Inventing a language to enrich your fictional world

by guest author Lauren H. Salisbury

Tolkien deployed invented languages to enrich his fantasy.

There’s nothing better than opening a new book and being swept away into an imaginary world. I love discovering fantastical realms peopled by strange races and bizarre creatures. I also enjoy the sense of immersion that comes from comprehensive world-building, one of the hallmarks of my favourite speculative fiction.

Using an original language is often part of this. Just as little details add a sense of realism to a setting, even a couple of words or phrases can make a huge difference to the overall impression of an unfamiliar culture or species. In fact, where there’s no unique terminology, I often feel like something’s missing, which can disconnect me from the narrative.

I wanted my own worlds to be as authentic as possible, so I invented languages for each species. My process was reasonably simple and involved the following three stages:

Sounds

I started with the overall sound I wanted my languages to have, whether to make them guttural, lyrical, harsh or soft. Did I want clicks or glottal stops? Based on this, would they use or omit any specific letters?

This was influenced by the general image I wanted to create for each species. For instance, Esarelians are ambitious and politically astute, making alliances and continually plotting. Baketags are a warrior race with a strict honour code, and Oeals are empaths known for manipulation. I chose soft sounding consonants and glottal stops for the Esarelians while Baketags have hard, clipped sounds, and Oeals use mostly vowels in their speech. This gave me a pool of letters from which to draw when naming characters and inventing specific words.

Grammar

Once I knew what sounds I wanted, I thought briefly about how complex the grammar should be for each language. Things like word length, whether they’d use prefixes and suffixes, whether adjectives and adverbs went before or after nouns. I didn’t want to go too deep into this area, as I only wanted a taste of each language, but it helped me build the words I did need.

For example, Baketag words have only one syllable with adjectives forming suffixes. Their words also join together to form longer single words and don't include articles, determiners, auxiliary verbs, etc. The name Baketag—people (bak), warriors (et), leader (ag)—translates to “people who are warriors under the ultimate leader.” Their planet, Vobaket is “planet of the people who are warriors.”

Specifics – Names and Phrases

With the sounds and basic grammar in place, I was able to create specific words and phrases that would imply cultural references and make each species more authentic. For instance, Esarelian names have two syllables, and the second often denotes class. I was able to play with this principle in the first book, having a character’s suspicions regarding another’s rank confirmed by her name, which made the scene much more interesting and nuanced.

As for the number of alien words I incorporated, that was more intuitive. I started with the names of the main characters, a handful of animals and plants, some foods, and a phrase or two that would fit the story or act as a species’ motto. After that, I added more as I needed them. For Conviction, this included an Esarelian game of strategy and a term for suspected assassination.

I only use alien words and phrases where they’d appear naturally, and I’ve tried several means of explaining their meaning. These methods range from a simple definition following the term, i.e., “As the Ra’hon, the ultimate leader, of the largest known Empire, Ashal needed to…,” to an integrated explanation. Here’s an example from Conviction.

I also found that having a clear idea of their language influenced the way I wrote the narrative in scenes from their viewpoint. I avoided contractions and stuck more rigidly to grammar rules than I did in scenes with a human viewpoint. This reflected their formal speech and helped distinguish them as an alien species.

Several readers have specifically mentioned the way I balance the alien and familiar in my novels, and including parts of their language was one of the main ways I accomplished that.

I hope sharing my process has shown that constructing languages doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated to be effective. However, I’m by no means an expert, and I highly recommend reading around the area, especially if you want to invent more than just a few phrases and names. There are a lot of great resources out there, but a good place to start would be the Language Creation Society at conlang.org.

Thank you for taking the time to find out a little bit about me and my writing, and have fun!

About the Author

Lauren H. Salisbury was an English teacher for sixteen years with an MA in Education. She is now a writer who dabbles with tutoring and lives with her husband and a room full of books in Yorkshire, England. She likes to spend winters abroad, following the sunshine and becoming the seasonal envy of her friends. When she’s not writing, she can be found spending time with family, reading, walking, crafting, or cooking. The Legacy Chronicles is her debut series.

