Writing Process

The Best Way to Get Writing Feedback: 4 Writing Tips

Welcome to Part Two of the Writing Feedback series! Today we’re going to look at why you should ask for writing feedback in stages.

Be sure to check out the other parts in this series here!

As we talked about in Part One of this series, getting writing feedback is important! And it’s usually best if you have several early readers so you have the benefit of a handful of perspectives.

Once you find your early readers, it might be tempting to give everyone your shiny new book right away. However, I would suggest instead starting with one or two early readers at a time.

Then make changes based on their feedback, give the revision to another early reader, and repeat this process until you’ve run out of readers.

I’m a big believer in staggering writing feedback like this. In fact, it’s a major factor in my writing process. Here are four reasons why I’ve found this approach to be insanely beneficial:

You get fresh eyes with each revision

This is the biggest reason why I use this method.

A reader can only experience your story for the first time once. Once they read it, they’ll point out things that are confusing or don’t make sense about your book. If you’re like me, you’ll also discuss possible solutions with your early reader. This means your reader will know what you want to happen and how you want to fix the issues.

Once you make the changes, it makes sense to have the person who gave you the feedback look over the revision. However, since this person has more background information because of your discussion, it’s possible they won’t be able to pick up on the problems in the same way a new reader would.

But if you’ve saved some of your early readers for later, you can give your book to a fresh set of eyes, see what issues they point out, and check in with them about the changes or clarifications you made based on your previous reader’s feedback.

This can give you more confidence that you’ve addressed your book’s issues effectively.

You can play to your readers’ strengths

I have about five to seven early readers, and something I’ve learned over the years is that they all have different strengths.

Some are stronger big-picture thinkers, while others are better at digging into the more technical grammar and logistical details of a story, and others have varying degrees in between.

Big Picture thinkers are more helpful with earlier drafts. They can often spot bigger character/plot problems and scenes that are either out of place or not working. Their strengths lie in giving developmental feedback that can make your story stronger and more complete.

Meanwhile, grammar and technical questions aren’t all that helpful in early drafts. It doesn’t make much sense to correct grammar and iron out the logistics of a scene if that scene really needs to be cut or rewritten.

This type of feedback is essential in the later stages of a draft. Before you send it to an agent or editor, you want to make sure your grammar is as clean as you can make it and the logistics of your story make sense.

If you learn the strengths of your reader, staggering your feedback puts you in the position to get the best possible critique at each stage of your novel.

Too much feedback can give you too much to think about

The good and bad thing about writing is that it’s all subjective. This means that there is no true “right” way to read something. However, that also means it’s possible to get conflicting feedback and conflicting advice.

In the end, it all comes down to you, the writer. You need to decide what changes you will make to your story. And it can be hard to make a decision that feels right for your book if your thoughts are getting pulled in too many different directions.

If you only give your book to one or two readers at a time, you have more control over the amount of feedback you’re getting at once. This makes it easier to evaluate each opinion and make a decision that feels right for your story without getting overwhelmed.

It helps build your confidence

Sharing and talking about your novel for the first time can be a little nerve wracking. If you let one (supportive) person read your book at a time, it can help you get used to your work being read.

And if you’ve chosen your readers correctly, by the time you’re ready to share it with the world, you’ll feel supported, encouraged, and proud of the progress your book has made. You’ll know that you have a handful of ideal readers who like and believe in the book you wrote.

Even if others don’t like your book, you can take comfort in the fact that readers like your early readers are out there. You just have to find them!

I hope this helps you get better writing feedback!

You can find the rest of the feedback series here!

Now it’s your turn: How do you get your writing feedback? Have you tried getting your feedback in stages? If you have, did it help? Tell me about it in the comments!

Getting Good Writing Feedback: How to Find the Right Early Readers

By Meghan 5 Comments

Feedback is an important aspect of the writing process, but it can also be a bit of process in and of itself.

When I sat down to do a post on the subject, I realized how many levels to feedback back there actually are. Which is why this will be the first post in a four-part feedback series.

This post deals with how to find people to give you feedback. Part Two will focus on the importance of staggering your feedback, Part 3 will discuss how to give feedback, and Part 4 will look at how to evaluate the feedback you get.

