Check Out My New Site!

Hey Everyone!

I have a brand new blog site at https://www.innovativeediting.com/blog/, where I'll continue to post my crazy quirks and writing insights every Monday and Wednesday.

Starting next week, you'll also find posts specifically geared toward explaining writer-related jargon... challenging you to take your book-in-the-making seriously... and encouraging you that, yeah, you really can do this.

While you're checking all that out, feel free to download the special report "Writing Tips 101" or reach out for a free consultation about the novel or non-fiction project you're working on. Wherever you are in the process, I'd love to hear about it.

Happy writings!

Jeannette DiLouie
Chief Executive Editor
Innovative Editing

www.InnovativeEditing.com
717-312-4436

My Personal Challenge for November

November is almost upon us. And for writers, that means one thing: National Novel Writing Month, or NaNo!

As I explained in Monday’s blog, that’s the challenge to jot down the first 50,000 words to your next novel. What I didn’t mention is that I’ve never done it.

That’s not to say I’ve never completed the challenge so much. It’s more like I’ve never started it in the first place. In past years, I was always in the middle of a manuscript when November rolled around and unwilling to set it aside to start something new.

However, lo and behold, October dawned to the perfect situation… I had published all the books I’d planned on publishing for the year… I knew I’d soon complete the third draft of the first book I’ll be publishing in 2016 – Faerietales 4: Wing and Dagger… and I had finished up my research for Designing America, the story of the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, and the sequel to Maiden America.

It was perfect!

Admittedly, since that was October 1st and there was no way I could go a whole month without writing anything, I started Faerietales 5: Flights of Fancy as a test run to see if NaNo was possible. I’ve always been skeptical of anyone apart from professional authors – who get paid to write all day – being able to write 50,000 words in one month.

Turns out though, it is possible! I started officially working on Flights of Fancy on October 15, and as of October 25, I was 26,000 words in. That’s an average 2,363 words per day! Moreover, I even had a social life during that time and worked some projects for my freelance business, Innovative Editing.

Admittedly, I’m also single and my day job involves sometimes significant downtime. So that certainly didn’t hurt. Neither did the fact that writer’s block hasn’t kicked in yet. I’m on a roll!

I don’t expect Designing America to be anywhere so easy, in large part because it’s a historical novel and I’m going to have to be flipping through my research books every other second to make sure I remember my facts correctly. Moreover, there’s no pressure right now; it’s not NaNo. Come next week, I might be making myself sick trying to make something happen that’s just not meant to be.

The 50,000-word deadline, I mean, not the novel itself. That’s happening one way or the other.

But hey… Bring it on! If nothing else, I’m more than ready to try.

When I Taught Novel Writing I at Community College of Baltimore County

I know I’m being a bit repetitive this week, first talking about being a writing addict – which I broached back in September – and now bringing up your potential writing ability (which I also broached in September, in the same exact blog, actually). But I was thinking about the continuing education class I taught earlier this year at Community College of Baltimore County.

Going into it, I knew full well that it might be an… ummm… interesting experience. During my time as a writing tutor both before and after I established my Innovative Editing freelance business, I’d read some not-so-impressive creative efforts. Not everyone is meant to be a writer, and sometimes that shows vividly.

So when I got official word that enough people had signed up for Novel Writing I, I steeled myself for the probability of helping people who were woefully out of their depth. And when I realized that every single one of my students wasn’t looking for a writing tutor to help them construct their plotline, but an editor to critique their already-completed draft… I really had to get my head on straight.

But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Out of my five initial students, only one of their introductory chapters needed intense revision. And even that one got a whole lot more captivating as it went on.

There was the young adult tale of a Midwestern girl who was trying to fulfill her ancestor’s impressive legacy… the fantasy fiction story of an indigenous South American tribesman back centuries ago who had a run-in with the gods… a murder mystery about a senior citizen who was framed for a former coworker’s death… a historical account of a Vietnam War soldier with a supernatural twist… and a somewhat abstract, stream-of-conscious account of what can happen when you seek revenge.

I know I taught my students a lot, but they taught me something too. Mainly, not to be such a snob.

Yes, there are people who write 900-page stories that make my eyes glaze over and my brain hurt from all of the clichés and unrealities they employ. But there are also plenty of amateur writers out there who really have what it takes.

They’ve got captivating ideas, compelling characters and writing styles that just need some guidance in order to turn into something worth standing on the New York Times best seller list.

Which begs the question…

Are you one of them?

You Know You Want to Tell That Story…

If my blog readers haven’t figured out yet, I LOVE to write. I think it’s one of the most worthwhile hobbies out there, and most days I would happily shut myself into a room, ignore the world at large and just work on one of my stories.

Sometimes I have to force myself to hang out with friends (and I definitely have to force myself to go to work) instead of sit at my laptop, constructing new plot points for characters to navigate.

When it comes down to it, I suppose I’m a functioning addict. In my defense though, out of all the addictions to have, this is a pretty safe one. Consider:

·         Sure, I had to pay for my laptop and then there’s my electricity bill to keep it running, but other than that, I don’t have to spend anything to let my imagination fly. Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and gambling require a lot more financial backing than that.

·         It entails me sitting safely on my couch, where I can’t be struck by cars or attacked by psychos, both of which would otherwise be strong possibilities since I live in Baltimore.

·         It could eventually pay off quite nicely.

Does that sounds like a logical rationale for becoming a writing addict? Are you curious about the lifestyle? Maybe even tempted to try it?

Editor’s Note: I’m officially cutting myself off now. I could continue the addiction analogy, but then that would make me a dealer. And you can get into a lot of trouble as a dealer. I mean, the cops and the rival drug lords alone! I just don’t have time for that drama. So let’s reroute…

The truth is everyone has a story to tell, including you. And it’s up to you to tell it.

That’s not a guilt trip to make you write. There are so many other ways to tell a story than through the pages of a book: dancing it out on a hardwood floor or brushing it onto a canvas or playing it as a song or constructing it into a building.

But for those of you who think you’d like to express a more literal narrative, there’s Innovative Editing, my all-inclusive editorial service for authors-in-the-making. I’ve helped writers:

·         Organize their thoughts into workable book ideas

·         Fight through writer’s block and distractions

·         Sort through problematic parts

·         Rearrange segments to make for better transitions or more logical conclusions

I’m good at it too, in large part because I’ve had to work through those issues myself. I know how exciting and terrifying and frustrating and inspiring the literary process can be.

I also know I’ve found it 100% worthwhile, and I’d love to help you discover the same.

Shoot me an email at JDiLouie@InnovativeEditing.com, or check out my website at www.InnovativeEditing.com.

Either way, I look forward to hearing your story!