Website: http://www.laurenhsalisbury.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gillascourage

Email list sign-up form: http://eepurl.com/djCo0z

About the Book

Conviction
The Legacy Chronicles 2
Christian speculative fiction

Can two people with opposing principles overcome their differences to be together?

Than has spent his life ostensibly having fun while secretly fighting for his people’s freedom. A member of the underground resistance, he is only ever serious around his comrades and his family. When an injury forces him to step down from active duty and his reluctant nurse sparks his interest, Than finds himself in uncharted territory. The fascinating woman will have nothing to do with him.

Menali’s past has taught her to keep her head down and trust that God has a reason for allowing the human race to suffer on U’du. When Than explodes into her life, he refuses to take no for an answer and challenges all of her preconceptions. He soon has her re-evaluating her priorities and wondering what life with someone like him would be like.


The Legacy Chronicles available here:

Courage: http://amzn.to/2ItzMl4

Conviction: http://a.co/doeQtkg

Giveaway

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter Lauren's giveaway, a Conviction swag bag, which contains character pictures, a themed greeting card, a cross stitched bookmark, a stone necklace and a signed print of the passage it's taken from.

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Q4U: How have linguistic details enhanced your favorite spec fic books? 

Any questions for Lauren?

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Where All Men Have Gone Before

by guest author J. Grace Pennington

I chose science-fiction as my primary genre for many reasons, but one among many was the delightful fact that it limits the need for research.

Of course, ideally, if I wanted to do the most minimal amount of research, I would have gone with fantasy.  Fantasy is, by nature, supernatural.  As long as you stick to your own rules, you can do pretty much anything you want.  Since sci-fi is scientific, it does require a certain degree of knowledge—how things work in general—so that you can have at least some plausible basis for your technological advances.  But still, who's to say what the world will or won't be like in three hundred years?  Who can tell what the landscape of other planets may be?  You can't prove that we won't have starships in the twenty-fourth century, nor can anyone predict how exactly they will be run!

So for the first four books in my Firmament series, I blithely wrote along, amusing myself with the occasional scientific and medical research I needed to write with at least some believability.  After all, I love physiology, and all science is pretty cool, so it was something I could live with.

Then came book five, Gestern.

I want to keep the series moving—keep things fresh, keep the characters growing, force them outside their comfort zones.  Books one, three, and four all take place on the ship.  In book two, I did let them explore an alien planet, but for this installment, I decided to take them to the strangest new world of all:  Earth.

And in the first draft I went about things as usual, writing along my merry way.  Very minimal research.  They're out in the woods and in cities, not on a starship!

Then I started to look at the book for its second draft and realized I'd made a huge mistake.  I had set this story on Earth.  Which meant there were actual things I had to study.  Because Earth is real.  The geography and topography of Austria aren't theoretical—anyone can go there, or even just pull up a map and prove me wrong.

Enter Google Earth and Wikipedia.

I had to dive headfirst into calculating just how long it would take Andi and August to get from A to B.  I had to figure out just what locations A and B were.  And then I had to fit all of that into the plot somehow.  Google Earth became my best friend during this time.  I spent hours perusing the Austrian forests, cities, and fields via satellite images, finding new places for my characters to go.  I found an actual castle to base my castle ruins on, and I learned as much about it as the internet would show me.  I learned what kinds of animals would be native to the places they go and incorporated some into the story.  And then to top it all off, I realized I would have to calculate time zones between where they were, and where their friends were back in the United States!

And all of it had to be fit into the story.  I had to mold the plot and timelines to match what I learned.  I had to move people from one location to another several times.

And in the midst of it, I subconsciously went on the same journey I sent Andi on—a voyage outside of my comfort zone.  Away from easy daydreams and pure imagination and down to the ground to meet hard, unmoving facts.

And in the process, I learned.  I grew.  I'm a little less afraid of research and of the limitations on my creativity—and Andi is a little less afraid of growing up.