Getting Good Writing Feedback: How to Find the Right Early Readers

Today, we’re going to look at how to find the right early readers for your books!

It’s important to find people who can give you feedback as you draft and revise, but it can also be unhelpful and discouraging if you ask the wrong person to critique your work.

Not every reader is going to be your reader. Here are a few things to look for when you search for the right early readers for your books:

Meghan Rogers shares Getting Good Writing Feedback - in photo: woman reading

People who have the same taste in books/entertainment as you

It’s nice if they’re also writers, but they don’t have to be. They just have to be high-quality entertainment consumers who like the types of stories you’re trying to write.

They also should be good at understanding the basics of story construction and be able to identify a story’s problems.

How can you find out if someone has these qualities? Talk to them about books and shows you like and dislike and why.

The why is the most important element. If that person has the same taste in entertainment as you and is able to thoughtfully critique and explain their reasoning, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to do the same for you and your book.

People who can find the gems in the roughest of drafts

It’s important to have a reader who can see a draft not just for what it is, but for what it could be.

This is a very special skill. Most people are conditioned to read polished, published products, so seeing the strengths in a rough draft can be a real challenge for them. A good early reader will be able to sift through the problems and make note of them, but still find what’s working and be able to get excited about it. Which leads me to point three–

Meghan Rogers shares Getting Good Writing Feedback - in photo: writing tip: It's important to find people who can give you feedback on your writing, but it can also be unhelpful if you ask the wrong person. Not every eader is going to be your reader.

People who can be both critical and encouraging

You really do need both. I’ve heard some writers say they want an early reader or an editor who will tear their book apart, not tell them what they want to hear.

And while I think those are both fairly good qualities in someone who is giving feedback, I think it’s equally as important for that person to be able to tell you what is working well and why.

I’m not necessarily saying they should tell you what you want to hear, but they should give positive attention to you book when something speaks to them.

There are two reasons for this. First, and most importantly, I like to know what’s working so I can pull from those places and create a more consistent book.

So if I were to get a note from an earlier reader that said something like, “Chapter eight is a little uneventful,” it would also be good to hear “wow, the tension in chapter fifteen is fantastic!”

This way, I can look at chapter fifteen, figure out what I did and why that’s working, and then try to replicate it to fix the problem in chapter eight.

The second reason is, quite simply, it’s A LOT of work to write a book. As much as you need people to be honest, you also need support.

If your early reader can’t support you and encourage you regardless of the number of problems they find, then they may not be the best early reader for you and your work.

People who think differently than you

New perspectives and insights will make your story better! I know when I’m writing, I often get so locked into my story that when I find a problem, it can be hard for me to see the number of possible solutions.

Having early readers who approach problems differently will help open you up to the number of different directions your book can go in.

I’ve found that even if I don’t take a direct suggestion from one of my early readers, nearly every suggestion they make helps me think about my story differently and consider an angle that hadn’t occurred to me prior to talking with them.

This helps widen the world of my story.

Meghan Rogers shares Getting Good Writing Feedback - in photo: writing tip: A good early reader will be able to sift through the problems and make note of them, but still find what's working and be able to get excited about it.

Places to find these people

You might consider taking a writing class at a local college or community center or joining an organization. Not only is the good for your writing in general, these are also great places to look for early readers!

And if your early reader happens to also be a writer, you can offer to be an early reader for them in return! But remember, these readers don’t have to be writers, so, you might want to check out book clubs and library groups too.

Before you agree to let someone read your work, make sure you get to know your potential reader’s taste in books/entertainment. (See point #1.)

Then once you know they have a passion for the same types of books and stories as you, float the idea that you’re a writer working on a book. In my experience, it’s best if you can get someone to offer to read your book–especially if they’re not a writer and you can’t offer a critique in return.

You can, of course, ask, but keep in mind that some people will just say yes because they don’t know how to say no.

And while this is something for them to work on, it’s also something you can be negatively impacted by. You will get better and more thoughtful feedback from people who truly want to help as opposed to people who say yes out of obligation.

However, if you know someone well enough to know they’ll give you an honest answer, by all means, ask away!

How I find my readers

Here’s another place to look for early readers: your own friend groups. That’s where I found all of my early readers.

