 Are you considering writing a book? Do you have a book idea, but aren’t sure where to start? Have you been putting off writing that book because you’re anxious about publishing? Whether you are considering self-publishing or going through a publisher, there are lots of overlapping steps. I’m hoping this list will bring you closer to holding your book in your hand. Things to note:
1. Idea No book can start without an idea. At this point you should have some notes on the setting of your book, the personalities of your characters and what they look like, the general plot timeline, and how the story ends. Organize your thoughts by writing the scenes and their order in point form. Draft some conversations and scenes so you don’t forget your thoughts. If you are still not clear about your idea: research, read other books (fiction and nonfiction), watch movies, join a local book club, talk with other authors, bounce ideas off of your friends and family, sit in a park and watch people pass by, and anything else that could bring inspiration. Here is an older blog that I have written about my own creative process 2. First Draft This is where the idea first takes shape. It is a step that can be very satisfying for a writer. Based on your outline from earlier, do a brain dump. For this step, don’t worry about spelling, grammar or sentence structure. The goal is to immerse yourself in the story and type. A skilled typist can do more than 1000 words a day. Write as much as you can or want. Describe the settings, characters, Point of View (POV), interactions between characters, dialogs etc. Once complete you will have your first draft of the manuscript (MS). 3. Character Style Sheet This exercise might seem useless at first since a lot of this is already in the book or in your head, but this will help you avoid inconsistencies in the book. I have read many books where a character had brown eyes, but at the end of the book they turned blue for no reason. This document will be for you and your editor’s eyes only. It is meant to be informative, but does not need to be pretty or grammatically correct. Write down everything you know about the characters, their background stories, childhood, upbringing, how they look, their behaviour, their mannerisms, etc. Even if these details don’t end up in the book. This will help you to keep the characters believable. Write down everything you know about the locations in the story and what takes place in them. Give these locations background stories. Who built them? Who owned them previously? How do people use this space? Find pictures of similar places and paste them into the document. Write down any stylistic choices you are using, such as dialects. How are they different? Does your story contain any items that are crucial to the plot? How do they look, how are they used and what are they used for? Return to your style sheet and update it throughout the editing process anytime you think of something worth noting or whenever anything changes. A character style sheet is required for any books that are series, because it is easy to forget details from one book to the next. I suggest doing this for all books, because you never know when you might get the idea to write another book in the same universe. You can read more about the character style sheets on my previous blog: Characters 4. Chapter by Chapter, Scene by Scene So you’ve written the first draft of your MS. It was intense, but you did it; your book is now in your hands. Is it good and ready for publishing? Of course not. Now it’s time to slow down and edit the story. Chapter by chapter, scene by scene, focus on content and not on writing itself. It may be necessary to go over the scenes multiple times in order to complete them. Here are some things you’ll want to keep an eye on.