About the author

J. Grace Pennington has been telling stories since she could talk and writing them down since age five.  Now she lives in the great state of Texas, where she writes as much as adult life permits.  When she's not writing she enjoys reading good books, having adventures with her husband, and looking up at the stars.

About the book

Gestern
science fiction

You never escape your past

Andi Lloyd is more comfortable than most with interstellar travel, but she's not prepared for the perils and peculiarities of a world she has all but forgotten—the planet Earth. As the Surveyor undergoes repairs, her brother August receives a message with news that will send both of them across the world to a place he never wanted to visit again.

Neither of them are prepared to be thrust into a world of political intrigue amid the tangled forests and crumbling ruins of Austria. They aren't prepared to encounter wild animals and endure cross-country hikes.  And they definitely aren't prepared to face it all alone.

But despite the dangers they must press on into the unknown to find a way to save Andi's life, to decide the fate of Earth itself—and to rescue a lonely girl who just happens to be their little sister.

Find it on Amazon

Giveaway

J. Grace Pennington is offering three great giveaway prizes! One is the CD she listened to while she wrote Gestern. The other two are a signed paperback of the winner’s choice. You can enter here: 

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Tour schedule

August 25

Bookish Orchestrations-Intro post

Frances Hoelsma – Excerpt

shout outs – Book Spotlight

Laurel's Leaves – Guest Post

The Destiny of One – Review

August 26

The Music of a Story – Review

Jaye L. Knight– Excerpt

Letters from Annie Douglass Lima – Excerpt

August 27

Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections – Review

Kelsey's Notebook – Book Spotlight

Claire Banschbach– Excerpt

August 28

Morgan Elizabeth Huneke – Review

Rachel Rossano's Words – Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn Books – Character Interview

August 29

Bookish Orchestrations-Giveaway Winner

Q4U: Are there genres or aspects of fiction writing that, like Grace, you've avoided as outside your comfort zone? What encouragement do you take from her example?

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C = Curiosity

Welcome, A-Z Blogging Challenge friends. This year, my theme is Prompt-a-day, with fun or thought-provoking writing prompts to use as a story start, warm up, or creativity stretching exercise.

Curiosity

History students of the future use time travel to learn about the past.


Discover how writing prompts can be a helpful tool, no matter where you are in your writing journey: 5 Reasons to Write with Prompts.

Looking for more writing inspiration?

Check out my latest release, 1001 Evocative Prompts for Fiction Writers. It will stimulate your thinking wherever you are in your writing journey and get you writing today. It provides story starts and writing inspiration for a wide variety of genres by focusing on emotions, character development, and pivotal moments.

You can face a blank page with confidence when you use these prompts to warm up, beat writer’s block, develop and maintain a writing habit, change up your routine, start a new project, experiment in a new genre, deepen parts of an existing story, or overcome burnout.

What are you waiting for? Dig in and get writing right now!

Add it on Goodreads
e-book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Apple iTunes / Kobo / Smashwords
Pocket paperback (5"x 8", 114 pp.) Amazon / Barnes and Noble / CreateSpace
Workbook (8"x 10", 426 pp.) Amazon / Barnes and Noble / CreateSpace


Q4U: How might you spin this prompt in an unexpected direction? How about as dark comedy or boarding school mystery?

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Sci Fi isn't just for techies: Interview with author Aubrey Hansen

Science fiction is one of those genres I really enjoy reading but have always been too intimidated to write. But not all compelling stories of future worlds and interplanetary travel require you to have degrees in physics, aerospace engineering, xenobiology, and the like (but an interest in topics like this certainly don't hurt). With some very basic aspects of your future world researched, you can write a compelling story that focuses on the human interactions rather than the tech, what is sometimes called "soft" science fiction (versus "hard" --the very tech focused).

As part of her blog tour, author Aubrey Hansen has come to share some insights into creating Red Rain, a Christian "soft" science fiction novella. Take it away, Aubrey....

Good morning, Ladies and Gents! Welcome aboard Flight 74 heading for the Red Planet, Mars. Please strap on your seat belts because this promises to be one wild ride. We've got free books galore, three fun giveaways, an author interview, and more. Let's get this adventure started!