Now, I recognize that I’m extremely lucky to have friends that get writing and storytelling. You definitely shouldn’t trust your book to a reader just because they are a friend.

But don’t overlook your friends just because they may not all be writers. Your friends often get you and what you like better than most people, which can put them in a position to help you make the book you want to make.

I hope this helps you find some awesome early readers for your writing!

It may take some trial and error to find the right set of reliable early readers, but trust me when I say they are worth looking for. My early readers have been essential to the strength and development of my stories and I couldn’t imagine writing anything without their feedback.

You can find the rest of this series here!

Now it’s your turn: Do you have early readers? If you do, how did you find them and how do they help? If you don’t, what’s been your biggest challenge in finding one or concern about having one? Tell me about it in the comments and follow me on Instagram!

4 Great Sources of Inspiration for Writers: Writing Tips

By Meghan Leave a Comment

There are plenty of sayings about writing and inspiration.

Most center around the idea that if you want to be productive, you can’t always wait for inspiration to strike. And while I think that’s mostly true, I also think you need inspiration to spark a story and get you started.

4 Great Sources of Inspiration for Writers: Writing Tips

Every story is inspired by something or someone. Inspiration for writers is everywhere, but it can also be fickle. It may not always come to you; sometimes you need to go to it.

With that in mind, here are four places to look for your next story idea:

Untold stories

If there has ever been an idea or character from a book/movie/TV show that you’ve wanted to know more about, create your own version of that character and world to explore. This source of inspiration is one of my favorites!

It’s actually how I got the idea for Crossing the Line. After seeing The Avengers, I found myself really interested in the character of Black Widow.

4 Great Sources of Inspiration for Writers: Writing Tips - in photo: man and woman running

I hadn’t known much about the character coming in, but one thing that’s made pretty clear in the movie is that Black Widow wasn’t always one of the “good guys.”

In fact, at one point, she worked for the enemy. I became fascinated with what the transition from enemy to ally would have been like. The movie didn’t dig into this idea at all, so I created my own spy and spy world to explore this concept.

You can do this with any story that you love or are intrigued by.

What ifs

What if there was life on Mars? So, what if time travel was possible? What if pigs could fly?

Pick a fact that is most definitely false and explore a world where it’s true. Or vice-versa, pick a fact that is most definitely true and explore a world where it’s false.

For this idea, start by making a running list of “what ifs.” No idea is too absurd or ridiculous.

When you find one that’s really interesting to you, do an exploratory freewrite and see if it’s an idea you can turn into a story.

Flip a Cliche

Make a practiced story idea new again by doing the opposite of what readers have come to expect.

For example, the cliche: two people for different worlds desperately want to be together but can’t. Instead: Two people from different worlds want nothing to do with each other but are stuck together. (And they NEVER warm up to one another.)

4 Great Sources of Inspiration for Writers: Writing Tips: in photo: Meghan Rogers shares a writing tip: If there has ever been an idea of character from a book/movie/TV show that you've wanted to know more about, create your own version of that character and world to explore.

Or, cliche: The chosen one rises to the occasion to fight the big bad and save the world. Instead: The chose one wants no part of being the hero, never gets their act together, and your characters have to find some other way to not die.

The possibilities are endless! This is another favorite of mine. The idea for a current project came from this source of inspiration, not to mention a handful of ideas in the past.

For this idea, brainstorm your favorite stories and see if you can pick out some of their more cliche storylines, or take note of any storyline you’ve seen repeatedly.

Then flip each of those cliches and choose your favorite to write about.

Find something in real life and explore it deeply

Go to a public place. Find someone who captures your attention. What draws you to them?

Turn this person into a character by creating a story backstory for them, then develop a world for them to live in.

Or! Take a walk or a drive and find a location that either grabs your interest or a location you’ve overlooked in the past.

Develop a story about that place and the people who frequent it. There is plenty of inspiration for writers all around us every day, so be on the lookout!

I hope you find these sources of inspiration for writers helpful!

All of these ideas are just points to jump of off. Don’t be afraid to let your stories take on a life of their own, even if they deviate from the original source of inspiration.

Now it’s your turn: Where do you get your inspiration from? Is there a source of inspiration for writers that I missed? Is there a source that’s inspired you in the past you found surprising? Tell me about it in the comments!

