate Chair and Graduate Coordinator for Bowling Green State University’s Department of English.

When authors attempt to utilize this particular type of software, they often become bogged down by technological errors and misunderstandings. The time it takes to rectify these errors can interrupt the creative process of even the most experienced writers, and while the errors can be small and seemingly insignificant, the vast number of times the user is required to stop and fix said errors waste valuable time while interrupting the flow of thoughts.

“I can type as fast as I think, and I like seeing the shape of words on the page,” adds Coates.

This time consuming element is only compounded by the second reason cited most for writer’s avoidance of digital speech recognition devices, and it involves the common desire, so eloquently described by Coates, to see the shape of words as they appear alongside thought.

It is the desire to see these words appear on the page as they are thought of that makes dictation devices so difficult to use for most writers. For example, with the personal experience I mentioned yesterday; time consuming corrections really set my progress back. The first sentence I dictated to the computer was supposed to be, “As she approached and tapped the obviously forlorn gentlemen on the shoulder, she was startled that he turned to look in her eyes,” but the computer felt compelled to report that, “She a sheet acts that the league and tapped the piously forlorn gentlemen on thrush older, she was startled that he turned tulip in her eyes.” By the time I deciphered all of that, I had completely lost my train of thought.

No matter the reason, whether it is hesitance to avoid dictation due to time constraints or a passion for the familiar, one thing is generally true, and is best summed up by Mayo,

“I have a unique relationship to paper and pen that is just part of my process.”

###

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Tools to Combat Writer's Block

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you've just started writing or have been writing for years, writer's block is an affliction that very few writers are immune to. It creeps up when you least expect it, and not even the best planning can prevent it. You might know exactly where you want your character to end up, but at some point between their start and achieving those goals, you may find yourself stumped.

There are several remedies available to sufferers of writer's block if you take the time to dig around, but here is a compilation of a few of the most common cures that are thought to be most helpful:

1. When in doubt, take the last portion you have written and try writing it from a new perspective. Sometimes changing the narrator, point of view, time, or setting can be just enough to create a spark that will get your writing back on track.

2. Make a change in your own scenery. Step away from the computer screen and pick up a notebook and pen or go to a local library or park to write.

3. Take a movie break. This is one of my personal favorites and whenever I just can't seem to figure out where my story should go next I pop in a DVD and get lost in someone else's story. Most of the time I try to pick a movie that is completely different from what I am working on, but no matter what movie, there is something inspiring and rejuvenating about watching a story through from start to finish.

4. Write something else. Finish an entry in your journal or write an email, just keep writing until you get back into the flow of things.

5. Take a walk or do some exercise. Set your work aside and take a stroll to clear your mind or think about your story without trying too hard. Sometimes the writer's instict is to overreact after hitting a wall and just like any other muscle, overworking the brain can cause a sprain or set you back even further (ok that might not be medically accurate, but trying to hard to move forward can induce a certain amount of panic that is definitely not productive.)

6. Story web. Take the central event from the last portion you've written and create a diagram, or web, based on all the paths your story could take.

7. Work out of order. Not all writing must be written in the order that it occurs. If you reach a barrier in the middle of a chapter set it aside for a while and move on to the next or the ending. As long as you're writing you're being productive.

8. Last but not least, you can always jump on the Pavlovian/ Skinner bandwagon and motivate yourself with a reward system.

Disambiguation: A novel-writing roadmap

Image by Esther17 via Flickr

You've probably already guessed this based on the topic of my blog, but I thought you all should know that I am unquestionably and irreversably addicted to words. I love to find new and interesting words in the books or websites I read, I own more than one word-a-day calendar, and once I discover them, I use new words. A lot.

Now, you might be asking yourselves, what does your word-addiction have to do with anything novel-writing-related, Jacey? The answer is simple: Disambiguation.

It's day four of my Spring Break, also known as the "You're not in a tropical vacation destination, there's snow outside, you're home alone, you might as well be productive" Day. So here I sit at the kitchen counter wondering where to start, and because staring at my computer screen and rocking out to Kevin Hammond aren't getting me anywhere, I decide to take a look at the deadlines I drew up at the start of my project.  Now after a somewhat discombobulated introduction we are finally arriving at the point of this post: The deadlines I set for myself so many months ago are looking...well, let's just say I must have had myself confused with Wonder Woman when I wrote them. According to my little timeline I am two weeks and four chapters behind schedule, not to mention the ten other tasks I am supposed to have done before break is over. A little discouraging, no?