Interview with the Aubrey Hansen, author of Red Rain

What are some key aspects of the future world you've created?

The key aspect—the one that inspired the whole book, actually—was the idea that my character lived under an oppressive government that forced kids to attend public school. These were the thoughts that terrified my fourteen-year-old mind! Although the world has developed to include a lot more political intrigue—especially in the upcoming sequel—the first scene of Red Rain, with those dreaded school buses, has remained almost exactly the same as I originally imagined it.

Tell us about your heroine: How did you chose her name? What are her interests and skills and struggles? 

My oppressive one-world government, the United, was loosely inspired by “the Beast” in the book of Revelation. Therefore, I thought it would be cool to name the major characters after the seven churches of Revelation; I used the churches’ implied strengths and sins as models for the characters’ arcs. Plus, I always thought Philadelphia was a beautiful and unique name!

[As someone who resides in Philadelphia, I'm pretty partial to the name, too. --Laurel]

Philadelphia doesn’t see herself as skillful or talented, especially when compared to her tech-genius father and brother. What she hasn’t realized yet is that she’s actually very intelligent—perhaps not with book knowledge, but with the ability to think outside the box and create solutions. She only has to realize that, just because she’s quiet, doesn’t mean she’s not brave enough to stand up to the evil that threatens her family.

What research did you do to write this book?

This is why I write soft sci-fi—so I don’t have to research! While most of the tech in the book is fictional, I did do some research on Mars and space travel. Of course the space travel in the book is extremely advanced, but I still wanted to make sure I wasn’t forcing my characters to travel faster than the speed of light!

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Since this was my debut novel, I made it easy on myself—I kept it short and didn’t allow myself to edit for too long. The hardest part has actually been coming back to write new material for the series. Trying to work with your old writing is difficult. You want to improve on your writing, but you need to preserve series integrity and don’t want to ruin everything your readers loved about the original story. But it’s worth it!

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for writing Ephesus and Standyard, so all of their scenes were fun. I’m thrilled that all my readers adore Ephesus as much as I do. (They don’t love Standyard yet... but they will... in a few more books.)

What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Share it and your answer.

I feel like I’m “incepting” myself by answering this, but here goes. I wish someone would ask me what I’d do differently if I were to rewrite Red Rain today, now that I’m older and stupider. I can see, looking back, some of the juvenile and misguided theology that worked itself into the book. The United is also single-sided in its evilness. But then, when you’re a teenager, evil is still fairly black and white in your mind. So perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing after all.

How do you find or make time to write?

I do that?

What advice would you give to someone starting out in your genre?

You don’t have to be technologically-minded to write science fiction. Not all sci-fi focuses on the tech, and even if there’s tech in your book, your character doesn’t have to dissect how it works. It’s perfectly acceptable to write “softer” sci-fi and just revel in the fanciful settings and beautiful imagery that’s possible in the fictional future!

 About Red Rain

17-year-old Philadelphia has been imprisoned most of her life because of her Christian beliefs. When her father is sent to Mars against his will to work on a mysterious science project and a benevolent official allows her to accompany him, Philadelphia knows she must keep her head down or be sent back to prison on Earth. But when she stumbles into the wrong hallway and accidentally learns too much, Philadelphia is faced with a question she doesn’t want to answer: the choice between returning to Earth—or destroying it.

About the Author

Aubrey Hansen is a pink-haired, caffeine-fueled twenty-something. She's a writer (obviously), barista, dog trainer, and the co-founder of Penoaks Publishing. She shares her house in Kansas City with three cats, a pit bull, a snake, a ferret, and a husband.

Free Offer

Aubrey is such a generous gal. She's not only offering Red Rain for free this week, but if you sign up for her newsletter, you can also get the prequel short story for free! What are you waiting for?

