It's Friday, which means it's time for our weekly minute masterclass! Today we discuss crutch words.

When editing your manuscript, keep an eye out for crutch words. These are words that an author leans on and will use repeatedly throughout their manuscript, often several times on each page and in close proximity to each other. Common crutch words are: looked, glanced, dragged, pulled, grabbed, eyes, smiled, sighed. This also applies to phrases as well, for example 'rolled his eyes' and 'raised his eyebrow', or variants thereof. 

It'll become apparent as you read through your manuscript what your crutch words are, but if in doubt, a handy tool is Wordle.net. Simply copy and paste your MS into the application and it'll generate a pretty word cloud, giving you an excellent visual representation of which words you overuse. Once you've identified your crutch words, delete as many as possible.  

Welcome to our weekly MCS Minute Masterclass. Today we're looking at blending description with action.

Description is important because it sets your scene and helps transport the reader to your book's universe. When writing description, it's usually best to incorporate it into the flow of the story instead of halting the action for a paragraph like: She stumbled across [a thing.] The thing was [description.] It had [description] and wore [description.]

Consider the difference between:

"I see the edge of the cliff. Below me is the river, and jagged rocks. The night air is crisp. As I jump, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning."

and

"My left foot lands at the edge of the cliff. I push off with all my might, rocketing my body out toward the middle of the river, far away from the jagged rocks below. As I plummet through the crisp night air, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning." --Paula Stokes, Liars, Inc., (HarperTeen, 2015)

In a way, it all goes back to showing and not telling. Instead of playing tour guide, let readers experience your world on their own as they move through it . Happy writing!

Welcome to the second MCS Minute Masterclass, where we feature a quick writing tip to help you improve your writing in just 60 seconds!

Today our topic is dialogue tags.

Consider the differences between:

“I’m protecting you," I insist.

“No, you’re smothering us,” Maura argues. 

“Do you think I enjoy it?” I demand. “I’m trying to keep you safe. I’m trying to keep you from ending up like Brenna Elliott!”

“Brenna Elliott was a fool,” Maura sighs. 

“Was she? Or was she just careless? They ruined her either way,” I explain.

 “She was odd before," Maura says. 

“Odd or not, she didn’t deserve what was done to her in that place,” I snap.

and this:


I reel back, stung, and almost knock into the globe. I steady it on the pedestal with both hands. “I’m protecting you.”

“No, you’re smothering us.”

“Do you think I enjoy it?” I demand, throwing up my hands. “I’m trying to keep you safe. I’m trying to keep you from ending up like Brenna Elliott!”

Maura sinks onto her window seat, her hair as red as the maples lining the drive. “Brenna Elliott was a fool.”

It isn’t that simple, and Maura knows it. “Was she? Or was she just careless? They ruined her either way.”

Maura raises an eyebrow, skeptical. “She was odd before.”

“Odd or not, she didn’t deserve what was done to her in that place,” I snap.


​- from BORN WICKED, p. 18-19

My early drafts look like the first example. The dialogue tags identify who's speaking, but they don't give the reader any clues as to how the character looks or feels, or the scene around them. The rhythm is monotonous, with a dialogue tag ("she says," etc) at the end of each line. In revision, I cut most dialogue tags and layer in description. What's the character's expression? Her body language? How is she interacting with her setting? Answering these questions creates a more vivid scene.

Want to know what we're thankful for this year? Our new business and the chance to work with amazing writers like you! 

So we're offering a 20% off sale -- now through Wednesday, December 11 -- on all our services except full manuscripts.

If you've been thinking about trying us out, now's the perfect time. For the next two weeks, our prices are as follows: 

Query Critique: $16 (save $4) 
1st 10 Pages: $24 (save $6)
Agent Submission Package: $40 (save $10)
Partial (1st 50 pages): $80 (save $20)

Why would you need a crit service? Here are a few examples:

Getting rejections on your queries? We can help you pinpoint the problem. We'll look at your first 10 or 50 pages and tell you where an agent might stop reading and why. 

Are you stuck? Worried that your plot is a little confusing, your character's motivation is unclear, or the rules of your world don't quite make sense? Trust us, we've been there. When you've been working on a manuscript for months or even years, it can be hard to see it with fresh eyes and know what's working. Let us help you move forward in your writing journey. 

Have you finished your NaNoWriMo novel? Don't send it to an agent yet! You only get one chance to make a first impression. Send it to us. We can help you make sure you're sending out your best possible work. 

If any of these apply to you, you can check out testimonials here and read our submission guidelines here.

And to all of you in the US, Happy Thanksgiving! 

Today we're kicking off our new weekly blog series, MCS Minute Masterclass. Each week we'll feature a quick tip to help you improve your writing in just 60 seconds! Today we discuss 'farther' vs 'further'.

Farther = Physical distance
Further = Figurative distance

In ambiguous cases, where you could be talking about either physical or figurative distance, plump for 'further'. 

