8 Common Structural Issues Within Fiction

I have edited many manuscripts over the years, and there are common flaws that I see come across my desk. I see some issues so often that when I see them, I struggle to unsee them. But all issues that I see are fixable. Exactly how they are fixed will depend on what the writer wants to achieve with their story.

In today's post, I want to discuss some of the common structural issues that I see, providing insights into why they happen. And it's not just a matter of understanding the beats of a story—though that is a huge part of it. It's really about the rise and fall of action and understanding reader expectations.

3 common “tell” constructions and how to turn them into “show”

So many writers are fond of reciting the mantra "show, don't tell" like it's some holy passage that will lead writers to the land of glory. New writers hear this being said and are always left wondering what it really means.

When I first started writing fiction, nearly fifteen years ago now, I too was confused beyond belief.

"Describe the action. Describe how the character is reacting." Wasn't that what I was doing?

It actually took a fellow writer who writes fantasy to explain it to me—properly.

Imagine your book being turned into a movie or television series (the ultimate dream of most fantasy writers). A scriptwriter is going to take your book and fashion it into a script where the only way to get an insight into a character is through their actions. How true that scriptwriter remains to your book will be related to how much show you give them to work with.

And trust me when I say that seeing your words of descriptions transformed into the visual format is an incredibly satisfying feeling. (I've had commissioned artwork done based on lines of my manuscripts.)

I have written about the concepts of show vs tell before in Show the story. Tell the ride through the countryside. and in Is First-Person Really More Intimate?

Today, I want to take this from a different perspective, explaining how to identify a tell statement and how you might transform it into one of show.

Promises to the Reader in the Opening Pages

In the beginning sections of a story, the first pages or chapters, the writer gives a promise to the reader about the nature of the story that they are about to read. There will be a hint of the genre, the pacing of the story, what the story is about, and the way the story will be told (the narrative construction). In fact, the reader should be fully aware of the nature of the story they are reading by the time they hit the 25% mark (or thereabouts)—ideally earlier. This doesn't mean that they should know 100% what the twists and turns will be, but they should know what the main story is and what sort of experience to expect.

If your story is going to be a high-octane thriller, then there needs to be action in those early scenes. If you are writing a sweet contemporary romance, then we should have met the main characters in this romantic coupling and already be able to see those sparks between the characters—even if they want to kill each other in the beginning. And if your story is going to contain religious or political overtones, then those overtones need to be present early too.

Today, I want to talk about the promises that we make to the reader with the opening pages of our books. It's the promise of the premise.

11 tips for getting quality editing on a minimal budget

Professional editors are expensive. You'll get no arguments from me on that one. Behind the scenes, editors constantly agonize over what rates we should be charging, trying to find the balance between being affordable and actually earning enough to pay our own bills.

And as much as editors try our best to be affordable, more often than not, a writer's budget doesn't extend far enough to make such a venture worth the pennies involved.

Developmental editing (my area of expertise) is the one aspect of editing that seems to suffer the most from this cost dilemma. Under ideal circumstances, every writer heading down publication roads would be able to hire a developmental editor to help them with the story and characterization aspects of their manuscripts, and hire a copyeditor to help with language and the line-level editing. It would be fantastic if every writer could benefit from the professional eye on how the narrative is constructed. But the cost of such a venture doesn't make it practical. So, writers need to think outside the box to find that help with editing.

Today, I want to explore some of the ways that you can edit your manuscripts cheaply without compromising your editing standards.

5 Tips for Self-Editing (by Kristin Noland)

Writing takes a community, sharing ideas and supporting one another. So, when we get approached with an article that shares hard-earned knowledge, we couldn't be happier to pass that information.

Today's post is written by Kristin Noland, a fellow editor with her own take on things. Kristin is a developmental and line editor, specializing in speculative fiction, specifically fantasy, paranormal romance, dystopian, and apocalyptic fiction.

So, take it away, Kristin, and let's share some wisdom!

5 Tips for Self-Editing (Guest Blog)

Before we get into how, let’s cover the why you should self-edit.

Competition

If you are going the self-publishing route, your novel will be competing with traditionally published ones that have been through multiple drafts and edits.

If you are planning on using traditional publishing routes, your work will be competing with submissions which have gone through multiple rounds of editing.

Your Readers

You want readers to get pulled into and enjoy the world you have created. To do that, you need to make sure you have a well-written, entertaining, and engaging novel that hits your readers' expectations.

You Become a Better Author

By self-editing, your writing skills will improve.

