FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR: From Guest, Harrison Demchick (eden unger bowditch)

My guest is Harrison Demchick, editor, author, screenwriter. Harrison is a brilliant editor who has left Bancroft Press and now works with freelance editorial boutique Ambitious Enterprises (www.ambitiousenterprises.com). 

I was in a panic since he has worked with me on the first two Young Inventors Guild books and I cannot imagine life without Harrison as my editor, even beyond this series. He is deeply thorough and asks all the right questions that stimulate and allow for the author to be more attentive to the path of the story. And he is totally willing to be told 'NO' if need be.

All this said, he is the author of The Listeners https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6520594.Harrison_Demchick and is my writing partner of the screenplays for The Atomic Weight of Secrets . . . and The Ravens of Solemano . . .

Harrison is going to share his wisdom, first through these four questions and then through the discussion in the comments below.

Anyone who participates in the conversation below will be eligible to win a free critique of a synopsis and the first few pages of their manuscript!

1. As an editor at Bancroft, what did you find the most important thing when reviewing a submission?

I actually didn’t review many submissions, but when I did, and really whoever was doing it, the most important thing we would look for is something interesting and exciting. And that’s awfully vague, I know. But what small presses will sometimes do that big publishers usually will not is take on a manuscript that has the potential to be great, even if it isn’t there yet. On a fundamental level, the reason is that a publisher wants to be passionate about what it publishes.

We were passionate about great stories and characters.  I personally gravitated toward strong voices—the kind that transport you to a time and place so vividly that you may well have lived there yourself.

2. What would you suggest to an author struggling with a manuscript that has been rejected?

There’s not an author in the world who has never been rejected. All your favorite writers were rejected, probably many times, and ultimately the determining factor is the same one that got you to a completed draft to begin with: You need to have the drive and determination to see things through. It’s true of the writing process, it’s true of the revision process, and it’s true of the submission process as well—not to mention marketing.

But that said, what you don’t want to do is get into the mindset that everyone rejecting your novel is an idiot unable to grasp your obvious brilliance. You don’t want to decide, based on that, to self-publish exactly the manuscript you have. And that’s not a knock on self-publishing. If you feel that’s the path for you, and it has never been more legitimate than it is today, then by all means it’s the path you should take.

But not until your manuscript is as strong as it can be. If you’re receiving a lot of rejections, before you go ahead and ignore the whole submission process, step back and think: Maybe they have a point. Maybe I’m not finished yet. Maybe my book can be better.

And maybe that’s not the case at all, but you don’t want to put your work out there until it’s as strong as it can possibly be. Get feedback. Bring on an editor who doesn’t belong to a publishing house or agency—someone whose concern isn’t commercial viability, but rather purely quality. Take the time to revise. “Good enough” is never good enough.

3. Before submitting a manuscript (either to an editor, publisher, or with aspirations of getting a book deal) what would you suggest an author do to have the best shot at a positive response?

It depends on who you’re submitting to. If you’re bringing on an editor, the main thing you need to do is understand that there may well be a lot more work ahead of you. You’re paying an editor to be that professional pair of eyes that can see what you can’t, so you can’t expect him to say only what you want to hear. He’s going to tell you what you need to know, and if he’s really good, he’s going to help you fix whatever problems exist and reach your full potential. But you can only do that if you’re open to it.

As for publishers or agents, what you really want to show them is polish. That doesn’t just mean correcting incorrect spelling or grammar (although most submissions editors will stop reading in the space of a few pages if they’re not engaged, so obvious mistakes are a surefire way to get a manuscript rejected). It means that what you’re sending out should be as strong as you can make it. You’ve worked with an editor. You’ve taken critiques. You’ve grown as a writer and improved your manuscript. What you’re sending out there is genuinely the best you can do. Generally speaking, you can only send the same manuscript to the same agent or publisher once, so make sure it’s the best version of itself.

4. A few tips for all authors?

There are so many, and I hope I can give out a lot more in the conversation below. But I think the most important thing authors need to understand is that every struggle they hit—the rejection, the massive editorial letter, and everything before and after and in-between—is part of the process. You can’t write that amazing third draft without those somewhat less than brilliant first and second drafts. There are no shortcuts, even though you sometimes want there to be.

The other thing I can impart is kind of obvious, and we’ve all heard it, but it’s important: A writer has to write. A writer has to set the time aside. Back around August, my writer friends and I started gathering every Sunday at 3:30 to work on our own projects, and even though I never thought that was something I needed—I’ve always been a pretty self-motivated person—I have never been more productive in my entire life. I finished a screenplay, several times (because it wasn’t really done yet, and probably still isn’t). I started another. And I’ve had this perpetually regenerating writer’s high as a result.

And that’s something we should all keep in mind as well. Amidst the struggle and the frustration of the blank or otherwise imperfect page, let’s not forget that we’re writers because writing is fun. We want to write. We need to write. And when we take the time, it feels really, really good.