What Reviewers are Saying

“I was hooked from the first few sentences. In fact, I stayed up late when I got home (even though I had to get up early the next morning) to finish the book.”-Amazon Reviewer

“With solid craft and poignant world building, Aubrey Hansen has outlined a future both horrifying and realistic. I appreciated Hansen's character building skills.”-Amazon Reviewer

“I loved this book! I didn't realize it was a short novella, and I wished it would have been longer.”-Goodreads Reviewer

“The story was fascinating. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but everything came together in the end and it made sense.”-Goodreads Reviewer

Giveaway

Aubrey is offering three paperback copies of her book, Red Rain. This book will have the new cover on it. And the grand prize offering will also have the paperback of Faith Blum's book, Heaven's Jubilee, a Christian futuristic collection of short stories. To enter the giveaway, please fill out this Google form (you do not need a Google account to enter). The only required entries are your name and email address, but the more you do, the more chances you have to win.

Excerpt

 

June 2

Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Introduction and Excerpt

Laurel’s Leaves-Author Interview

Frances Hoelsema-Excerpt

Aubrey Hansen, Author and Screenwriter-Excerpt

Perpetual Gardener, Writer, and Mormon-Book Spotlight

The Overactive imagination-Book Spotlight

June 3

J. Grace Pennington-Excerpt

Gabriellyn-Excerpt and Author Interview

Joyful Peacock-Author Interview

June 4

Letters from Annie Douglass Lima-Excerpt

Another OtherWorld-Character Interview with Philadelphia

Jaye L. Knight-Excerpt

June 5

Mary’s Writing World-Book Spotlight

God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae-Book Spotlight

Rachel Rossano’s Words-Excerpt and Author Interview

June 6

Tale Weaver-Author Interview

Lisa Swinton Queen of Random-Book Spotlight

Irly Scribblings of David J Hartung-Excerpt

June 7

BookishOrchestrations-Tour Wrap-up and Giveaway Announcement


What genres are you afraid to try? Any questions for Aubrey?

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In which I geek out

Karen Gillan and Matt Smith in PHILLY! 

I don't typically let my geek flag fly as much as some bloggers do, but when I learned that the 11th Doctor and his companion Amy Pond were going to be in MY city, well...it was something that could not be missed.

This was my very first Comic Con. I don't read comic books. Superheroes...I can take 'em or leave 'em. Other than Wii Fit and online puzzle games, I don't really play video games either.

Waiting for the Dr. Who panel with the fourth Doctor!

But I was totally willing to rub elbows with the geekiest of geeks for a chance to see Matt Smith and Karen Gillan live. They have great chemistry, love to laugh, and are just so thankful to have been a part of SciFi's longest-running TV series. The Q&A session ran 90 minutes, and fans asked lots of really great questions beyond "what is your favorite memory?" I especially liked their thoughtful responses to what aspects of their characters do they wish there had been more time to develop. For Karen, it was the period when Amy went through four therapists trying to cure her obsession with "the raggedy man." Apparently the two have an ongoing rivalrly to see which can remember the season and episode number for the particular plots. (Matt won, I think.)

Over the years, these conventions have diversified, and now include all kinds of SciFi and fantasy cultural production, beyond comics and gamer culture. If you like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Torchwood, Orphan Black, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Game of Thrones, or The Walking Dead you won't feel entirely out of place at a Comic Con.

"Cosplay" is the term for all the amazing getups you are likely to see. Here's a small sampling.

Name those characters...'cause I can't.

Tim the Enchanter: "what is your favorite color?"

The boy wonder at Panera!

Sean has been acting since 1981. He's a busy guy!

The convention floor is largely a giant geek supermarket, where you can trade in or purchase an entire comic collection, pick up a light saber in the color of your choice (teal anyone?), build an enormous t-shirt collection, get signed films posters without the hassle of stalking stars, and turn your hard-earned cash into a cache of geeky gadgets and knickknacks.

My husband, daughter and I spent two days at the con, the first largely on the convention floor, the second largely attending Q&A panels with various TV and film stars. In addition to Karen Gillan and Matt Smith from Dr. Who, we also heard James Marsters from Buffy, Angel, Torchwood and others; Sean Astin, who you might know best as Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings films; and finally, Firefly and Serenity stars Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion.