5. Two-page summary You’ll want to begin by writing a longer summary and then trimming that summary down to just two pages. The summary should read like a story, with proper sentence structure rather than point form or disjointed sentences. The summary should be two pages, single-spaced, Times New Roman size 12, with default margins. No cheating. There are two reasons to have a two-page summary of your manuscript:
6. Full manuscript read-through Read the whole MS from beginning to end. How well does it flow from scene to scene? How well does it flow from chapter to chapter? Look for things that you might have missed before. You can now look at grammar, sentence structure and of course spelling. Change the font type and read it again. You will be surprised how differently it reads with a simple font change. Convert it into an ebook and read it again on your e-reader or phone. Print it if you can and read it again. 7. Trusted reader (Optional) At this point, the MS should already be quite decent. It should read smoothly to you and you should be happy with what you’ve written. This is when anxiety often kicks in. Is it good enough? The MS may still have problems, but you can’t easily pinpoint them yourself. This is when you may benefit from a trusted reader. I suggest finding someone close to you, who you have a good relationship with, and who you trust to provide unbiased and structural feedback for your book. You are specifically looking for someone who would not hesitate to point out issues and mistakes in your book and against whom you wouldn’t hold any negative feedback. Discuss their feedback with them in order to better understand it. Someone who will only give you positive feedback won’t be helpful here. Another writer, or someone knowledgeable about writing would be a plus, but unnecessary. If you are confident in your story or you don’t have any trusted readers, you can skip this step and go to the next one. 8. Editing #1 This will be a general edit of your MS based on feedback from your trusted reader. The changes can be minor or more substantial. Once the changes have been made, I recommend reading your book again from top to bottom to see how these changes fit into the overall story. 9. Title If you don’t yet have a title for your book, you should start to think about it. Use your trusted reader to bounce ideas off of. 10. English Edit (Optional) English is my second language and I often don’t trust my writing enough for it to be seen by a lot of people. I asked a friend with qualifications to check the manuscript for me. This is optional if you are confident enough in your writing to send your manuscript to beta readers. 11. Beta reading In this step, you can get an idea of how the book will be perceived by others. Use as many beta readers as you want. Remember that you are looking for constructive feedback on how interesting the book is. Are the characters likable? Do they feel real? Is the pacing engaging and the ending satisfactory? Note that some professional beta readers might ask you to pay them for this work of reading and providing you feedback. Many readers, however, will do it for free and I always reward them by mentioning them in the acknowledgments section of the book and giving them a signed copy. If you are still not sure what title to give your book, you can poll your beta readers on your ideas. As the beta readers are reading, do your own reading and research to find books that are comparable to yours in content, theme, or style. This will be useful for future marketing and for cover design ideas. You can read more about Beta Reading in my previous blog post: https://www.ewaanderson.com/blog/beta-reading 12. Finding a Publisher (Optional) This step is for those who would like to publish traditionally. This is where you approach publishers who accept manuscripts and will ideally help you finance the rest of the publishing process. Once your book is accepted you will perform the rest of the outlined steps with your publisher, so there is still value in reading further. It can be helpful to know what else lies ahead. If you are not sure whether you want to self-publish or find your own publisher, you can find more information on the differences between them in previous blog posts: https://www.ewaanderson.com/blog/traditional-or-self-publishing-part-i-money https://www.ewaanderson.com/blog/traditional-or-self-publishing-part-ii-time https://www.ewaanderson.com/blog/traditional-or-self-publishing-part-iii-effort 13. Cover design This step assumes that you now have a title that you are completely happy with, and that your book has a clear theme that you don’t plan to change. If you are still unsure, you can skip this step for now and revisit it when ready. There are three ways of getting a book cover.
The designer will ask you to prepare a two-page book summary in order to understand what the book is about so that they can offer you ideas of what designs might work best. Once the cover designer has offered up some prototypes you like, you can show them to your beta readers for feedback. More information about book covers can be found in my previous blog post: https://www.ewaanderson.com/blog/cover-design-should-you-be-a-sheep-or-go-your-own-way 14. Finding an Editor Now it’s time to talk to a professional editor. When looking for an editor, keep in mind that this will be the most important relationship you will have with a professional during the book publishing process. Choose your editor carefully as it will have a profound impact on your story. A friend of a friend might be a fine choice, and probably cheaper, but they likely will not be able to offer you the depth of editing that a professional, certified editor would. The process for finding an editor may differ depending where you live, however in Canada we have a special association called Editors Canada, which can be found at www.editors.ca. On this site you can find a long list of professional editors based on their skills and experience. What to look for in an editor?
15. Manuscript Evaluation (Optional) Although beta readers can give excellent feedback, there is often no substitute for feedback from an editor. After reading your MS the editor will make detailed notes on what works in the book and what doesn’t. They will also offer suggestions on how to improve the MS, the characters, the story and so on, for better impact. Although I’ve marked manuscript evaluation as optional for people with experience writing books, it is a great way to get a more in-depth understanding of how your editor works. The editor might also offer to discuss the MS over the phone. Make note of how comfortable this discussion feels. If you feel the editor is not a great fit, go and find a different one. There is no reason you absolutely have to continue with this editor for future editing of the MS. MORE TO COME! Sign up for the newsletter!