Now, I’d love for you all to take some time to ask me some more questions, because I’ll be hanging around Project Mayhem to answer them.

And even if you don’t win that free critique, don’t worry. You can still sign up for a free half-hour editorial consultation at http://ambitiousenterprises.com/contact/. And if you mention Project Mayhem when you sign up, you’ll get 10 percent off any developmental editorial service.

I’m looking forward to talking with all of you!

Keeping the Reader Reading - Analyzing the first 50 pages of a Manuscript

I've heard the rule of thumb for adult fiction is that all the elements of the story have to be in place by page fifty of a book to keep a reader reading. For kidlit, it's probably much earlier than that. As writers, how to we know we've got the first fifty pages where they need to be? I’ve been doing some critiquing and some editing of my own work, and came to some realizations in the process. We know it’s hard to see the flaws in our own writing, but critiquing others has helped me know what to look for now. I’ve made a list of some things I use whether I’m reading my own story or someone else’s work:

1. For each character introduced, do I have a picture in my head of them besides their name and occupation/role? Will I be able to remember something about them when I encounter them later? I read fast, like many others, and if a character comes into the story and then disappears again for awhile, it’s frustrating to me when that character reappears and I can’t remember who they are and what point they serve to the story. Somehow, they need to be memorable enough the first time around to stick.

2. For the important characters, how do I feel about them? Do I like them? Dislike them? Don’t care?  Too often, when a story starts out where the main character is unhappy with their current situation, it may make sense plot-wise, but the reader needs to feel more than sympathy for a character to really be hooked. I want to know something interesting about a character. It doesn’t matter what, but I like to know how at least some tiny distinction that would make me want to keep reading about them.

3. Do I have an inkling of what the main character wants or what they are going to face? This may seem obvious, especially in middle grade where the pace moves faster, but sometimes you can get hung up on dreaded backstory infodump. It may feel like everything about the character’s world needs to be defined, but neglecting the plot to do so can kill the pacing. Relating this back to #2, it’s a fine balance to get into the plot fast enough while not neglecting the character development. If the first few pages are about your characters about to fall into a pit of boiling lava, that’s exciting, but I have to care a little about them too. 

4. Is the world in the story interesting enough to make the reader either want to be in that world or at least be able to easily imagine it? If your story is set in an ordinary place, you still can engage the readers’ senses so they can feel they are part of the story. If it’s an unusual place, again, anything you can do to make the reader believe it’s real, the more the reader will be drawn into the story. For me, the best stories of all are ones in which I want to be in that world, if only for a little while.

Any other tips for critiquing or editing? I'm always looking to add to my list!

~Dee Garretson

Not World Building, HOUSE Building!

As I was revising a manuscript for the umpteenth time the other day, I realized that I had been watching HGTV WAY too much lately, because I had unexpectedly drawn a lesson for my writing from shows like Designed to Sell and Income Property.


Um ... had I gone completely crazy?
Maybe! But more important, I had stumbled upon a fresh way of looking at a familiar task.


For those who haven't witnessed the spellbinding appeal of Home and Garden Television, let me explain. Designed to Sell shows how to turn a tired house into a showpiece by giving sellers a minimal budget and a team of experts (like the amazing architect/interior designer John Gidding and designer Lisa Laporta) to transform their house into the hottest property on the block. On Income Property, wizardly carpenter Scott McGillivray helps first-time homebuyers turn part of their house into rentals to help with the mortgage. He transforms hideous basement dumps into beautiful living units, and we see the renovations and the incredible reveals.


These successful designers are continually harping on the importance of creating a "harmonious whole" and "unifying the space," "maximizing potential" and creating "curb appeal." They routinely find inventive, inexpensive solutions to a variety of homey shortcomings.


In my editing process, I too want to maximize potential with easy, affordable fixes, and I regularly come across problems that get in the way of a harmonious whole. Characters clash with settings, situations clash with dialog, and the all-important believability of the fictional world suffers, which brings down the property value of the material.


Likening editing to renovating a house has completely inspired me. I realize now that when I take the time to upgrade the kitchen linoleum, I'd better look into upgrading the cabinets and appliances too, and the backsplash and the lighting fixtures. If I spot a bit of mildew on a portion of drywall, I can be sure the frame needs replacing, or if the floor is the problem, the very foundation needs looking at.


I want curb appeal. As the reader approaches the story, I want to create lively interest straight away. Then, when the newly sanded and stained front door is opened and he or she enters the house, er tale, I want to show a space that flows. I want to highlight the view from the beautifully installed windows, which means rearranging the clunky furniture so it's no longer in the way. I want to create a welcoming home that grows warmer and more inviting from room to room. In short, I want a story readers will be happy to live in.


And what gets in the way of that? Too many knickknacks. Too much "personality." Mismatched furniture. Outmoded fixtures. The wrong shade of paint. Among so many other things!


Some changes are cosmetic. Some require drastic demolition and reconstruction. But in the end, there's a house to be proud of, and a story that sells itself!


—by Timothy Power