3 Overlooked Sources for Novel Research: Writing Tips

By Meghan 2 Comments

Novel research has gotten so much easier since the invention of the internet.

A quick Google search can either answer your questions or point you in the direction of someone who can. But there are a few areas of both the internet and the real world that I’ve seen underutilized lately.

Here are three overlooked sources for novel research. These are resources that either I have personally used and benefited from, or they’ve been used by someone I personally know.

I hope some of these can help you!

1) Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming services

Specifically, the documentaries section. Plenty of filmmakers have done research and documented experiences of people or situations that may be unfamiliar to you.

This can be particularly helpful if you have a character in your book who is experiencing something you personally have not.

Even if you don’t learn anything new from a documentary, there’s a power in seeing an experience or situation that you may need to write about on screen.

In my book series, my main character was kidnapped as a kid and raised to be a North Korean spy. One way I learned more about North Korea was through Netflix documentaries.

I can’t tell you how much it helped. I didn’t use any fact specifically, but watching them gave me a feel and understanding that I believe enhanced my books.

For craft research

Additionally, don’t write off TV and movies as a form of craft research.

If you’re struggling with the pace of your book, you may find a show or movie that’s incredibly well paced, or has a pace you’d like your book to have.

I have an author friend who broke a movie down scene by scene to understand its structure. She then made a revision plan so her book’s structure would match.

Or if you just can’t nail your character’s movement, find a character from tv/movies who reminds you of your character. Study their movements. Describe what you see. Then transfer your observations into your story.

And of course, you should also do some research on any documentary or video resource you use. Some are more respected and accurate than others.

2) Coursera

This is one of the best-kept secrets in education and online learning. Coursera.org allows you to enroll in online courses from top colleges and universities all over the world.

And as long as you don’t want a certificate, specialization, or degree, most are absolutely free.

Classes tend to run around six weeks, but it can vary from class to class. Courses are primarily comprised of video lectures, short readings, and forum discussions.

The time commitment is fairly minimal, and since you’re not getting a grade, you can do as much or as little of the work as you want. (I tend to only watch the videos…)

So, if you have a character who’s into biology or who’s a lawyer, but you don’t have a strong understanding of those areas, you can take a class on the topic!

They also have great psychology classes that can help you understand your characters and their development better.

But be warned. If you like learning just for the sake of learning, this can be addictive. Every time I log on I sign up for more classes than I have time for.

3) The Library

I know what you’re thinking! The library is totally not an overlooked resource for novel research. And for books, the internet, and general information, you’d be correct.

However, it’s easy to forget that magnitude of the library system. Libraries give us access to so much more than just books. You may also have access to museum passes, artwork, and even bones (from some medical libraries).

So, if there’s a local museum that would help with your research, but is a little too expensive, your library might be able to help you out!

And if you have a character who’s really into art, you could check out a piece of artwork so you can describe it accurately. Or if you’re writing a crime novel, having access to actual bones might be beneficial.

Also, keep in mind, you aren’t necessarily limited to the items in your library. I have a friend who got some very specific ink blots from a library out of state through an interlibrary loan program.

If you want to know more about what your library has access to, you should definitely pay them a visit!

I hope this helps with your novel research!

Now it’s your turn: What’s your go-to source for novel research? Do you have an uncommon or overlooked source you can share? Tell me about it in the comments!

Stop Editing While You Write: 5 Great Writing Tips

By Meghan 8 Comments

It’s important not to edit while you write. In fact, the mantra for every writer in the first or early drafting stages should be, “I’ll fix it later.”

It can be a challenge to keep that in mind, but it’s SO important.

If you’re editing while you write, you’re ultimately getting in your own way. It’s hard to edit a book in progress because you don’t really know what you have yet.You won’t know until you finish your draft.

Every time you stop writing to edit, you’re putting yourself farther from the finish line.

For the purposes of this post, I’m considering “editing” to mean both fixing language/grammar/sentence structure and more substantial plot changes.

Basically, anything that you might stop writing to fix.