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 Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash It seems reasonable to most of us who live in first world countries that each workplace be required to maintain minimum safety standards. However, there seems to be an increasing number of voices in recent years arguing that the free market should dictate everything, including workplace safety. This is often followed by claims that if unsafe working conditions are found, a worker can simply quit and find a new job. This raises the question: Why do we have safety laws in the first place? To answer that, here is a quick overview of the history that brought us to where we are today. Before the industrial revolution, which started in the mid 18th century, there were many small, family-owned shops, producing small amounts of goods. Mass production was uncommon and limited to specific industries. Although accidents did happen back then, they were rarely happening on a large scale and to a large number of people at a time. This changed with the invention of machines and the sudden ability to create products on an industrial scale. Factories sometimes required hundreds of workers to operate these machines, and the key to effective production was to produce as much as possible, in the shortest possible time and with the least amount of money invested. This became a problem for millions of workers worldwide. The first known records go back to 1750 BC Mesopotamia, where some aspects of regulations around safety were implemented by society. Workplace safety as we know it today, however, only began in the 19th century. In England, a safety report in 1784 resulted in the first Factory Act in 1802. It started with a large number of workers in the factory and the nearby village falling sick due to highly transmissible disease. One of the regulations mandated fresh air in the factories, which up until that time had offered little to no air flow. Further accidents and attempts to prevent them forced the Cotton Mills and Factories Act 1819, which forbade kids under 9 from working, and allowed kids younger than 16 to work 12 hours a day. Later, the Labour in Cotton Mills Act 1831 forbade workers younger than 21 from working night shifts. In 1832, to further prevent workplace-related accidents, the workday for workers 18 or younger was shortened to 10 hours. Acts on operating the production machinery had also been introduced that only allowed the machines to be cleaned when they were not running. Cotton mills weren’t the only industry that had to improve worker safety in order to limit accidents and injury. Similar regulations around mining, railroad industry and agriculture were developed. With passing years regulations forbade all children to work in factories, standardized 8 hour work days, allowed labor unions to exist and even regulated the amount of breaks. Each step in this process was preceded by lost lives, pain and mutilation. The Occupational Health and Safety acts that we know today in the US and Canada were created in the 1970s. They put emphasis not only at working conditions, but also on Health and Safety training. Both Sābanto - The Crimson River and Sābanto - The Copper Briar review the working conditions and safety of the working class of an imaginary universe that is not that far from our own. The stories explore what would happen if workplace laws no longer existed, the workers had no one to advocate for them, the working hours were extended as much as possible to increase profits and the life and wellbeing of the workforce no longer matter. I want Sābanto to be a cautionary tale of the pain and suffering that can be inflicted when profits are more important than a human being. Because so many people fought for these laws through hundreds of years and many had paid for them with their health and even lives, as a society we should not try to reverse the process. Sources:
https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/history-of-workplace-safety https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brief-history-workplace-health-safety-from-black-ilo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_and_Morals_of_Apprentices_Act_1802 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_Acts#:~:text=The%20act%20had%20the%20following,p.m.%20and%20before%205.30%20a.m.  When a mad scientist is put in charge of creating a great new mining machine, the Boneshaker, disaster ensues, beginning with the destruction of Seattle. Soon a toxic gas escapes from the depths of earth and poisons thousands of people, turning them into zombies. In an effort to save lives, walls are hastily erected that keep the gas inside the city.