The Firefly panel was by far the most crowded--standing room only. For a show that ran only one season, over ten years ago, it was pretty surprising it has such an enormous cult following. I think part of what keeps the show alive is these two guys. They continue to do lots of convention appearances and are completely hilarious together. Tudyk does lots of voice work for animated films, so at times he answered questions as King Candy from Wreck It Ralph or as the Duke of Weseleton from Frozen.

One of the funniest things they did was give out signed gifts to anyone brave enough to come to the microphone and ask questions. And those gifts? Random items from Alan Tudyk's bag--old mugs, t-shirts, script pages, a pack of gum. If there's any lesson to be learned, it's that fans absolutely adore starts who are approachable and willing to be a bit silly.

Have you ever attended a Comic Con? What questions would you have asked any of the stars I saw?

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Tips for Researching Your Story

by Sherrie Petersen

Photo credit: quicksandala from morguefile.com 

Research is one of my favorite things to do when I’m writing a new book. I can lose entire days trying to answer a simple question. (Do they have carpet or tile floors in the Deep Space Network at JPL? What type of food vendors do they have at the airport in Corpus Christi?) The internet has made searching for information FAR easier than it was for novelists even ten or fifteen years ago. But the internet is also full of misinformation, which is why it’s so important to use multiple sources to get your answers.

Here are the top research tools I used when I was working on WISH YOU WEREN’T.

Google

It’s the number one search engine for a reason. When I was researching NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, I did so many searches for JPL, rephrasing my terms to find different results, that I started to worry about the FBI or the MIB showing up on my doorstep to take me away and ask questions later! It was surprising though, how using a synonym (or spelling out the name instead of using the common acronym) for a word could render completely different search results.

Takeaway: Use multiple search terms to get the broadest array of answers to your questions.

Phone/Email

Sometimes I would find information that looked valid, but it had an old date on it, or I would find more than one version. At times like this, it’s useful to make personal contact: email someone or pick up the phone and call them. You’d be amazed how willing people are to answer seemingly strange questions once you tell them you’re an author working on a story.

Takeaway: Personal contact gives you the most up-to-date information and might even offer you tidbits that you never would have found any other way.

Personal Visit

This isn’t always feasible, but it’s hands down the BEST way to research a setting. I took my family to a JPL open house (they only hold them once a year) and then returned a few months later for a personal tour to make sure I had all my details right. During the open house they handed out maps (invaluable), took us in clean rooms and got us excited about all the new projects going on. During the personal tour we got to go inside buildings that we missed during the open house and since it was just us, I was able to ask a lot of specific questions without worrying that I was holding other people up. Both experiences were fantastic and provided information I couldn’t have gleaned from the Internet.

Takeaway: Make the effort to visit actual locations so that you can give readers the most believable descriptions.

Observation

One of the things readers have always complimented me on is my character dialog. Since I have two children and I work at a school, it’s not hard for me to make the kids in my books sound real. I’m around them all day – I know how they talk. In middle grade this is SO important because if a ten-year-old sounds more like the 40-year-old author, you’ve already lost your young reader. If you’re writing for kids and you don’t have easy access to any, offer to babysit, take your nephews for the weekend, visit a toy store or a playground and listen to the conversations. Whoever your main characters are, make their voices authentic to their age, their station in life and their sense of who they are, so that they’re believable to your readers.

No matter what type of novel you’re writing, research is the core that gives your story authenticity. If you’re doing it right, you’ll learn more than you’ll ever be able to fit between the covers, but the payoff is more than worth it: your readers will embrace the world you’ve created and fall in love with your story.

Which of Sherrie's techniques might be most helpful for you to try?

About WISH YOU WEREN’T

MG sci-fi/fantasy
Marten doesn't believe in the power of wishes. None of his have ever come true. His parents ignore him, his little brother is a pain and his family is talking about moving to Texas. Not cool. So when he makes an impulsive wish during a meteor shower, he doesn't expect it to make any difference.

Until his annoying brother disappears.

With the present uncertain and his brother’s future in limbo, Marten finds himself stuck in his past. And if he runs out of time, even wishes might not be enough to save the ones he loves.