We walk a little farther down the street, and I get a few puzzled looks when people recognize me. But then they shake their
heads, thinking they must be crazy—why would the Emissary’s daughter be in their neck of the woods?
- Black City, page 63

She doesn’t have to explain that any further. When Darklings mate, they often bite each other and blood share. Evangeline will never be able to do that; not with a Darkling, anyway.
- Black City, page 219

“I wanted you to kiss me, I wanted us to take things a step further, and I admit I got carried away, but I didn’t want that.
You know how my father died, you must know how much being bitten scares me,” I say.
- Black City, page 246 

Our favorite time of year is almost upon us! 'Tis the season of pumpkin pies, turkeys, and best of all NaNoWriMo! This year, the MCS editors have dared each other to take on the 50,000 word challenge, so we thought we'd share our top writing and editing tips to help you along with your own NaNo projects.  So get your laptops ready and fat-pants on (hey, we plan on eating a LOT of candy this month) and lets get ready to NaNo!

PAULA: "Start with an outline. It doesn't need to be detailed and you don't have to follow it if you don't want to, but it's nice to have a map when you suddenly find yourself lost."

JESS: "Turn off your internet. If you're stuck for the next word, sentence, or plot point, checking Twitter is not going to help you. If you find yourself engaging in the endless Twitter/Facebook/email loop of doom, try one of the apps that will turn off the internet for you.  I use Mac Freedom." 

TARA: "If you have trouble connecting with a character, try getting into their head by playing songs they'd listen to or by having them answer fun, social-media style surveys. "

ELIZABETH: "If you're stuck on a scene, move on to the next one; you can always come back to it later. The Writing Police won't turn up at your door if you don't write your book in order. I'm forever writing scenes out of sequence, as it prevents boredom and gives me some breathing space to work out why the other scene isn't working."

PAULA: "Send your inner editor on vacation. When you're producing words at a rate of 1700 a day, they're not all going to be great. That's totally okay. Like I heard author April Henry say once: "You can edit crap. You can't edit nothing."

JESS: "If you're having trouble killing off your inner perfectionist - a must for drafting - try word sprinting with friends. See how much you can write in 30 minutes (or 45, or an hour) and then check in on Twitter to report your word count. Or if sprinting against others doesn't work, try Write or Die. If you stop typing for too long, this program will punish you with a reminder, a loud noise, or--in Kamikaze mode, which I find quite motivational!--by deleting your words!"

TARA: "Change your scenery. When you are stuck on a scene, go outside, to your favorite cafe/public hangout, or simply change rooms." 

ELIZABETH: "Don't know how to start your novel? Don't waste time trying to come up with that killer opening as you'll be staring at your screen for days. Simply skip over your intro paragraph and start with paragraph two or three. Psychologically, it  takes the pressure off trying to come up with that perfect opening and lets you get on with writing the story. You can come back to your opening paragraph(s) later, once you've settled into the flow of things."

We hope you found our tips helpful! Best of luck with your NaNo projects--do tweet us at @MS_Critiques to let us know how you're getting on! And while you're busy typing away on your NaNo project, now is the perfect time to get feedback on your other WIPs, so why not send them to us for a professional, affordable critique? We offer a range of services from 10-pages critiques to full line edits, all at reasonable prices!  Check out our Services and Rates page for more information. 

Thanks so much to everyone who helped us spread the word about Manuscript Critique Services! We had loads of entries for our first contest and we are so excited that you are excited! 

The winners have all been contacted, and they are:

Grand Prize: Agent Submission Package
Melody Simpson

10 Page Critiques
Abigail Johnson
Reem Adel Eid
Tara Turley Creel

If you didn't win, we still really appreciate your support - and we hope you'll submit to us anyway. We think our rates are pretty reasonable. We've gotten great, happy feedback from our early clients, and you can read testimonials from our critique partners. Right now we all still have room in our schedules, but that may not last long! So check out what we offer and then submit! We can't wait to work with you. 

We’re excited to announce that our new freelance editorial service, Manuscript Critique Services (MCS), is now open to submissions! Because we’re in the party spirit, to celebrate we’re running an epic giveaway, with three 10-Page Critiques and an Agent Submission Package up for grabs.

MCS is an editorial service run by authors Tara Kelly (Harmonic Feedback), Elizabeth Richards (Black City), Jessica Spotswood (Born Wicked), and Paula Stokes (Venom (as Fiona Paul), The Art of Lainey), specializing in Middle Grade, Young Adult, and New Adult novels.  As authors, we understand how important it is to have expert feedback on your manuscript, but at a price that you can afford. That's why we have come up with a range of services that will help you at every step of the publishing process, from query critiques to 'Big-Picture' and line edits, all available at wallet-friendly prices. 

Check out our services and rates

We’re four traditionally published authors with a total of eight books between us and another six on the way. Collectively, our books have sold at auction in major deals, won prestigious literary awards, and have had the film rights snapped up by leading Hollywood studios. In the past we've worked as editors, journalists and educators, and as authors we have worked closely with editors at Penguin, HarperCollins, and Macmillan. We're looking forward to taking all those years of experience and using them to help make your manuscripts better, because we're not just passionate about writing; we love working with other writers. There's something really exciting about coming across that stunning story concept or compelling voice that truly deserves to become part of a book. For us, critiquing a manuscript and then seeing that manuscript sell is every bit as exciting as typing 'The End' on one of our own novels. 

Check out our full biographies

To celebrate the launch of MCS we're running an international giveaway!

• Open internationally
  
• You can enter as many times as you like
• Winners will be drawn at random using Rafflecopter on October 14, 2013
• Winners must redeem their prizes by December 31, 2013
• Prizes can not be exchanged
• Entrants under 18 years old must have a parent/guardian's permission to enter