Stop Editing While You Write: 5 Great Writing Tips

Here are five tips to help you stop editing while you write:

1) Make a list of problems

This is something I rely heavily on. In the past, one of my biggest excuses to stop writing and edit was, “I need to fix it before I forget.”

But every time I went back to fix something it kept me from moving forward.

Now, I keep a running list of problems so I know what I need to check in on later. I keep bigger, overarching issues in a page on my notebook and more scene or chapter specific issues in the notes section in Scrivener. (If you’re in Word, the comments feature can also help with this.)

This way I only stop long enough to jot down some notes, then I get right back to my word count.

Meghan Rogers shares Stop Editing While You Write: 5 Great Writing Tips - in photo: the right to write written by a typewriter

2) For big changes, pretend you already made them and keep writing

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’re moving through your books, hitting your word count, then out of the blue, you have a revelation about your project.

And it’s a MAJOR revelation.

One that completely changes the direction of your story, and it impacts things you’ve already written.

Since this revelation is so big, it would be easy to think you need to stop writing, go back, and put the changes in before continuing. But you don’t.

You need to keep moving forward.

Like the point above, all you have to do is take a time out and make notes about the changes you want to make.

Then you keep writing as if you’ve already made them.

Save changing previous writing for after you’ve finished drafting. If you don’t, it can become a domino effect.

Once you make one big change, it won’t be long until you start making others. Keep your eyes on the prize and get to the old stuff later!

3) Remind yourself that it’s supposed to be bad

It’s amazing what changing your way of thinking can do for your writing.

I think one reason a lot of writers have a hard time not editing while writing is that we get too focused on the end result.

When a book’s in its early stages, it is at its worst, so it can be easy to get hung up on how bad it is.

One idea that really helps me manage this is to remember that it’s supposed to be bad right now.

Meghan Rogers shares Stop Editing While You Write: 5 Great Writing Tips - in photo: Writing Tip: It's important not to edit while you write. In fact, the mantra for every writer in the early drafting stages should be, "I'll fix it later."

It’s not called the writing “process” just because it sounds good. It’s actually a process. Your work needs to be bad before it can be good.

So, if you’re in your first or second draft and your book is a hot mess/bad/the-worst-thing-ever-written, then CONGRATULATIONS! You’re doing a good job!! Try to remember that!

Once I got used to the idea that drafting + bad writing = a good job, it became a lot easier to accept and move forward. For more tips on this subject area, I have a whole post on embracing imperfection in your writing.

4) Write each day’s work in a separate document

Or, you can do each chapter/scene if you’d think that’d be best. The ultimate goal here is to put less of your work on your screen at once. There are two ways this can help.

First, sometimes it can be easier to fall into editing when you get stuck drafting. Then you might think, “Well, let me go fix some of the old stuff, so at least I’m doing something.”

And the next thing you know, you’re editing everything and not moving your project forward.

As much as this may feel like progress, it’s not. At least, not at this stage. It’s actually keeping you from finishing your book, which is a problem.

Second, it can also be hard to move on when you feel like what you’ve written so far could be so much better.

And if you’re having a hard time with Tip #3, simply taking the work off your screen might be the way to go. The less previously written work you have access to, the harder it will be to edit.

Meghan Rogers shares a write tip: If you're in your first or second draft and your book is a hot mess/bad/the-worst-thing-ever-written, then CONGRATULATIONS! You're doing a good job.

5) Write on the clock

I did a post a couple of weeks ago that touched on the benefits of writing on the clock and how I use this technique.

The idea is you set a reasonable writing goal to meet in a given amount of time.

As I mentioned in that post, one reason why I love this approach is that it focuses on quantity, not quality, which is important in the drafting stage.

It also makes it easier to push on and get your words down without editing while you write because you simply don’t have time for anything else.

I hope this helps you stop editing while you write!

If you’re looking for more tips like this, you might want to check out this post: 6 Tips for Finishing Your First Draft.

Now it’s your turn: Have you caught yourself editing while you write? If you have, how do you manage it? If you haven’t, what tips can you share? Tell me about it in the comments!

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How to Create a Novel Revision Plan: 5 Writing Tips

By Meghan 1 Comment

You finished the first draft of your novel! (Yay!!) And it’s probably a hot mess.

The good news is, it’s supposed to be–so you’re doing things right!