Goodreads / Read the first two chapters on Wattpad
bn.com  / amazon  /  kobo
And right now if you buy a printed copy on Amazon, you’ll get the e-book for free!

SHERRIE PETERSEN still believes in magic and she loves to write (and read!) stories that take her on fantastic adventures. In addition to writing middle grade novels, Sherrie moonlights as a graphic designer, substitute teacher, freelance writer, school newspaper advisor, yearbook advisor and mother of two children. She spends her free time watching movies, driving kids around and baking cookies. Or eating them.

WISH YOU WEREN’T is her debut novel.

Find her on:  Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Website 

Thanks for having me on your site, Laurel!!

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The Joys of Working with an Editor

By Charity Bradford, author of The Magic Wakes

Working with my editor was perhaps the most exciting part of this publishing process. Amie provided a wonderful mix of honesty and ego stroking. My guess is every great editor possesses this talent.

Before I started working with an editor I had plenty of time to get anxious about it. I kept hearing about these gut wrenching, full of red marks, your writing sucks and you’ll have to start all over kind of letters from editors. Well, no one actually said that last part, but I’d read about a lot of tears over those first letters from editors. Therefore, I waited with a lot of trepidation for that first letter.

I envisioned getting a printed out copy of my book full of slashes, hand written notes, etc. I was prepared to cry a bit before getting to work. Thank goodness that isn’t what I got. Instead I got a nice three page letter of thoughts. This included what my editor really liked, possible problem areas and definite plot holes. The best part was she even made a few suggestions as to how we could fix those problems.

After that first letter I realized a very important thing about working with an editor. This was a conversation. She wasn’t out to crush me, but help me make my story the best that it could be. I didn’t like a certain suggestion Amie made, but that suggestion sparked an idea that fit my character and still fixed the problem. When I shared it with her she was excited about it and supported me 100%.

Together we worked through three rounds of revisions and edits. The first round was what they call a macro edit and covered the big-picture notes Amie sent me on plot, characterization, scene impact, POVs, and some other elements. I took that 3 page editor’s letter and got to work.

A lot of times we just call this revisions. I cut a few scenes that were not doing anything, wrote some new ones to fill in the gaps, dug a bit deeper into a character or two, and basically “finished” the story.

The next round was line edits. This is where my editor used “track changes” to cut words, suggest words, make comments, and made sure my manuscript fit the publisher’s formatting guidelines. This was perhaps my favorite part. Why? Because I love getting a peek inside my reader’s head. If Amie had a question I saw it. If she really loved something, I saw it. This is how I critique other’s work too.

I worked, tweaked, polished. Amie checked my changes and came back with a few other spots that needed a bit more work until we reached the point that we both felt we were “finished”.

The last stage is copy edits. My publisher is hands on and took over here. This stage deals with the individual details—spelling, punctuation, typos, and word use. Karen noticed a lot of repetition and cleaned the manuscript a little more. This was all taken care of and then the book was designed and formatted before being sent back to me for a final check. I’m grateful to be with a group of professionals who know what they’re doing. When Karen sent the formatted pdf for me to review for I was so excited! It looked great!

All in all, the whole process was a great experience. I felt I learned a lot about writing clean. Things that I hope to incorporate into the next novel to make it even better. There is no reason to be afraid of working with an editor. Yes, they are going to point out the weak areas in your writing. It might even hurt. However, if you go into it with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn and improve, you are going to become a better writer and put out a better quality novel.

 Who doesn’t want that?

Charity Bradford has been a voracious reader ever since her 5th grade teacher introduced her to the world of books with Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys. She’s the mother of four kids that keep her on her toes, constantly reminding her that imagination still makes the world go round. She lives in Arkansas with her hubby and children, and firmly believes that a smile can solve most problems. The Magic Wakes is her first novel.

The Magic Wakes

Talia has a secret, one that will save her world and yet rip it apart. Only she can decide if the price is worth it.