With the why explained, let’s get into the 5 steps of self-editing.

9 Misconceptions about Traditional Publication

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally I find myself in the middle of the conversation with a new writer who is interested in heading down traditional publication roads. In some cases, the new writer is already familiar with the basics associated with querying and the hunt for an agent or publisher. However, sometimes I come across a new writer who is clueless about what it will really take to get their book published by traditional means.

If you fall into this clueless category, know now that you are not alone and are normal. I was there once myself, completely delusion and as clueless as they come. When I started on my own publication journey, I had no idea what it was really going to take. As I started to learn about this industry, I discovered how much I really didn't know.

It's that old saying: the more you learn, the more you realized how much you don't know. And I'm still learning!

Today, I want to address some of the misconceptions that many new writers have about the traditional publication road.

Story Structure Plotting Guide

When working through the story structure for a story, there are certain beat points that will help progress the story from start to finish. This guide helps you identify the core beat points for your story.

The Stages of Editing

When I tell people that I'm a freelance editor, it's quite common for people to assume that I spend my days just looking at spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I don't get this reaction from just the general public either. Many writers, especially new writers, also make this assumption. However, editing is so much more.

Editing falls into three main categories:

developmental, which encompasses the rewriting process and critiques;
copyediting, with the line-edits and of course famous punctuation-and-grammar concept;
and proofreading, which occurs after a manuscript is typeset for publication, looking for any errors that were either missed or introduced during the typesetting process.

Each stage is necessary for the production of a publishable book.

The initial drafting of a story is a solitary practice. However, during the different editing phases, it's vital for every writer to seek out those extra sets of eyes to provide objective input. The who and the when will depend entirely on what stage your manuscript is at.

The stages of editing are the same for both traditional and self-publication, it's just the players that may change.

Writing relies on a reader’s knowledge

If you read through various blogs about writing, there is a common theme: Don't treat your readers like they're idiots. This is 100% true, because your readers will have experiences and knowledge that they bring with them, interpreting your stories with that eye. But are you taking full advantage of that preexisting knowledge?

The acclaimed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury wrote many novels and short stories that were printed in the 1950s and 1960s. His readers had survived World War II, bringing with them the knowledge and experiences they had from during the war, including the colloquial terms. Readers of today can still enjoy his stories, but there will be elements we will miss because the subtext is meaningless without the World War II experience.

Today's readers of 2001: A Space Odyssey laugh at how far off-base the predictions regarding space travel and artificial intelligence were. But it was written in 1968, one year before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. Had the space program continued at the rate it was back in the late 1960s, not stopping at the moon, then we would likely already have a colony on Mars today, changing some of the meaning of that book and movie.

While we are hopefully crafting our stories in such a way that they are timeless, there will always be a partial reliance on preexisting knowledge to understand some subtext. It's time to look at how much hidden subtext is buried within your own writing based on the experiences and preexisting knowledge of your current readers.

Sample edits are at the editor’s discretion

A few months back, I was approached by a writer to do a developmental edit, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. I am a developmental editor, after all. But there was something in that initial communication that really didn't sit well with me.

I've written about this before, how those initial communications with a writer will tell me what type of client you're likely to be. And this one…

The email dripped with entitlement and superiority, making me question whether this particular writer was even ready to hear criticism about their writing.

It was a random email that seemed to have come out of nowhere with a file attached (an OpenOffice file, no less). There was zero information about the manuscript—no genre, no word counts, no synopsis, no summary. Just negative commentary, saying that they were unable to find my prices on my website for developmental editing (which is odd, because I know for certain that they are there—and in an easy-to-find location too). But there were also the following lines in the email.

"After I receive my sample back, I will wait for a week until I'll let you know if I'm interested or not.

Thank you for your time, and I wish you best of luck!"

So… Zero information about the project and this underlining demand for a sample edit. To top it off, there's the attitude that suggested a person who thinks editors are just waiting around for clients to give them the privilege to edit the writer's work.

Did I mention how those initial communications can tell an editor about the type of client you're likely to be?

Had this particular writer approached things just a little differently, they would have likely gotten more than just my boiler-plate quote and the comment that I don't offer free sample edits.

There are soooo many things wrong with this particular opening communication, the most important of which is the assumption that all editors will provide a free sample edit when a client demands such.

But sample edits are at the editor's discretion. And of those editors who do offer free sample edits, not all of them will edit any old sample you send them.

It's time to get down to the realities of sample edits.