Well after the initial mental headslap, I decided my situation isn't all that bad. Even though I'm not exactly on schedule, I have continuously made progress, no matter how little, since the day I started the project. I still have a functional list of what needs to be done (even though the dates are now a little off). This little timeline descrepency has given me a reason to sit back, re-evaluate my progress, and create a new (and hopefully more accurate) time-table.

Ultimately, that last one turned out to be really helpful. This morning I was at a loss for what to do, where to go, how to move forward, etc... Now, just three short hours later I have a new calendar and a renewed excitement. These new goals I have set are actually realistic, which is definitely an upper, and even with adding a little more time for each task I am still pretty good as far as total time goes.

Anyway, the lesson I learned today and wanted to share isn't really complex, but I think it could be helpful:

1.  Deadlines are sneaky little devils. I set goals for myself several months ago before I had even started writing, and more importantly, even before I had considered that my life would involve other objectives besides writing. I didn't think to consider that I might get smacked in the face with the flu the week before midterms, let-alone acknowledge that I might need to study for those pesky exams. So somewhere between preparing for advising meetings and getting the oil changed in my car those sneaky little deadlines slipped away.

2. Because of my tendency to overestimate my own capabilities I learned a little something about the nature of deadlines. If there aren't consequences for not meeting them, they lose a little of their luster. To combat this, I have decided to look at my "deadlines" as more of a "disambiguation chart," hence the little intro to word-addiction at the beginning of the post. Disambiguation basically means to remove ambiguities, and my calendar of tasks will help me to navigate the rest of my project in the same way that a road-map would help to disambiguate a tricky roadtrip.

Overall, I will really try to stick to the new deadlines I have set for myself but, like before, if I should happen to fail, at least it provides a record of what needs to be done so I am never permanently discouraged.

Where to Write??

Now that I'm officially back to writing fresh material I thought it would be fun to look at productive places to write. Some writers are very constrained and require an upright chair and desk to really get to work, but I am completely opposite. I rarely write in the same place from day to day and I am more likely to be found laying on the floor or sitting in my bed than at any desk.

Author Justin Cartwright emphasizes the importance of separating work from home so he has turned a hallway of his home into a "writing room." Michael Murpurgo was more like me and after much experimenting he discovered he was much more comfortable and wrote some of his best work sitting in a bed, but his wife was irritated at the invasion of space, so they made a separate "bed-writing room" in their home for him to work. Other authors take their work on the go. Simon Callow writes whereever he may find himself, including dressing rooms at performances or locations where he is filming.

Yesterday was my day off, so I set my camera to "continuous" and documented how my day of writing evolved:

Inspirational Rules for Writing Courtesy of P.D. James

Image by jimforest via Flickr

P.D. James, award winning novelist and author of several books including The Children of Men and Innocent Blood, has compiled a list of her five "Rules for Writing," and while there are MANY of these lists out there, I found hers to be incredibly inspirational. So take them in, embrace them, or even disreguard them and create a list of your own, but appreciate the fact that there are always ways for you to grow as a writer should you take the time to do so!

1. Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more ­effective your writing. We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.

2. Read widely and with discrimination. Bad writing is contagious.

3. Don't just plan to write – write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.

4. Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.

5 Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to the study of other ­people. Nothing that happens to a writer – however happy, however tragic – is ever wasted.

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Dream Big, Little Girl

We all have a list, a list of things we want to accomplish before it becomes too late, and if your list is like mine, it can look a little overwhelming. For the past four years I have slowly been making my way through my life’s list, and I am finally at the task that I am most excited about: writing a novel. So far, this has been one of the most difficult of my undertakings which have run the gamut from conquering my fear of roller-coasters to getting a full-ride to college.

This goal is one that I am most excited to accomplish, and if, like me, you have always wanted to sit down and try your hand at writing a book, I will be sharing with you everything I have learned from my experience thus far. Like most of you, completing a novel is something I have never successfully attempted before, so to get through it in one piece I relied heavily on the support of my friends, family, and professors who helped me to battle one of my arch-enemies, procrastination.

So in the spirit of anti-procrastination, let’s get started! In this blog you can look forward to tales of triumph, tragedy, and a few motivational tidbits here and there to help you along the way as you plan, prepare, and attempt to get your manuscripts published.

“And by the way, everything in life is writable if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Sylvia Plath