Scientist Talia Zaryn has always had visions of an alien invasion and of her own death. She’s kept it a secret, hoping they are nothing more than childish nightmares. But when her face in the mirror matches that of her dreams, she fears the dreams are prophetic. Talia must prove that life exists beyond their planet, Sendek; perhaps then people will prepare to fight. Talia’s work at the Space Exploration Foundation leaves no time for personal relationships, but Major Landry Sutton isn’t looking for a friend. He’s looking for a traitor. His ability to sense emotions convinces him Talia is that traitor until a touch sizzles between them. In an instant their minds are connected and they can communicate telepathically. Just as the two begin to trust each other, the invading force arrives.

Talia and Landry must uncover the secrets of Sendek’s past if they hope to defeat these terrifying creatures. And Talia is the key—if only she can learn to trust the magic coursing through her veins.

 Book links: Trailer / 1st Chapter / Goodreads / Amazon

Where to find Charity: Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Website

What’s your biggest fear about working with an editor?

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Film Friday: SciFi suspense

If, like me, you prefer to curl up on the couch rather than trek through the snow on a winter weekend, chances are some movie recommendations might be welcome. This week, my theme is SciFi suspense films that examine the ethical use of technology (no goofy aliens in these, I promise).

Moon (2009)
Description from IMDB: "Sam Bell has a three year contract to work for Lunar Industries. For the contract's entire duration, he is the sole employee based at their lunar station. His primary job responsibility is to harvest and periodically rocket back to Earth supplies of helium-3, the current clean and abundant fuel used on Earth. There is no direct communication link available between the lunar station and Earth, so his only direct real-time interaction is with GERTY, the intelligent computer whose function is to attend to his day to day needs. With such little human contact and all of it indirect, he feels that three years is far too long to be so isolated; he knows he is beginning to hallucinate as the end of his three years approaches. All he wants is to return to Earth to be with his wife Tess and their infant daughter Eve, who was born just prior to his leaving for this job. With two weeks to go, he gets into an accident at one of the mechanical harvesters and is rendered unconscious..."

The synopsis trails off there to protect folks from spoilers. All I can tell you is that after the accident, things get weird and Sam begins to question what's really going on at this station and why. If you've seen the space classics 2001 and Solaris (either the original Russian or the American remake with George Clooney), you'll definitely feel resonances.



Gattaca (1997)
Description from IMDB: "In the not-too-distant future, a less-than-perfect man wants to travel to the stars. Society has categorized Vincent Freeman as less than suitable given his genetic make-up and he has become one of the underclass of humans that are only useful for menial jobs. To move ahead, he assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a perfect genetic specimen who is a paraplegic as a result of a car accident. With professional advice, Vincent learns to deceive DNA and urine sample testing. Just when he is finally scheduled for a space mission, his program director is killed and the police begin an investigation, jeopardizing his secret. "

This film features A-list stars including Jude Law, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, but I know few people who've seen it. It's visually stunning and tightly plotted, with amazing visual motifs running through, such as a spiral staircase gesturing toward the DNA that determines fates in this world. My husband wrote a wonderful article examining themes and motifs in the film. You can read it HERE.




Cordwainer Smith stories
If you're in more of a reading mood, I recommend The Rediscovery of Man: Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith. Smith was a pioneer in writing SciFi about bioethics, especially how cyber enhancements and assisted evolution of animals might effect a society.

Here's what Amazon says:
"These are futuristic tales told as myth, as legend, as a history of a distant and decayed past. Written in an unadorned voice reminiscent of James Tiptree Jr., Smith's visions are dark and pessimistic, clearly a contrast from the mood of SF in his time; in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s it was still thought that science would cure the ills of humanity. In Smith's tales, space travel takes a horrendous toll on those who pilot the ships through the void. After reaching perfection, the lack of strife stifles humanity to a point of decay and stagnation; the Instrumentality of Mankind arises in order to stir things up. Many stories describe moral dilemmas involving the humanity of the Underpeople, beings evolved from animals into humanlike forms."

Have a great weekend!

Any other SciFi films on this theme you can recommend? Seen any good films that made you think?

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