As exciting as it is to finish a draft, I know first hand how overwhelming it can be to tackle revision.

Here are some tips that have helped me create quality novel revision plan time and time again.

Pick an approach

Before you get started, I suggest picking an approach for your novel revision plan. The two I’m most familiar with are chapter-by-chapter or storyline-by-storyline. (If you know of more, let me know in the comments!)

I recommend deciding this up front so you can plan and take notes accordingly.

Chapter-by-Chapter

The idea of this approach is that you’ll go through the book sequentially and address all of the problems in an individual chapter at one shot.

So if you realize your character is acting odd, storyline A is weak, and an aspect of storyline B doesn’t make sense, you’ll fix all of these problems in any given chapter before moving on to the next one.

This approach will probably work better for people who prefer to multitask.

Storyline-by-storyline

If you’re less of a multitasker (like me) you might want to give this approach a try.

Instead of juggling multiple problems at once, focus on one problem at a time.

In this case, if you notice your character is acting odd, Storyline A is weak, and an aspect of Storyline B doesn’t make sense, you first go through the book and fix your character in every scene where they are off.

Then you do the same thing for Storyline A, then Storyline B. I

personally prefer this method, but that’s because I know it works for me. If you’ve never tried either, give them both a shot at some point to see what works best for you.

Read your book

Now that you have your approach, take a step back and see what shape your story is in.

It might be tempting to start revising based on how you felt when you were writing, but this is often a bad idea.

Scenes that seemed good as you were writing may need some work for one reason or another, and scenes that seemed bad at the time may be surprisingly good when you read through.

I would recommend giving yourself some time off before you dive in so you can see things with fresh eyes. Shoot for at least a week if you can.

Once you start, don’t make any changes as you read–especially early in the revision process.

Your goal here is to simply see what you have to work with and to identify your novel’s problems.

Document problems as you go on a blank piece of paper. If you’re going chapter-by-chapter, try writing down each chapter number than listing any problems. If you’re going storyline-by-storyline, have a page for each character/storyline, then document page numbers and issues on the appropriate page.

Or figure out some hybrid that works for you (if you’re going with storylines, maybe document issues by chapter then sort them by storyline later).

Again, these are just some suggestions. Only you will know what works for you. Don’t be afraid to adapt these ideas as you see fit.

I suggest keeping these things in mind as you read, then mentally going through each area again once you finish and have a better idea of your complete book.

Consider freewriting

Once you know what your problems are, consider taking some time to work out your solutions in an informal way. This is how I start every brainstorming and revision planning session. I’ve got a whole post with tips and the benefits of freewriting, so I’ll leave it at that for now. 🙂

Address bigger problems first

Now it’s time to actually make your novel revision plan.

No matter which approach you take, I highly recommend addressing the bigger problems first.

The bigger problems require the most work and are easier to manage when more of your book is movable or expendable.

If you take the time to fix the smaller problems first, you may end up having to trash some of your solutions to solve your larger and more detrimental problem. And then you’ll have to go back and re-solve a problem you’ve already given time to. I

n some ways, being a writer is like being a doctor. If a patient comes in with multiple issues, doctors will always treat the most life-threatening problem first because it’s essential to the patient’s survival.

You should treat your book the same way. And if you do, you might even find that your smaller problems solve themselves.

Before you start revising, sit down and plan what problem, specifically, you’re going to tackle first, and exactly how you want to solve it. Then move on to your next problem.

You can apply this no matter if you’re going chapter-by-chapter or storyline by storyline.

Don’t try to fix it all in one round

I know I say this a lot, but it can’t be stressed enough.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a number of problems in your book, don’t try to fix them all at once.

Use this list as a guide and take them one at a time. You can always make another novel revision plan. There’s no limit to the number of revisions you can do to a book. Make it as manageable as possible and do whatever you have to in order to keep moving forward.

I hope this helps you create your own novel revision plan!

Keep in mind, these are just tips and guidelines that have worked for me. Modifying writing advice to meet your own needs and work style is essential to developing a happy writing life, so don’t be afraid to experiment!

Now it’s your turn: How do you approach revision? Have you tried a novel revision plan before? What works well for you? What have you struggled with? Tell me in the comments!