Years later, Zeke has more questions than answers about the walled city and the disaster. He puts on a gas mask and runs away from home in the hopes of uncovering the truth about his father and the invention he created. Knowing that her son is in danger, Briar follows in an impossible quest to find and rescue Zeke. Boneshaker takes the reader on a fast-paced journey through the ruins of Seattle on a steam-powered airship, through gas-filled streets where zombies roam, and tunnels that are still used by the inhabitants who chose to remain in the condemned city. Although zombie stories are not my first or second choice when selecting a book to read, I think Boneshaker is a well written novel, and anyone who picks it up won't be disappointed. It is a page turner that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while the mysteries are slowly unraveled.  I’d heard of this book some time ago and then it resurfaced recently when it was shortlisted for a major literary prize in Canada. I picked it up early this year and unfortunately, it took me a long time to read it. I had trouble engaging with the story for the most part. I found it difficult to follow where the story was going and what point the author was trying to make. Although the use of fossil fuels and a new civil war were the major themes, they didn’t seem to be what the book was truly about. It follows the life of Sarah T. Chestnut (Sarat for short) who goes through a series of tragic events that start with the death of her father and the beginning of a new civil war in America. Only when I was about 70% in did the premise of the book finally become clear. From that point onward, I was able to finish the rest of the book in a single evening.
Before I get into some of the details with spoilers, I wanted to point out that although the book is rarely categorized as literary fiction, at least as far as my research told me, I would say that’s what it is. It is a carefully crafted story with lots of world-building and attention to detail that at first does not appear to be of crucial importance. A lot is happening, but the meaning of the events, besides being tragic, are not apparent until later, which makes it harder to engage with the story and sympathize with the main character. I give the book 3 out of 5 stars for the topic it raises and the way it is crafted. I would have given it 5 stars if there were a hook at the beginning. Maybe it was too linear with all events happening in sequence. Spoilers Ahead: Sarat goes through a lot in her life and the events of her youth make a significant impression on her. Additionally, this is amplified by the views of the adults around her who push her to choose a certain path. Although these adults believe that the youth will follow in their footsteps, they don't understand how evil it is for children to be involved in the war and pitted against the enemy. They don’t realize they have created a monster. The synopsis below takes the premise of the book into account. The civil war between the North and the South is only a backdrop to the real story. Sarat is too young to understand that her father was killed at the hands of the Southerners, but the years she spent in a refugee camp with her mother and two other siblings has shaped her. The attack from the North was always imminent and the refugees lived under the constant threat of that happening. Sarat learns from adults and local militants how evil the North is and is introduced by her recruiter to what seems like the only reasonable action of fighting the North. When the attack occurs, Sarat is already a teen and she sees the brutality of the war firsthand. Her mother is killed and her brother is shot in the head, suffering severe brain damage. This is when Sarat decides that her recruiter was right. She needs to fight, and she becomes a very successful sniper. Eventually, negotiations bring the divided America closer to peace. This point in the book is when the premise becomes clear. Sarat is against peace because she hasn’t experienced it and is now driven by the hatred of the North that’s been building inside her since early childhood. She says the following to her friend: "All these old men want it to be like it was when they were young. But it'll never be like that again, and they'll never be young again, no matter what they do … But you and I… We're young, and we ain't bound by what they bound by." She can accept peace, but it won't be the old peace where the North and South live together in harmony once again. When Sarat eventually gets captured by the North and tortured in inhumane jail conditions like those in Guantanamo for seven years (be forewarned that it might be disturbing for some to read about) she learns that she was in fact betrayed by her recruiter. Later, the South additionally betrayed her by settling for peace with the North, giving her back her freedom. Sarat cannot accept this new reality and is persuaded to do the unthinkable. Something that would punish both sides. Her mind is made up that the world will never be as it once was. In conclusion, I think the author uses Sarat as a cautionary tale. Although it is adults who start wars, the children and the youth become an integral part of it, caught in the whirlwind of the conflicts. The new generations learn about the war from people they trust, or experience its evil firsthand, and this shapes their view of the world. This causes a perpetual war that is being raged when the new generations, fueled with emotions and beliefs, repeat their ancestors' mistakes and take up arms. It is also important to note that the North-South conflict is being fueled from the outside. It is of interest to another world power for the North and South of the USA to fight with each other in order for that power to thrive. This political twist makes it important to reflect on the internal conflicts of countries and who benefits from them. |
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